OBJECTIVE:To assess the effect of weight change on the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and diabetes risk. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study, using data from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow Up Study. Survival analyses were conducted using 301 selfreported cases of diabetes and eight documented diabetes deaths during an 8.4-y follow-up. SUBJECTS: A total of 7006 subjects aged 32-88 y with no reported history of diabetes were included in the study. RESULTS: For all subjects combined, increases in consumption of ground-caffeinated coffee and caffeine at baseline were followed by decreases in diabetes risk during follow-up. There were significant statistical interactions between age and consumption of caffeine (P ¼ 0.02) and ground-caffeinated coffee (P ¼ 0.03). Age-stratified analysis showed that the decrease in diabetes risk only applied to r60-y-old subjects, for whom the decrease in diabetes risk also obtained for ground-decaffeinated coffee and regular tea. The multivariate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval for a 2 cups/day increment in the intake of ground-caffeinated coffee, ground-decaffeinated coffee and regular tea was 0.86 (0.75-0.99), 0.58 (0.34-0.99) and 0.77 (0.59-1.00), respectively. The diabetes risk was negatively related to the consumption in a dose-response manner. There were strong statistical interactions between prior weight change and beverage consumption for r60-y-old subjects. Further analysis revealed that the decrease in diabetes risk only applied to those who had lost weight, and that there was a positive doseresponse relationship between diabetes risk and weight change. For example, the multivariate HR and 95% confidence interval for 40 vs 0 cups/day of ground-decaffeinated coffee was 0.17 (0.04-0.74), 0.52 (0.19-1.42), 0.77 (0.30-1.96) and 0.91 (0.39-2.14) for subgroups with weight change of r0, 0-10, 10-20 and 420 lbs, respectively. There was no significant association between diabetes risk and consumption of instant-caffeinated coffee, instant-decaffeinated coffee or herbal tea. Caffeine intake appeared to explain some, but not all, of the diabetes-risk reduction and weight change. CONCLUSION: The negative relationship between diabetes risk and consumption of ground coffee and regular tea, observed for all NHEFS subjects, actually only applied to nonelderly adults who had previously lost weight.

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Among dietary factors, learning and behavior are influenced not only by nutrients, but also by exposure to toxic food contaminants such as mercury that can disrupt metabolic processes and alter neuronal plasticity. Neurons lacking in plasticity are a factor in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and mental retardation. Essential nutrients help maintain normal neuronal plasticity. Nutritional deficiencies, including deficiencies in the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, the amino acid methionine, and the trace minerals zinc and selenium, have been shown to influence neuronal function and produce defects in neuronal plasticity, as well as impact behavior in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nutritional deficiencies and mercury exposure have been shown to alter neuronal function and increase oxidative stress among children with autism. These dietary factors may be directly related to the development of behavior disorders and learning disabilities. Mercury, either individually or in concert with other factors, may be harmful if ingested in above average amounts or by sensitive individuals. High fructose corn syrup has been shown to contain trace amounts of mercury as a result of some manufacturing processes, and its consumption can also lead to zinc loss. Consumption of certain artificial food color additives has also been shown to lead to zinc deficiency. Dietary zinc is essential for maintaining the metabolic processes required for mercury elimination. Since high fructose corn syrup and artificial food color additives are common ingredients in many foodstuffs, their consumption should be considered in those individuals with nutritional deficits such as zinc deficiency or who are allergic or sensitive to the effects of mercury or unable to effectively metabolize and eliminate it from the body.

Background: Motivated by the possibility that caffeine could ameliorate the effect of postprandial hypotension on a high risk of coronary events and mortality in aging, we hypothesized that caffeinated beverage consumption decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the elderly. Objective: The objective of the study was to use prospective cohort study data to test whether the consumption of caffeinated beverages exhibits this protective effect. Design: Cox regression analyses were conducted for 426 CVD deaths that occurred during an 8.8-y follow-up in the prospective first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. The analysis involved 6594 participants aged 32-86 y with no history of CVD at baseline. Results: Participants aged ͧ65 y with higher caffeinated beverage intake exhibited lower relative risk of CVD and heart disease mortality than did participants with lower caffeinated beverage intake. It was a dose-response protective effect: the relative risk (95% CI) for heart disease mortality was 1.00 (referent), 0.77 (0.54, 1.10), 0.68 (0.49, 0.94), and 0.47 (0.32, 0.69) for 0.5, 0.5-2, 2-4, and ͧ4 servings/d, respectively (P for trend ҃ 0.003). A similar protective effect was found for caffeine intake in mg/d. The protective effective was found only in participants who were not severely hypertensive. No significant protective effect was found in participants aged 65 y or in cerebrovascular disease mortality for those aged ͧ65 y. Conclusion: Habitual intake of caffeinated beverages provided protection against the risk of heart disease mortality among elderly participants in this prospective epidemiologic analysis. Clin Nutr 2007;85:392-8. Am J