Coffee - Health Risks Drinking Too Much

Coffee is America's most popular beverage, with the average adult consuming about 1.65 cups of coffee a day. But, what is all this coffee and caffeine doing to our bodies? Are there health risks associated with high coffee consumption? For the answers to these questions and more information on the health effects of coffee, keep reading.

Possible Cardiovascular Issues

While no concrete studies have shown that excess coffee drinking can lead to high blood pressure or increased risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers do know that caffeine is a stimulant that can increase your heart rate.

Also, cafestol, a substance that is predominant in unfiltered coffee can dramatically increase patient cholesterol levels, particularly with women. Fortunately, cafestol is not present in significant amounts in filtered coffee.

Because of these potential cardiovascular issues, health professionals recommend not exceeding 4 cups of coffee a day.

Increased Anxiety

Coffee is a stimulant. It can cause jitters and anxiety if too much caffeine is consumed. Routinely consuming a high volume of coffee or even coffee withdrawal can each cause irritability.

Sleep Problems

Again, coffee is a stimulant, meaning it keeps you awake and alert. Subsequently, people suffering from insomnia or sleep issues are recommended to stay away from caffeine and other potent stimulants.

High Acidic Content

Coffee has a high acidic content which can cause stomach pains and discomfort in the digestive system. To prevent this, try to avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach or in excess. Pouring in a little cream with your coffee can help coat the stomach and reduce the effect of the brew's acid.

Diuretic

Coffee is a diuretic, meaning it can strip your body of water and vital moisture. This can cause sallow skin, constipation and dehydration. Ideally, every cup of coffee should be followed by two glasses of water.

Loose Bowel Movements

Though coffee is a diuretic and constipation, it can also cause loose stools when it passes through the colon. It acts as a stimulant for peristalsis, the rhythmic contraction of the colon.

PMS Symptoms

Excess coffee drinking has been shown to aggravate PMS symptoms. By dehydrating the body, stimulating contractions and increasing anxiety, coffee can have a powerful effect on the pre-menstrual woman.

Despite the health risks associated with drinking coffee, a number of health benefits have been linked to moderate coffee consumption, including reduced cancer risk and a reduced likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease, gout, Parkinson's disease and Type 2 Diabetes. However the key is drinking in moderation.

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Skin care tips

Sony PlayStation 3 vs. Microsoft Xbox 360

Regardless of the interest you have at heart or the business you are in there is always a rivalry between the best in anything. Pepsi vs. Coke. Wal-Mart vs. Target. Coors vs. Budweiser. You get the point, when it comes to being the best it doesnt matter who you are, there is always a rival and there is always somebody ready to take up the argument of the other guys.

The video game industry is no different than any other so when it comes to being a hardcore video gamer in the present day there are two choices for you in which to choose your alliance, Microsoft or Sony. More specifically, you need to choose between their golden children, the PlayStation and Xbox empires. For those of you incapable of making the decision yourself, read the following to understand what both have to offer.

• Xbox was released over a year ago with no competitor as Sony had yet to release its new PlayStation 3, delaying it over a year to make it competitive. PlayStation 3 seems to have done so with a Cell Broadband Engine to power its newest entry into the video gaming arms race. Whether you know which is better without playing both is solely based on if you are a computer genius or not. If not, which most of us are not, understand that both are based on having multiple processors running at the same time.
• Just as you would expect, both manufacturers offer different packages for buyers in retail outlets across the country. Generally, each is offered in a core package and a premium package with names varying at different retail outlets. Basically, what you have to choose from is a basic system with no hard drive, but everything else. A system that provides you with 20GB of hard drive and a different system that offers 60GB of hard drive. Xbox 360 is generally around $100 cheaper in all categories at the moment, but it has also been around for a year longer.
• Where PlayStation 3 is separating itself from Xbox 360 at the time being is in the game discs or capability with Blu-Ray technology. Blu-Ray technology allows for more space on each disc which means that developers and designers can go deeper and more sophisticated with game play in each game. This is exclusive to PlayStation 3 at the moment, but you can bet that all systems will have it in the coming years.
• Both video gaming giants offer an online gaming service to allow gamers to be able to compete with each other across the world. Xbox Live is currently the more well known of the two services, but it does cost money in the form of a monthly subscription to be able to use it. PlayStation 3 is preparing to have a massive online community along with the launch of the system itself, with the difference between them and Xbox being that PS3s online service will be offered without charge.

Victor Vargo is the editor of the PS3 Price Shopper Resource Guide which provides the latest Play Station 3 news as well as in-depth comparisons of the PlayStation 3 vs. Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 3 vs Xbox 360. Learn more at PS3PriceShopper.com.

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Blogs and Your Business

There are 600+ corporate bloggers at Microsoft. They use blogging as one of their greatest marketing assets, generating an astonishing amount of online and offline word of mouth interaction. Microsoft takes blogging seriously and these blogs are all linked to the corporate site. They help put a human face on the corporation by injecting individuals passion for the company. What they are really involved in is building relationships on behalf of Microsoft.

A blogs or 'weblog is a regularly updated internet journal of organized personal thoughts made usually by an individual. In the business world this may be either as an official corporate blog or in an unofficial capacity. Business blogs usually incorporate news, issues, and ideas and speak to customers, vendors and employees. What makes blogs unique is that they link with other blogs and websites and solicit comments making them the ideal platform for an ongoing dialogue. Blogs are inexpensive, easy to set up and use, and require no technical skills such as HTML. The collective term for blogs is the blogosphere.

The blogosphere continues to grow. Technorati the leading web search engine is currently tracking 19.6 million blogs. About 70,000 new blogs are tracked every day. The total number of blogs continues to double every 5 months or so. There are between 700,000 and 1.3 million blog posts made every day. Both Google and Yahoo are introducing blogs search engines. Yahoo is currently showing a beta version of blog search results alongside their news results.

News travels fast through the blogosphere. In times of disaster such as Hurricane Katrina or the London terrorist attacks, blogs were instrumental in getting news, photos and opinions out at a remarkably fast rate. They often beat journalists for the scoop on news or scandals. In fact you can be sure that these days journalists keep a close eye on blogs and use them as a source for stories.

What does this growth in blogging mean for your business? It means that you should give serious consideration to adding a blog to your business. However you should also consider whether a blog would fit in with your business objectives. Because of the different tactics that blogs can be used for you may want to weigh up the options as to what benefits it can offer you and your business.

Increase your Web Presence

If you have an established online business you can add another vehicle to communicate your message and pass information on to your clients. Because blogs continually have new content they are indexed regularly by the search engines. It is another way to get your name and your products out into the search engine space. You can also use your blog to target additional keyword phrases.

Interactions with Customers

Your blog can be used to build stronger ties with your customer base. The opportunity to exchange information and expertise is one of the main reasons that explain why corporate blogs have grown in popularity in recent years. Corporations have recognized their customers are using blogs to self publish their opinions about products and services. This has led to customers getting actively involved in business situations such as product development.

Branding Tool

Use your blog as a branding tool for your business. Its an effective way to get your brand message out there. Your brand represents an exchange of ideas between you and your audience. It is a relationship. Brands exist in the mind of your customer therefore brands that aren't in touch with their customers miss out on innovation opportunities.

Corporate Communications

You can use your blog to speak directly with the media. There has been an ongoing debate as to whether blogs should replace the press release as the main corporate communications vehicle. As far as I am concerned both will do a good job and each has their own unique value.

Business Marketing

Blogs are being utilized more and more as a business marketing tool. And this is creeping into more and more business areas. Word of mouth advertising and independent testimonials are two major benefits of running a marketing focused blog. This is a great alternative to advertising. Blogs can also attract and develop a regular audience for your message and foster an atmosphere of trust.

CEO Blogs

A CEO blog is a way to speak directly to customers and vendors. And it can be used to advance industry issues. There are pitfalls of course. Saying something controversial may be picked up and reproduced in many locations. However some controversy is good as it gets people engaged.

A blog does require a commitment from you. Remember that writing and maintaining a blog take time. You should really have an interest in writing and communicating with your readers. A blog also requires an injection of personality.

Blogs are a increasingly common way to communicate about your business. As Businessweek magazine said in their article on business blogs catch upor catch you later

Copyright James Peggie

James Peggie is the Director of Marketing for Elixir Systems a search engine marketing agency located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Their website is located at http://www.elixirsystems.com and their blog is http://searchblog.elixirsystems.com