Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491371
52 STiR tea & coffee industry international By Jenny Neill Science in Colombia: 25th International Conference on Coffee Science The first day of ASIC 2014 was kicked off by Dr. James Coughlin, president of Coughlin & Associates, with a review of what can be concluded from 30 years' worth of research on caffeine. His talk, titled "Caffeine safety review over three decades: is the increased concern justified?" focused on all the ways that more recent studies have proven earlier research to be incorrect. ASIC board members during opening ceremonies Photos Courtesy of Colombian Coffee Growers Federation Right, Nestor Riano describes an agrometeorological station to a group of ASIC attendees on tour at Cenicafé. ASIC attendees on tour at Cenicafé. Photo by Jenny Neill Coffee Effects on Human Health Caffeine safety review With nearly 600 registered attendees from 87 countries, it is no surprise the 25th International Conference on Coffee Science (ASIC 2014) set new attendance records. The event took place in Armenia, Colombia in Quindio, one of Colombia's coffee- farming departments. Luis G. Muñoz, c.e.o. of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, set the tone for much of the week's discussion in his opening remarks. He spoke of sustainability challenges when he said, "I encourage you to go beyond programs and ideas to be implemented in the long term. I encourage you to think about how we are going to act, about how we are going to implement the innovations you are working for and benefit the thousands of communities around the world that rely on coffee." Darío Echeverri, a physician researcher at Fundación CardioInfantil- Instituto de Cardiología, Bogotá Dr. James Coughlin, president of Coughlin & Associates, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Photo courtesy of FNC One of his main points was that many studies which showed ill effects in the short term were done on "caffeine naive" human subjects or involved taking those who drink daily off of coffee suddenly. "America's favorite drug" became linked to osteoporosis when some studies showed a loss of calcium in urine. How- ever, results seem less dire when analyzed as part of population studies, which enable researchers to investigate if there is a higher incidence of osteoporosis-related injuries when coffee gets consumed as part of someone's regular diet. After his review of research on caffeine's detrimental effects, Coughlin spoke of newer lines of inquiry about its potential health benefits. Questions remain about many compounds found in coffee. For example, while there is agree- ment that caffeine is not a carcinogen, research continues to determine if other compounds not yet identified as cancer causing may affect risk in humans. Despite such questions, evidence continues to grow for the idea that coffee may be protective against some cancers, and that Fernando Gast, director of the National Coffee Research Center (Cenicafé), also talked about the sustainability strategy of Café de Colombia in his keynote presenta- tion as part of the inaugural ceremony.