Four Steps to a Stronger Immune System

 

The Covid pandemic has been a gold mine for those marketing and selling "immune support" products, most of which do little or nothing to actually strengthen your immune system. Can something in a bottle, whether a vitamin formulation or probiotic, really rev up your immune system to help you stay healthy?

"Unfortunately, the reality is that those kinds of products aren't really offering you any benefit," says Michael Starnbach, a professor of microbiology at Harvard Medical School. "There's no evidence that they help in fighting disease."

But that doesn't mean that nothing helps. You just don't need to buy a product or supplement to do it. Here are four lifestyle strategies that really can help your immune system work better.

Basic Healthy Eating and Hydration

Make sure you nourish yourself with healthy food. That means plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean meat, fish, beans and whole grains. Antioxidants may be especially helpful so supplementing with Vitamins C and E may help, although you can get plenty of both from your diet.

Get Regular Daily Exercise

Numerous epidemiological studies have examined the effects of exercise on individuals with illness who are either moderately active or sedentary. These studies consistently show that people who are active or physically fit get significantly fewer upper respiratory tract infections per year than less active people. Research evidence from the studies supports the theory that moderate exercise training is protective against incidence of illness and symptoms.

Get Plenty of Sleep

What "plenty" is depends upon you but for most people that means 8 hours of restful sleep per night. Sleep exerts a strong regulatory influence on immune functions. Researchers from Germany have found that sound sleep improves immune cells known as T cells.

“T cells are a type of immune cells that fight against intracellular pathogens, for example virus-infected cells such as flu, HIV, herpes, and cancer cells,” Stoyan Dimitrov, PhD, a researcher at the University of Tübingen and an author of the study, told Healthline.

Manage Stress Constructively

Stress and the immune system have a complex relationship. The body’s natural defenses are sensitive to psychological stress, especially if it’s chronic. Stress can cause the immune system to produce an inflammatory response, which may have a short term benefit. But if inflammation is persistent and widespread, it can contribute to chronic diseases. Chronic stress can also produces higher-than-normal levels of the hormone cortisol. This can hamper the body’s anti-inflammatory response and cause continual infections, according to recent immunology research studies.

We can't arrange a life with zero stress, but there are many effective ways to prevent it from becoming a chronic health issue.  

There is nothing that you can do to guarantee that you never become ill. But by incorporating the four suggestions into your lifestyle you can minimize the risks and be better able to fight off an infection if you do get one.

 

New and Improved! Maybe not.

 

Who doesn't like products that are new and improved? The Marketing Department sure does. And this applies even more to food products than others. The only thing is, while it may indeed be new, it is often not improved. In fact, it is often worse that the product it replaces, at least as far as your health and nutrition is concerned. 

As just one example (there are so many), take Kellogg's Raisin Bran. For decades, Raisin Bran has been one of the best cereals you could take home. Iconic in the cereal aisle. Low in sugar, high in fiber and a good source of potassium and B Vitamins. But it had gotten, you know, old fashioned. So how to improve it for a new generation? Simple! Add extra sugar, reduce the fiber content and make it cheaper to produce with fillers! New and Improved! For Kellogg maybe.

Each 1 cup serving of Kellogg's Raisin Bran Toasted Oats and Honey now has 3 teaspoons of added sugar and more white rice than oats. That crowds out the fiber rich bran too, but who cares as long as its new and improved! A better name might have been Sugary White Rice Raisin Bran, but that just doesn't sound all that improved.

A better idea? Stick with the original Raisin Bran (it has 2 tsp of added sugar and no white rice). Even better? But any company's plain bran flakes and toss in your own raisins.

SAD Still Earns an F

 

How good is the Standard American Diet (SAD)? Lets just say that we still have a way to go to earn a solid D-. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a measure of diet quality used to assess how well a set of foods aligns with key recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, gives the SAD an unimpressive 59 out of 100. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is designed for nutrition and health professionals to help individuals and families to consume a healthful and nutritionally adequate diet.

In 1970, Americans consumed about 2,000 calories per day. Today that has risen to 2,500. Assuming that rise was not accompanied by in increase in activity of at least 500 calories per day, that translates into an extra 2 - 4 pounds gained per month. No wonder that despite spending over $70 billion annually on diet plans, fitness apps, gym memberships and all manner of weight loss products and programs, Americans are fatter than ever. As of 2020, 74% of American adults and 35% of children are now overweight or obese.

Four out of every 10 calories that we stuff into our mouths comes from refined, processed grains and added sugar. Supersized everything is supersizing us. And exposing us to higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

All we need to do to fix this is eat less and move more. But apparently most people just aren't willing to do that.

Some Good News on Added Sugar

 

According to Nutrition Action Healthletter, consumption of sugar and sugary sweeteners has declined almost 20% since 1990 and is approaching the level it was at in 1970. I guess that explains why sugar producers fought so long and hard to prevent nutrition labeling standards to requiring disclosure of added sugar. Almost all of the decline is due to a sharp reduction in consumption of high fructose corn syrup, which has fallen by over 40% in the same period.

But let's not strain a muscle patting ourselves on the back. Other sugar-based sweeteners have declined only slightly or even increased in some case. Cane and beet sugar, honey, agave, turbinado and others are added sugars as well and are no better for you.

Added sugar has been one of the leading contributors to America’s obesity epidemic. And until recently, it’s also been one of the most underreported and underestimated health risks. Among its other sweet benefits are a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Now that added sugar is listed on nutrition labels, you can make better choices at the grocery store. But you have to actually do it.

Early Eating Habits Possible Autism Flag

 

How a child eats may indicate signs of autism spectrum disorder. In a study of 2,102 children researchers sought to examine how eating behaviors differ between children with and without autism using standardized parent interviews conducted by licensed psychologists.

According to the study, 70.4% of children with autism had atypical eating behaviors, such as limited food preferences, hypersensitivity to food textures or pocketing food without swallowing. About 13% of children without autism but with some other kind of disorder (ADHD, language disorder) reported similar behaviors. But only 4.8% of children without a disorder had unusual eating behaviors. Atypical eating behaviors are 15 times more common in children with autism compared to neurotypical children.

Penn State psychiatry professor and lead researcher Susan Mayes noted such behaviors are common in 1-year-olds with autism and urges parents to talk to their child’s pediatrician about an autism screening. The earlier autism is diagnosed, the sooner the family can consider beginning a treatment plan with a behavior analyst, she added. Research shows early treatment during preschool years can help children on the spectrum better understand necessary life skills.

 

One More Reason to Lose Your Belly

 

As if we needed any more reasons to slim down a bit, a 2019 study of nearly 1,300 people with an average age of 64 suggests that being overweight or obese accelerates brain aging by a decade or more. 

"People with bigger waists and a higher BMI were more likely to have thinning in the cortex area of the brain, which implies that obesity is associated with reduced gray matter of the brain," said study author Tatjana Rundek, M.D., Ph.D., a UHealth neurologist, professor of neurology, epidemiology, and public health and scientific director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Research Institute. "These associations were especially strong in those who were younger than 65, which adds weight to the theory that having poor health indicators in mid-life may increase the risk for brain aging and problems with memory and thinking skills in later life." 

Having a higher BMI was associated with having a thinner cortex, even after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect the cortex, such as high blood pressure, alcohol use and smoking. In overweight people, every unit increase in BMI was associated with a 0.098 millimeter (mm) thinner cortex and in obese people with a 0.207 mm thinner cortex. Having a thinner cortex has been tied to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Rundek said, "In normal aging adults, the overall thinning rate of the cortical mantle is between 0.01 and 0.10 mm per decade, and our results would indicate that being overweight or obese may accelerate aging in the brain by at least a decade."

I guess the good news is that if you refuse to slim down now, you won't have to worry about it later. Or anything else for that matter.

What's in YOUR Weight Loss Supplement?

 

Beware of any sports drink or supplement marketed as a weight loss or fat burning aid. Many contain unsafe or even illegal stimulants. A 2020 study analyzed seventeen brands of supplements and all contained at least one unapproved stimulant. In 2004 the FDA concluded that a substance known as isopropyloctopamine—also called deterenol—did not qualify as a dietary ingredient in supplements. Yet several studies have identified the presence of deterenol in over-the-counter supplements, and the ingredient was among the substances contained in a food supplement linked to such serious adverse events as agitation, chest pain and cardiac arrest.

"We're urging clinicians to remain alert to the possibility that patients may be inadvertently exposed to experimental stimulants when consuming weight loss and sports supplements," said Dr. Pieter Cohen, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, internist at Cambridge Health Alliance and a co-author of the study. "We're talking about active pharmaceutical stimulants that have not been approved by the U.S. FDA for oral use as either prescription medications or dietary supplements. These ingredients have no place in dietary supplements."

The study found that several supplements available on the internet contained multiple stimulants, including deterenol. In an analysis of 17 brands of supplements labeled as containing deterenol or one of its synonyms, researchers discovered eight brands contained more than one prohibited stimulant. In nearly half of the brands—or eight of 17 brands—deterenol was the only stimulant present, while four of the brands analyzed did not detect deterenol, the researchers said. FDA has targeted many stimulants identified in the tested products.

You don't need a supplement to lose weight. All you need is to consume fewer calories than you body burns due to metabolism and exercise. If you plan to use a supplement for weight loss anyway, then do your research into both the supplement and the company. Buyer beware.

Early Diet Affects You for Life

 

 

A 2021 study by the University of California - Riverside suggests that eating too much fat and sugar as a child can alter your microbiome for life, even if you later learn to eat healthier. The study is one of the first to show a significant decrease in the total number and diversity of gut bacteria in mature mice fed an unhealthy diet as juveniles.

The research team also found that gut bacteria are sensitive to exercise. A group of mice fed the standard American diet of high carbs, saturated fats and high levels of protein and sugars but who had access to a running wheel had higher levels of the good bacteria Muribaculum. But the mice eating a healthy diet saw a similarly high proliferation of Muribaculum. An earlier study found similar results with exercise alone, suggesting that gut diversity can be improved with exercise alone. Conversely, they found that an early-life standard American diet impacted the microbiome later on in life more than early-life exercise. Researchers concluded that “You are not only what you eat, but what you ate as a child!"

"We studied mice, but the effect we observed is equivalent to kids having a Western diet, high in fat and sugar and their gut microbiome still being affected up to six years after puberty," explained UCR evolutionary physiologist Theodore Garland. He now wants to delve deeper into the exact timing of dietary influence, precisely when it impacts the microbiome, and for how long. 

If you won't eat better for yourself, then maybe do it for your children.

Does a High Protein Deit Help Build Muscle?

 

Does consuming high amounts of protein help you to build muscle? According to the beef industry, it sure does. "Studies show exercise is more effective with a higher-protein diet," says its web site beefitswhatsfordinner.com. This illustrates why "studies show" should be a red flag. Because in fact, studies show just the opposite.

Researchers found that 10 weeks of strength training plus a moderate amount of protein were enough to build muscle in previously sedentary middle-aged people. And extra protein brought no added gains. In the study, 50 people with little or no experience lifting weights were assigned to do resistance training while consuming either a "moderate" 0.5g of protein per pound of body weight or 0.7g.  After the 10 weeks, strength increased equally in both groups regardless of protein intake.

"The findings run counter to a common belief among exercisers," said researcher Colleen McKenna, a registered dietitian and graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. "Protein is essential for muscle maintenance and growth. But the typical American diet contains plenty of it," McKenna said. "If you're getting enough high-quality protein in your diet then 'enough' is probably enough."

Sorry beef industry. But studies don't show. 

Most Common Type of Antidepressant May Increase Stroke Risk

 

Antidepressants are among the most frequently used medications in the United States. According to the National Center for Health Statistics the use and abuse of antidepressants has become a prominent medical and public health issue. Nearly 18% of all adult women and 8% of men in the United States used antidepressant medication between 2015 and 2018.

A 2020 study published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke suggests that use of antidepressants may increase the risk of having a stroke. The study looked at data from 1.1 million U.S. veterans and is the largest-ever investigation of post-traumatic stress disorder and antidepressant-associated stroke risk in young adults. Researchers looked at 13 years of data from young and middle-aged veterans who served in the most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the results showed that taking SSRI medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most common type of antidepressant) carried a 45% greater risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

Although the study couldn't answer why SSRIs might increase stroke risk, researcher Allison Gaffey from the Yale School of Medicine said that possible causes could be that the medication can reduce the ability of platelets to clot, can decrease platelet count, and has been associated with bleeding in the stomach. Platelets are specialized disk-shaped cells in the bloodstream and are involved in the formation of blood clots, which play an important role in heart attacks, strokes and peripheral vascular disease.

SNRI medication (serotonin-norepinephire reuptake inhibitors), an alternative type of antidepressant, did not seem to indicate a similar risk and so may be the safer choice for those who require the medication.

 

Little Evidence Breakfast Helps with Weight Loss

 

 

There is little actual evidence that eating breakfast can help people lose weight. The thinking had been that people who skip breakfast end up overeating later in the day. But a recent clinical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found no evidence that eating breakfast protects against weight gain.

A group of 50 obese women were told to either eat breakfast or to skip breakfast every day for 12 weeks. Neither group gained or lost more weight (on average) than the other.

While this is not to say that timing has no impact on weight loss, it supports the idea that total calories consumed is the key factor and not when they are consumed.

High Dose Folic Acid Not a Cancer Risk

 

Folate is a form of a water-soluble B vitamin (B-9) that occurs naturally in food, and folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin. Since 1998, folic acid has been added to cold cereals, flour, breads, pasta, bakery items, cookies, and crackers, as required by federal law. Foods that are naturally high in folate include leafy vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce), asparagus, fruits (such as bananas, melons, and lemons) beans, yeast, mushrooms, organ meats, orange juice, and tomato juice.

Folic acid is used for preventing and treating low blood levels of folate (folate deficiency) and high blood levels of homocystine (hyperhomocysteinemia). Women who are pregnant or might become pregnant take folic acid to prevent miscarriage and "neural tube defects." These are serious birth defects such as spina bifida, when the fetal spine and back do not close in the womb. Folic acid is also used for many other conditions including depression, stroke, decline in memory and thinking skills in older people that is more than what is normal for their age, and many others

There has been some concern that high levels of folic acid supplementation was associated with increased risk for breast, prostate and other cancers. But a study published in Lancet suggests otherwise. 

Researchers reviewed data from 13 clinical trials including more than 50,000 people taking either 2,000MCG or a placebo per day for at least five years. They concluded that taking a high does of folic acid resulted in no higher risk than a placebo for cancers of the breast, prostate and lungs.

The RDA for folic acid is 400mcg per day, which is easy enough to get through your diet. Pregnant women may wish to play it safe by supplementing with that amount.

Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnancy Linked to Autism

 

Two recent studies have linked the development of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in boys to a deficiency of vitamin D in the mother during pregnancy. Male children born to women who had low blood levels of vitamin D while pregnant had more than double the risk of autism.

A vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may cause in increase in testosterone in male fetuses as well as in the maternal blood supply and amniotic fluid. Excessive exposure of the developing brain to testosterone is believed to be an underlying cause of autism, which is three times as common in boys as it is in girls. The low vitamin D level may explain the cause of the exposure.

In a laboratory study of mice, giving them vitamin D during pregnancy totally eliminated autism-like traits in their offspring. Further research is needed to determine if such therapy would be effective in humans. In the meantime, it is probably not a bad idea to have your vitamin D blood levels checked if pregnant, and supplement if they are low.

Why We Often Miscalculate Risk

 

Assessing risk is part of life. We do it hundreds of times every day, at least. Generally, we think we are pretty good at it. But controlled studies seem to show that we are not. Whether it is deciding whether or not to get a vaccination, invest in a particular stock, riding a bike without a helmet or deciding whether to drive or fly to a destination we actually have a pretty difficult time accurately assessing risk.

"Using evidence or data to communicate risk to the American public can be a fool’s errand," said Eric Horowitz in Psychology Today. "The most publicized “la, la, la, I can’t hear you!” moments involve people ignoring dangers that threaten ideology or political beliefs. Others may choose to ignore risks because immediate short-term pleasures are too alluring."

But often, it is simply that we assess the risk very poorly. Here are several things that may be keeping you for making an accurate assessment of risk in your daily life.

1. The real risk may be unknowable.  Data may be unreliable or unavailable altogether. Or we may be considering a new technology such as self-driving cars or Star Trek Transporters that have no record of performance to consider. 

2. Confirmation bias may color your assessment. When we try to evaluate the risk of taking some action, we find reasons to accept any evidence that supports the decision we want to make and devalue evidence that contradicts it. An example of this is smoking. When smokers are surveyed they overwhelmingly agree that smoking can result is serious health problems. Yet when asked about the risk to them personally many respond that it is very low. They will find reasons and justifications why the real risks do not apply to them. "I only smoke 5 per day" or "My parents smoked and lived into their 90s".

3. Sense of being in control. We tend to greatly underestimate risk when we feel we are in control of a situation. For example, studies show that people consistently overestimate their skill as a driver, or feel safer driving than flying. Similarly, we will usually overestimate the risk of situations that are new or unfamiliar to us.

4. Tribal norms. We tend to associate and spend time with people to agree with us and believe, mostly, the same things that we do. We tend to avoid those who do not. We choose sources of news and information that line up with our existing preconceptions. Social media reinforces this bias by showing us more and more of what we already accept as true and less and less of what we do not.

What can we do to improve our risk assessments and make more effective choices and decisions?

Rely on expert opinion and experience rather than strictly relying on our own hunches or gut feelings. The more you know the better choices you can make.

Actively seek out information that opposes what you believe about the risk. Be alert for your natural bias to exclude data that does not support your preconception. Of course the opposing opinions you will find are not necessarily correct but at least you are exposed to alternative thoughts on risk.

Consider the costs and payoffs. The fact that you think something is, or is not, risky does not necessarily mean that you should or should not do it. It may simply not be worth it. If you have celebrated a little too hard at the local pub, you might find the risk of driving home to be low. Its not far, you have done it many times, there won't be much traffic. And that may be true. But the consequences of being involved in an accident or worse are so severe, the low risk may not justify taking the chance.

So, punk. Do you feel lucky?

Ginko Biloba Linked to Cancer

The ginkgo tree is thought to be one of the oldest living trees, dating back more than 200 million years. Ginkgo leaf is often taken by mouth for memory and thought problems, anxiety, vision problems, and many other conditions. But there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses. There is emerging evidence however that it causes certain cancers, at least in laboratory animals.

Scientists at the National Toxicology Program fed lab mice Ginko biloba extract five times a week for two years. Researchers then found "clear evidence" that is caused liver cancer in some of the mice and "some evidence" of thyroid cancers. Some of the mice developed especially aggressive liver cancers and some developed more cancers "than had ever been seen in a NTP lab".

The FDA, in an uncharacteristic action, has been telling supplement manufacturers to stop adding Ginko biloba to foods or drinks but the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (a sick joke of a name if ever there was one) severely limits the FDA's ability to require compliance.

Although the cancers showed up in animals that were given very large doses, you may want to reconsider if you are presently taking Ginko biloba. No amount of a known carcinogen is really safe, and the supposed benefits of the supplement are largely unsupported by the science.

Mercury and Diabetes: New Links

 

Several animal studies have suggested that mercury can damage the pancreatic cells that are responsible for the body's production of insulin. More recent studies suggest a link between exposure to mercury and the incidence of type-2 diabetes in humans.

For example, in one study researchers followed over 3,800 people ages 20 to 32 for nearly 20 years and those with the highest levels of mercury had a 65% greater risk of developing diabetes over the study period compared with those having the lowest levels. This observational study does not prove that mercury causes diabetes, but there is a clear association. Many health authorities now advise that children and pregnant women avoid mercury entirely.

What to do? Avoid eating albacore tuna (light tuna has much lower mercury levels and should be limited but not necessarily avoided), shark, swordfish, tilefish and king mackerel. This is good news if you are a tilefish. Instead eat fish that are very low in or free from mercury. These include salmon, talapia and most freshwater fish - including catfish and trout.

Five Reasons to Eat Less Red Meat

 

How strong is the evidence that we would be better off eating far less red meat? Pretty good, it turns out. "We've seen that a high-red-meat intake is associated with coronary disease, stroke, diabetes and premature death," says Dr. Adam Bernstein of the Cleveland Clinic. "Other investigators have looked at colorectal cancer. So when you look at the whole picture, I'd say the evidence is very strong."

Here are five well established reasons why eating less red meat would be worth considering.

1. Live a longer life.

One outcome of the 2012 Health Professionals Followup Study and Nurse's Health Study was that those who ate more than half a serving (3oz) of red meat per day had a 30% greater chance of dying during the 30 year period of the study as those who ate less. The study, which included 120,000 participants, concluded that 8% of deaths of women and 10% of deaths of men could be prevented if people consumed less than 3oz of red meat per day. Other studies have reached remarkably similar conclusions.

2. Reduce cardiovascular disease and strokes.

Red meat is one of the largest sources of saturated fat in the American diet. In a Cleveland Clinic study that was part of the Nurse's Health Study and included 29,000 participants, those who ate more red meat had a 29% higher risk of heart disease than those who ate 3oz or less per day. Further, stroke risk rose by 30% for every two ounces of red meat consumed beyond 3oz per day. Lean meat had no detectable advantage.

3. Lower your cancer risk.

A joint report by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund said that, "To reduce your cancer risk eat no more than 18oz of red meat per week." For every serving (6oz) of red meat eaten per day the risk of colorectal cancer rises by 20%. There is some, although less compelling, evidence linking red meat consumption to pancreatic, espohageal and prostate cancers.

4. Avoid diabetes.

Processed red meats have long been linked to increased risk of developing Type-2 diabetes, but more recent studies now link it to unprocessed red meats as well. A Harvard study of over 200,000 participants tracked for 28 years concluded that for every 2oz of red meat eaten per day, the risk of type-2 diabetes rose by 32% (processed meats) and 12% (unprocessed meats). The polyunsaturated fats and iron in the meat are believed to be the causal factor but more research is needed.

5. Spare the environment.

The water and fossil fuels required to feed, process and transport red meat cause considerable environmental damage. The UN estimates that 80% of the groundwater consumed from aquifers is used for agricultural purposes, with 60% - 70% of that used to irrigate crops for animal feed. Cattle produce 7% of all the methane (a potent greenhouse gas) and nearly all of the ammonia that enters the atmosphere each day - equivalent to the amount of pollution created by one car in one day, per cow. (There are about 95 million cattle in the US alone.)

Huge tracts of land are deforested every year to make room for cattle to graze, and they produce - as anyone who has ever walked across a pasture realizes - prodigious amounts of solid waste. "The waste in big cattle feedlots can be properly composted," says Robert Lawrence at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. "But it almost never is. In a typical operation the manure is just bulldozed into big mounds from which there is an enormous release of methane." And then there is the fossil fuel cost of transporting both the animals and the meat.

Need even more reasons to reduce your consumption of red meat? Here is a longer list from Prevention Magazine.

The bottom line? Eat as little processed meat as possible... none is best. Reduce consumption of unprocessed red meat to under 20oz per week. Replace some meat with poultry, fish and beans.

What you eat is 100% up to you. What it does to you is not.

Ready-to-Drink Coffee-like Beverages

 

 

Coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages. It is prepared and savored in many different places and ways and, thanks to its high levels of antioxidants and beneficial nutrients, it also seems to be quite healthy. A single cup of coffee contains riboflavin (B12), pantothenic acid (B5), manganese, potassium, magnesium and niacin (B3). Studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of several serious diseases.  It may lower your risk of Type-2 diabetes, Parkinson's and dementia.

But leave it to food manufacturers to to take a cheap, healthy drink and make it neither.

Stores are full of ready-to- drink versions. Starbucks has converted it into sugar filled, fat laden, additive laced calorie bombs. And the iced coffees you are likely to find in the grocery store start off with 150 calories (per 6 oz serving) and go up from there. "Lite" versions are little better. In exchange for the flavor and benefits of coffee you are getting just one more unhealthy drink.

If you love your coffee, go ahead and enjoy it. Just make it yourself. It will be cheaper, healthier and exactly the way you like it.