I’m a coffee fan and a regular coffee drinker! The taste, the flavor, the smell… I just love it!! For many years, coffee has had a bad reputation regarding health concerns. However, coffee has benefits, and there’s a correct way to use coffee to help achieve fitness and health goals.
“There’s certainly much more good news than bad news, in terms of coffee and health,” says Frank Hu, M.D., M.P.H, Ph.D., nutrition and epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. A study published in the journalMolecular Nutrition & Food Researchshowed that people who drank four daily cups of coffee lost 1.5 pounds of body fat in four weeks.
Many energy drinks, sports supplements, sodas, beverages and weight-loss products contain caffeine. It’s important to know that caffeine is safe in moderation. Excess coffee consumption stimulates your adrenals and the excess stimulation can be harmful. Excess can also cause anxiety, irritability and sleeplessness.
Caffeine is also a natural diuretic, which means it increases the amount of urine you excrete, but is just water, not body fat. Moderation is important because you can deplete your vitamin B and calcium supply.
But when consumed in moderation, coffee can be part of a healthy diet. Here are some benefits of drinking coffee regularly and in moderation:
• Appetite suppression. Caffeine may reduce your desire to eat.
• Calorie burning. Caffeine may stimulate thermogenesis, which is important to help to reduce weight loss. A preliminary research finding suggests that coffee may be protective against obesity-associated cancers like prostate cancer.
• Cellulite reduction. Eighty percent of women have some degree of cellulite on their hips, thighs and buttocks, according to the Mayo Clinic. The caffeine in coffee will help with the blood flow to the area, diminishing the built-up cellulite. Some creams contain caffeine to help with cellulite reduction.
• Decreased risk of cancer. Studies suggest that it is the caffeine in coffee that is responsible for the decreased risk of basal cell carcinoma, the most common skin cancer.
• Antioxidant effect. Coffee contains polyphenols, which help protect cells from oxidation, regulate insulinand reduce inflammation. Coffee has many antioxidants that help reduce DNA damage. The caffeine in coffee may help prevent diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s disease (based on Harvard Medical School study) gallstones and increase bile flow (Dr. Jonathan Wright, M.D.).
• Decreased risk of diabetes. Coffee has an effect on insulin. A report in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry reported that people who drink coffee have a 50 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias reported that caffeine may help protect against developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
In my personal opinion, coffee is natural, it’s economic, delicious and has many health and beauty benefits, but moderation is important. I recommend my personal favorite, the organic Colombian coffee. It’s coffee time before my cardio… and you? Drink up!
References:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/HQ00369 Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
http://thepowerof4-paula.blogspot.com/2010/08/coffee-fat-loss.html
By Neil Osterweil WebMD Feature Reviewed by Jonathan L Gelfand, MD http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/coffee-new-health-food
http://www.livestrong.com/coffee-and-cellulite/#ixzz23TTW4J4e
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Coffee Article reviewed by demand25069 Last updated on: Apr 26, 20
