Sunday 24 April 2011

5 amazing coffee facts

Don't you just love that first sip of coffee in the morning, half asleep and not quite ready to face the world just yet. It's amazing how much better it makes me feel in the morning, almost makes me feel human after a night of over indulgence in the local pub. I never realized just how good coffee was for you until today:

I was just browsing the internet looking for a new coffee perculator as mine has seen better days when I came across some interesting facts that I thought I would share with you all.


1. It protects your heart: Moderate coffee drinkers (1 to 3 cups/day) have lower rates of stroke than noncoffee drinkers, an effect linked to coffee’s antioxidants. Coffee has more antioxidants per serving than blueberries, making it the biggest source of antioxidants in American diets. All those antioxidants may help suppress the damaging effect of inflammation on arteries. Immediately after drinking it, coffee raises your blood pressure and heart rate, but over the long term, it actually may lower blood pressure as coffee’s antioxidants activate nitric oxide, widening blood vessels.

2. It diverts diabetes: Those antioxidants (chlorogenic acid and quinides, specifically) play another role: boosting your cells’ sensitivity to insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar. In fact, people who drink 4 or more cups of coffee each day may have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to some studies. Other studies have shown that caffeine can blunt the insulin-sensitivity boost, so if you do drink several cups a day, try mixing in decaf occasionally.

3. Your liver loves it: OK, so the research here is limited, but it looks like the more coffee people drink, the lower their incidence of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. One analysis of nine studies found that every 2-cup increase in daily coffee intake reduced liver cancer risk by 43 percent. Again, it’s those antioxidants—chlorogenic and caffeic acids—and caffeine that might prevent liver inflammation and inhibit cancer cells.

4. It boosts your brain power: Drinking between 1 and 5 cups a day (admittedly a big range) may help reduce risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as Parkinson’s disease, studies suggest. Those antioxidants may ward off brain cell damage and help the neurotransmitters involved in cognitive function to work better.

5. It helps your headaches: And not just the withdrawal headaches caused by skipping your daily dose of caffeine! Studies show that 200 milligrams of caffeine—about the amount in 16 ounces of brewed coffee—provides relief from headaches, including migraines. Exactly how caffeine relieves headaches isn’t clear. But scientists do know that caffeine boosts the activity of brain cells, causing surrounding blood vessels to constrict. One theory is that this constriction helps to relieve the pressure that causes the pain, says Robert Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology and director of the Headache Clinic at the University of Vermont Medical School.

Thank you to Kerri-Ann Jennings for the information
Original source:  http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/5-health-reasons-to-not-quit-coffee-2460820

20 comments:

  1. Haha, good news for me. I used to drink the stuff literally 4-5 times a day (for 10 years). I only drink a cup every two or three weeks now.

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  2. I've only ever liked the smell or the iced caps.

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  3. Coffee makes me sick! Wish these facts were relevant to me. :(

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  4. i love coffee :)

    interesting blog! keep it up

    utubed.blogspot.com

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  5. I think id still drink it if it killed me slowly and painfully tho... hehe

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  6. That image reminds me a breakfast I got while on hollidays:
    http://i53.tinypic.com/syse84.jpg

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  7. It also gets you hooked and cranky.

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  8. Oh yes! I just drank my first cup of coffe in a week (had do detox myself) and I have never felt better. I got 4 projects going on, 2 deadlines tomorrow and I'm pretty sure I'll be done before midnight with everything. Why am I even telling You this? I don't know, gotta do something. I think I will go for a jog, or build a kite. Caffeine!!

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  9. ...I was trying not have any until later but it just looks soooo good in that photo. It definitely helps with headaches. Some of the stronger medications for headaches typically list caffeine as one of the active ingredients.

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  10. I have a lot of friends that think I'm weird because I like coffee but only drink small amounts. I can link them to this post now. :-)

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  11. excellent coffee facts right there. i'm drinking my morning coffee right now.

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  12. Thanks for my new ability to justify my coffee drinking.

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  13. #6 It gives you superhuman strength
    #7 If you drink more than five cups a day you can technically fly

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  14. I'm not a big coffee person, but thank you!

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  15. It's help with headache for sure!

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  16. I stopped drinking coffee lately due to my diet, but I love the stuff! It's a good thing im not addicted to it.

    Unrelated Randomness

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  17. Tea is even better then coffee.

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  18. I agree with AMO :)
    And also coffee never keeps me awake.

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  19. Have a smoke with it and your ready to do anything!

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