Get
numerous benefits from coffee! Research shows that in many cases, more is
better when it comes to coffee improving health. The evidence is so robust that
the medical community is even changing its tune from “coffee is more trouble
than it is worth” to “it is not as bad as we were told!”
This
article will give you ten reasons to drink coffee and consider some of the
concerns and misconceptions that surround this wonderful beverage.
#1: Coffee Decreases Risk of Total &
All-Cause Mortality
At least 5
recent studies show that drinking coffee is associated with a decreased risk of
mortality in men and women from a variety of ethnicities. For example, a
large-scale 14-year observational study of more than 400,000 people found that
the more coffee people drank, the lower their risk of mortality.
Men who
drank 2 to 3 cups a day had a 10 percent lower risk of mortality, and those who
drank 4 to 5 cups per day had a 12 percent lower risk. Drinking 6 or more cups
decreased mortality by another 10 percent compared to non-drinkers. The figures
were slightly higher in women, and they remained after adjusting for cofounders
like age, body fat, race, education, and lifestyle factors.
#2: Coffee Lowers Risk of a Variety of Cancers
Coffee
drinking has been associated with a lower risk of lung, prostate, breast,
endometrial, pancreatic, stomach, and colon cancer. In some studies the
association is robust, while others have shown no benefit from coffee, which
could be due to many reasons. But, it seems clear that coffee can be protective
and does not increase cancer risk.
It is the
antioxidants caffeic and chlorogenic acid that coffee provides that are
protective against cancer and other disease. An example of how the antioxidants
lower cancer risk is with endometrial cancer, which is a cancer of the lining
of the uterus. A study of over 67,000 women demonstrated that women who drank 4
or more cups of coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk than those who did
not drink coffee regularly.
Researchers
think the high antioxidant activity in coffee lowered oxidative stress, and
that coffee also upregulates the expression of enzymes in the liver that help
metabolize estrogen down the healthiest 2-hydroxyestrone pathway. This is a
much preferred pathway for detoxifying estrogen from the body and it plays a
role in preventing estrogen-related cancers such as breast, ovarian, and
prostate cancer in men.
#3: Coffee Lowers Risk of Heart Disease &
Heart Attack
Coffee
intake is highly protective for the cardiovascular system and has been
repeatedly found to decrease risk of heart disease and death from a heart
attack. In one 15-year study of 41,000 women, drinking up to 3 cups of coffee a
day was linked to lower risk of heart failure. Similar results have been shown
for men.
#4: Coffee Improves Vascular Health & Does
NOT Raise Blood Pressure
The
caffeine in coffee has actually been shown to improve the health of the blood
vessels because it increases nitric oxide production in the endothelium (the
thin layer of cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels), which
improves vascular muscle tone. Coffee also supports healthy arterial pressure,
lowering blood pressure over the long-term.
It is true
that drinking caffeinated coffee can increase short-term acute blood pressure,
but blood pressure will return to normal once the caffeine is metabolized. One
study found that 8 weeks of habitual coffee drinking lowered blood pressure
readings significantly.
#5: Coffee Improves Cholesterol Health
The
antioxidants in coffee can improve total cholesterol, raise “good” HDL
cholesterol, and lower inflammation related to heart disease. In one study,
regular coffee drinkers were asked to increase their coffee intake to 4 and
then a whopping 8 cups a day. This dosing improved the ratio between “bad” LDL
and HDL cholesterol by 8 percent.
#6: Coffee Decreases Metabolic Syndrome Risk
Metabolic
syndrome is the combination of obesity, a large waist circumference, and
insulin resistance, all of which increase heart disease and diabetes risk.
Coffee drinking can improve fat burning, potentially influencing body
composition, and it has been has been closely linked to lower diabetes risk.
For
example, one study of a Japanese population showed coffee consumption was
inversely correlated with risk of metabolic syndrome because greater intake was
associated with lower triglyceride levels and better glucose tolerance.
#7: Coffee Improves Body Composition &
Elevates Fat Burning
There is
compelling evidence that coffee increases your metabolic rate so that you burn
more calories, and it can help shift the body to burn fat rather than glucose
for energy. In addition, coffee modulates blood sugar and can improve insulin
sensitivity. Caffeine taken alone, however, has been shown to decrease insulin
sensitivity, which is only relevant to this discussion if you have problems
with insulin, are popping caffeine pills, and eating high-carb foods.
The fat
loss effect of coffee drinking hasn’t been studied extensively, but one study
showed drinking 500 ml of coffee daily for 4 weeks produced 2.5 kg weight loss
in overweight subjects. Perhaps more effective, green coffee extract, which
comes from the bean before roasting and can be added to any beverage, has been
shown to produce significant fat loss.
One study
found that a high-dose of green coffee extract (1050 mg) taken for 6 weeks
resulted in an average 8 kg loss in body weight and a 4.4 percent drop in body
fat—very impressive! A low green coffee dose produced no changes in body
composition.
#8: Caffeine Increases Power & Strength
Performance
Sports
scientists like to test the effect of caffeine supplements on athletic
performance because isolating a part of the plant allows them to avoid
confounding variables, such as the antioxidants. That said, you can improve
power and strength performance by getting the right dose of pre-workout
caffeine from a supplement since using coffee as your sole source of caffeine
would require 6 to 9 cups for a 90 kg lifter, depending on sensitivity to the
caffeine.
One study
found that a dose of 3 mg/kg of body weight of caffeine is necessary to improve
power output in the squat and bench press. Another study showed that taking
caffeine before early morning workouts can elevate performance in the morning
when it is naturally diminished compared to later in the day. Caffeine is
thought to act directly on the muscles to produce greater power and strength,
rather than acting directly on the nervous system.
#9: Caffeine Speeds Recovery and Reduces Muscle
Soreness
Caffeine
can speed recovery and reduce post-workout muscle soreness by up to 48 percent.
It can also improve performance during a second high-intensity workout performed
in one day. One study showed that giving athletes 8 mg/kg of body weight of
caffeine after performing a glycogen-depleting exercise trial to exhaustion
allowed for better performance on a second sprint interval test also done to
exhaustion 4 hours later.
The group
that took the caffeine went for 48 minutes compared to only 19 minutes by the
placebo group and 32 minutes in a group that only drank carbs. Researchers
suggest the caffeine may improve muscle glycogen resynthesize post-workout,
while mobilizing fatty acids to be burned for fuel during exercise.
#10: Caffeine Increases Motivation & Reaction
Time
Taking 4
mg/kg of body weight of caffeine improved reaction time on soccer skill tests
in athletes when sleep deprived. A similar dose increased motivation and
led athletes to voluntarily do more reps using 85 percent of a 1RM load when
sleep deprived, resulting in a greater volume compared to a placebo group.
Researchers
also measured testosterone and cortisol response to training in this study. The
elevations in these hormones correlated to the volume of load lifted,
indicating that caffeine did not lead to greater cortisol production. If you
are sensitive to caffeine or have issues with cortisol but want the performance
benefits of caffeine, take 2 to 10 grams of vitamin C after training. Vitamin C
can speed the clearance of cortisol allowing for a better recovery.
By Poliquin™ Editorial Staff
www.charlesspoliquin.com
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