Men more responsive to caffeine, but is it psychological?

A strong cup of coffee has a greater effect on men than women, research shows.

In a study on 668 healthy volunteers, an espresso pepped up men after just 10 minutes. Women also became more alert after the beverage, but less so.

The University of Barcelona researchers say some of this effect might be psychological because decaffeinated coffee also worked to some extent.

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry reports the work.

The volunteers were asked to drink either a classic espresso containing 100mg of caffeine or a decaffeinated espresso containing 5mg of caffeine.

Then the researchers looked for changes in alertness over the following minutes and hours.

Both men and women saw an improvement in their activity levels after drinking the classic espresso and these effects began after as little as 10 minutes.

Arousing

According to the investigators, 45 minutes is the time needed for maximum caffeine concentration to be reached in the blood, but levels reach half this concentration after just a few minutes.

And the effect appeared to be greater in the men.

The decaf coffee had a similar, but weaker effect and tended to be more potent in the women rather than in the men.

Lead researcher Ana Adan said: "Numerous studies have demonstrated the stimulant effects of caffeine, but none of these have looked at their effects in terms of the consumer's gender."

Anna Denny of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "This study provides an interesting insight into how the effects of specific foods and nutrients may differ between men and women.

"Research into 'gene-nutrient' interactions is moving forward quickly and we are finding out more about how our genetic make-up affects our requirements for certain foods and nutrients, and how our bodies react to these. In the future this could allow scientists to formulate dietary recommendations based on our genetic make up, as well as our age and body size."

Dr Euan Paul of the British Coffee Association said: "This new scientific study demonstrates interesting differences in the positive effects that caffeine may have on alertness between men and women, an area that has not been heavily researched in previous scientific investigations. We welcome further research to investigate with greater certainty any differences in the stimulant effects of caffeine that may be experienced between gender groups."

Uganda: coffee export earnings rise 31.4 percent in November

KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda's coffee export earnings rose 31.4 percent to $27.6 million in November from $21 million in October, the coffee board said on Monday.

Data from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority also showed Uganda shipped 266,722 60-kg bags in November, a 48.5 percent rise from October's 179,564 bags.

Uganda is Africa's second biggest coffee producer, growing the robusta variety. Ethiopia is top and mainly grows arabicas.

Output went up 28.4 percent to 371,743 bags in the first two months of the current crop year (Oct/Nov) from 298,165 bags in the same period last year.

"The improvement is attributed to coffee planted under the strategic export programme, which has continued to come on the market; the ongoing coffee production campaign and favourable weather and good prices which translated in good husbandry practices," the board said.

Some 3 million bags worth $368.9 million have been shipped out in the last 11 months, comprising 2.55 million bags of robusta and 0.46 million of arabica.

Some 2.42 million bags worth $236.7 million were exported in a similar period last year.

Ethiopia’s Coffee Crop May Fall 60% in Two Main Areas

Coffee output in the two main export-growing areas of Ethiopia, Africa’s largest producer of the beans, may decline 60 percent because of drought, the United Nations said.

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The lower harvest may aggravate malnutrition in southern Ethiopia’s Gedeo and Sidamo zones, where hunger is rife as a result of the drought, falling world coffee prices and higher food prices, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report today.

Production in Gedeo may fall 67 percent from a year earlier, while that in Sidamo may decline 53 percent, Tamirat Mulu, the author of the report, said in a phone interview in the capital, Addis Ababa, today. The report was based on a livelihood assessment carried out by relief agencies between Nov. 17 and Dec. 5. Ethiopia’s main coffee harvest is from October through December.

Ethiopia exported 170,888 metric tons of coffee last year. About 35 percent of that was high-grade washed coffee and 65 percent lower quality dried coffee. Sidama and Gedeo provide about 60 percent of Ethiopia’s washed coffee, Mulu said.

By Jason McLureDec. 17 (Bloomberg)

Region: Tanzanian Coffee prices firm at Moshi aution

Oct 3
Tanzanian coffee prices firmed slightly at last week's auction as buyers sought to cover their positions ahead of a Muslim holiday, traders said on Wednesday. The Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) said 46,150 60-kg bags were on offer on Thursday last week, with 44,984 sold. In the previous week's sale, 32,623 60-kg bags were offered for sale, with 16,926 sold.

Benchmark grade AA sold at $175-$129.40 per 50-kg bag, compared with $170.00-$130.00 per bag at the last auction. Grade A was bought at $170-$133 per 50-kg bag, compared with the previous week's $152.40-$129 per bag. "The quantities on offer were quite handsome. Generally, prices were very firm. It could be mainly (due to) shippers who are short of coffee," said Kennedy Keya, a trader with Dorman Tanzania.

"The quality is good. Prices may have been firm because there's no auction in Tanzania (this week) so many people are trying to cover their short positions." Tanzania largely produces arabica coffee but also grows robusta, thriving mostly in the northern, southern and western parts of the country in areas around Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Victoria. The auction, held in Moshi took place on last week but TCB released the results on Wednesday.

Region: Kenya News

Coffee miller looks beyond Central Kenya for market
The fight for a slice of the coffee market in western Kenya and the Rift Valley is set to intensify with the entry of a new miller in the region.

Central Kenya Coffee Mills is set to move there as forecasts show increased production.

The miller joins Thika Coffee Millers, Sasini Coffee, Socfinaf, and KPCU. After establishing themselves in the main coffee production areas of Central and Eastern provinces, coffee millers and marketers are now fighting for a larger share of coffee from Western and Rift Valley provinces.

The region, which produced 10.2 per cent of the total output in 2007/2008 has been attracting players in the industry as future forecasts show increased production.

Figures from the Crops/Farms survey carried out by the Coffee Research Foundation show that Western Kenya produced 2,090 metric tonnes of coffee while the Rift Valley produced 2,249 metric tonnes in 2007/2008.

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