There has be an almost extreme amount of investigation on the subject of coffee. With much of it focused on finding a link between coffee and heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility, and birth defects. But, as of yet no such link has been found.
Conversely though, did you know that a cup of coffee can contain up to four times as much antioxidant activity as a cup of green tea? The phytonutrients in coffee may also exert a protective effect against colon cancer. But, keep it black and shade-grown-organic.
As well drinking coffee my work to boost your mood. A study by a hospital group in California and the Nurses' Health Study demonstrate that suicide rates were 50 percent lower in coffee drinkers! Researchers say that the caffeine in coffee may act like a mild antidepressant.
You should be aware that unfiltered coffees such as espresso or French press do contain harmful compounds called terpenes, which may be the culprit responsible for raising bad cholesterol levels in some people and therefore increase the risk of a heart attack. Most of those terpenes are filtered out from drip coffee.
Many people think of coffee as a weight loss supplement, because there are similar amounts of caffeine in a cup of coffee as you might find in an over the counter weight-loss supplement, or even in the herbal supplements you would find in your local health food store. But, realistically the caffeine in a cup of coffee or in a weight-loss supplement is not enough to make much of a difference in your weight.
It is recommended to drink one or two cups of coffee only per day, and since caffeine does cause you to lose some calcium, take a calcium-magnesium supplement with 100 IU of vitamin D3.
Because caffeine in coffee does rev up your metabolic rate and releases stored fat to be burned as energy, you will feel a burst of energy when you consume coffee. This caffeine can actually assist in the stimulation of some cognitive abilities giving you a light mental alertness boost. At the cellular level, caffeine enhances neuromuscular transmission and improves muscle contraction. Athletes have used coffee to aid performance in high-intensity exercise.
As we can see then coffee does have a place in a balanced, healthy, active-lifestyle. It can enhance the feeling of vitality and provide a boost in mental activity as well a physical activity. With the proper amount of fluids, nutritional foods and regular vitamin supplements studies show that about 2 cups of freshly brewed coffee is safe.
