Does Coffee Brewing Method Make A Difference
A recent study compared brewing methods and longevity. The study concluded that coffee brewing methods that use some type of filter show the greatest correlation to longevity among coffee drinkers.
A filter removes most of the coffee lipids which have shown to raise cholesterol levels. Brewing methods like French press and boiling methods transfer these lipids to the coffee drinkers cup, thus lowering the overall health-promoting properties of coffee.
This study is published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Coffee And Other Liver Diseases
A from 2017 concluded that consuming any type of coffee appeared to reduce the risk of liver cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis.
People who consume coffee may also have a lower risk of gallstone disease.
In 2014, researchers looked at coffee consumption among people withprimary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis . These are autoimmune conditions that affect the bile ducts in the liver.
They found that people with PSC were more likely to have a lower coffee intake than those without the condition. There was no evidence to suggest that coffee intake was different among people with or without PBC.
Also, one 2014 study suggested a link between coffee consumption and a lower risk of dying from nonviral hepatitis-related cirrhosis. The researchers suggested that drinking two or more cups of coffee every day might reduce the risk by 66%.
But Too Much Coffee Can Cause Health Problems
Coffee is not a magic beverage. For some, too much coffee can induce anxiety, jitteriness and insomnia. A daily average of no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine is recommended, according to public health experts at Harvard and Johns Hopkins University.
Up to 5 cups of coffee each day can typically be considered safe according to studies and dietary guidelines,” said Seth Martin, a cardiologist and associate professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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When it comes to caffeine, coffee and coffee drinks can differ widely. A grande Starbucks coffee could have 260 to 360 milligrams depending on the roast typically a darker roast has less caffeine while a large Dunkin’ Coffee has 270 mg, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s caffeine chart. A Starbucks grande latte or cappuccino has 150 mg a Dunkin’ medium latte or cappuccino has 166. Most varieties of Keurig K-Cups make an 8 oz.- cup with 75 to 150 mg. In comparison, 1 Lipton Black Tea bag yields 55 mg.
Before you start downing more joe, you should know some research has suggested drinking too much coffee, four to six cups daily, can increase health risks.
But if you stick to moderate coffee consumption
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Coffee Can Make You Smarter
Coffee doesnt just keep you awake it may also make you smarter.
The active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, which is a stimulant and the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world.
Caffeine works in your brain by blocking the effects of an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine.
Many controlled studies have examined the effects of caffeine on the brain, demonstrating that caffeine can temporarily improve mood, reaction time, memory, vigilance and general brain function (
For more information on the potential benefits of coffee for brain health, check out this article.
Summary
Caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which has a stimulating effect. Controlled studies show that caffeine improves both mood and brain function.
What Is A Coffee Bean
Inside the red fruit of coffea lie two coffee beans. Green in color, the duo spoon together, the rich brown hue to appear only after roasting. In fact, they arent beans at all. Its like a cherry, you pick off the tree, said Patrick Brown, a professor of plant sciences at University of California, Davis. Unlike the cherry, though, the seed is the prize, and the flesh is discarded.
In addition to caffeine, coffee is a dark brew of a thousand chemical compounds that could have potential therapeutic effects on the body. One key component, chlorogenic acid, is a polyphenol found in many fruits and vegetables. Coffee is also a good dietary source of vitamin B3, magnesium and potassium.
People often see coffee just as a vehicle for caffeine, but, of course, its a very complex plant beverage, said Dr. van Dam.
With coffeas estimated 124 species, most of flavors remain untapped and perhaps will be forever, with an estimated 60 percent under threat of extinction, largely from climate change, disease, pests and deforestation. What fills our mugs at cafes, the office, and on road trips are from two species: arabica and canephora, known as robusta. Arabica fills specialty cafes, and costs more than robusta, which fuels instant coffees and some espressos.
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I Live Under A Rock And Have Never Heard Of Coffee What’s The Best Way To Drink It To Reap The Most Benefits Of Coffee
Since coffee in an IV drip is generally not advisable , Beckerman suggests drinking it black or with a splash of milk to cut back on unnecessary sugars or calories. “Cappuccinos, lattes, and flat whites are also good options,” she says, because that gives you some extra vitamin D and calcium thanks to the milk content. And while a morning coffee is fine, Beckerman recommends cutting yourself off after 2 p.m. to avoid sleep-related issues.
For every cup of coffee you drink, Beckerman says you should also be drinking a cup of water to prevent dehydration.
You’re Not As Likely To Suffer A Stroke
For women, drinking at least one cup of coffee a day is associated withlowered stroke risk, which is the fourth leading cause of female deaths.
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May Protect Your Liver
Your liver is an amazing organ that carries out hundreds of important functions.
Several common diseases primarily affect the liver, including hepatitis, fatty liver disease and many others.
Many of these conditions can lead to cirrhosis, in which your liver is largely replaced by scar tissue.
Interestingly, coffee may protect against cirrhosis people who drink 4 or more cups per day have up to an 80% lower risk .
Summary
Coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of cirrhosis, which can be caused by several diseases that affect the liver.
Lowers Your Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
This will perk you up, especially if you have prediabetes: A large review of studies published in Nutrition Reviews found that your risk of developing type 2 diabetes drops by 6 percent for each cup you drink per day. Why? Coffee is jam-packed with phytochemicals that may act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, insulin-sensitivity boosters and more, says Weisenberger. Same goes for decaffeinated brews, though the concentration may be less compared to regular coffee, she says. However, they still add up for people who drink lots of decaf.
Whether you fill your cup with caf or decaf, opt for filtered coffee. In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, people who drank two to three cups of filtered coffee a day as opposed to unfiltered coffee made with, say, a pod, an espresso machine or a French press had a 60 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who drank less than one cup of filtered coffee a day. Those drinking unfiltered coffee did not see such a reduction in risk.
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When Coffee Is Unhealthy
Despite what coffee worshipers would like to think, coffee does have its downfalls,
Its quite individualized, DAmbrosio explains. So for some people they metabolize coffee differently and might be slow coffee metabolizers. In these cases, they feel some effects from consuming too much coffee, like anxiety, insomnia or an upset stomach. Theres also the issue of dependency as some people become very reliant upon caffeine and experience symptoms like headaches and drowsiness if they dont have their caffeine fix.
DAmbrosio adds that coffee can also increase ones heart rate and blood pressure, a finding reiterated by Harvard Medical School.
Studies have also come to light revealing some of the potential health downfalls of coffee.
A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2013 found that people under 55 years of age who drink more than 28 cups of coffee a week had a 50 per cent increase in mortality in both men and women from all causes compared to those who drank less.
But not everyone likes a black cup of coffee as some like to overload their drinks with sugars, creams, half and half or honey.
This can contribute significantly to weight gain, DAmbrosio says.
Does The Way Coffee Is Prepared Matter
Yes. Do you prefer a dark or light roast? Coarse grinding or fine? Arabica or robusta?
All of these different aspects affect the taste, but also affect the compounds within the coffees, said Neal Freedman, a senior investigator with the National Cancer Institute. But its not clear at all how these different levels of compounds may be related to health.
Roasting, for example, reduces the amount of chlorogenic acids, but other antioxidant compounds are formed. Espresso has the highest concentration of many compounds because it has less water than drip coffee.
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine examined the coffee habits of nearly 500,000 people in the U.K. and found that it didnt matter if they drank one cup or chain-drank eight regular or decaf or whether they were fast metabolizers of coffee or slow. They were linked to a lower risk of death from all causes, except with instant coffee, the evidence was weaker.
The way you prepare your cup of joe may influence your cholesterol levels, too. The one coffee we know not suitable to be drinking is the boiled coffee, said Marilyn C. Cornelis, an assistant professor in preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and co-author of the JAMA Internal Medicine study.
Examples of this include the plunge-happy French press, Scandinavian coffee, or Greek and Turkish coffee the kind commonly consumed in the Middle East.
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Coffee Can Help You Burn Fat And Improves Physical Performance
Theres a good reason why you will find caffeine in most commercial fat-burning supplements.
Caffeine, partly due to its stimulant effect on the central nervous system, both raises metabolism and increases the oxidation of fatty acids .
It can also improve athletic performance in several ways, including by mobilizing fatty acids from the fat tissues (
Summary
Caffeine raises metabolic rate and helps mobilize fatty acids from fat tissues. It can also enhance physical performance.
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Participants who consumed coffee logged more than 1,000 additional steps per day compared to days when they did not drink coffee.
The study participants with genetic variants associated with faster caffeine metabolism exhibited more abnormal heartbeats originating in the ventricles
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It Matters How You Take It
If you do opt for coffee, preparation matters. Experts find that coffee brewed with a paper filter is the preferred preparation method. Other methods of making coffee, including espresso, french press or boiled Turkish coffee are considered unfiltered, even if theyre strained by a metal filter. Unfiltered coffee is associated with higher rates of mortality, and can contain compounds called diterpenes that raise levels of bad cholesterol or LDL.
Though it can be tempting to assume coffees health benefits apply to a typical Starbucks drink, they often dont. The experts often refer to coffee in its most basic form: drip coffee, Chem-X or pour overs with little added cream or sugar not a venti java chip Frappuccino with extra whipped cream or a Dunkin caramel macchiato. Drinks like these include lots of added sugar and calories. Drinking regular coffee instead of these sugar-sweetened beverages, or others like soda or juice, however, has positive effects on health.
Coffee And Blood Pressure
The effect of coffee on blood pressure appears to be mixed. In non-coffee drinkers, acute exposure to caffeine can increase blood pressure by up to 10 mm Hg. However, in people who regularly drink coffee, the acute ingestion of caffeine does not appear to raise the blood pressure. Several large studies have now failed to show a correlation between chronic coffee drinking and hypertension.
While these large population studies are reassuring, it appears likely that some individuals probably do have an increase in blood pressure when they drink a lot of coffee.
So if you are diagnosed with hypertension, it still makes sense to try abstaining from coffee for a month or so, to see whether eliminating coffee benefits your blood pressure.
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Be Aware Of Differences In Caffeine Sensitivity
While all this information is comforting to people who enjoy caffeinated beverages, we need to be aware that caffeine affects different people in very different ways. In particular, some are very sensitive to even small amounts of caffeine.
People who are caffeine-sensitive can indeed experience the jitters, palpitations, insomnia and other symptoms when they ingest caffeine. These individuals should limit their caffeine intake
Sensitivity to caffeine is largely determined by the activity of the CYP1A2 enzyme in the liver. The more active the CYP1A2, the less sensitive we are to caffeine. Several factors affect CYP1A2 activity:
- Age: CYP1A2 activity tends to decrease with age, so older people tend to be more sensitive to caffeine
- Sex: women tend to have lower CYP1A2 activity than men.
- Oral contraceptive use and pregnancy: estrogens inhibit CYP1A2 activity and caffeine sensitivity increases. In general, pregnant women should try to limit or avoid caffeine.
- Genetic makeup: Several gene variants have now been identified that affect CYP1A2 activity. While genetic testing can categorize your level of caffeine sensitivity, having formal testing is generally not necessary for you to knowat least generally speakingwhether or not you are very sensitive to caffeine. And if you are, it is likely that nobody needs to tell you to cut back.
May Lower Your Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem, currently affecting millions of people worldwide.
Its characterized by elevated blood sugar levels caused by insulin resistance or a reduced ability to secrete insulin.
For some reason, coffee drinkers have a significantly reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Studies observe that people who drink the most coffee have a 2350% lower risk of getting this disease. One study showed a reduction as high as 67% (22,
Summary
Several observational studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a serious condition that affects millions of people worldwide.
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One Major Side Effect Decaf Coffee Has On Your Heart New Study Says
You might think caffeinated coffee is not good for your heart health, thanks to effects like the increase in heart rate and higher blood pressure. However, a team of researchers for the American Heart Association recently stirred up some surprising findings about the effects of coffee on the heartincluding that decaf coffee leads to a higher risk of one serious heart condition.
The American Heart Association recently backed a study that closely examined previously unidentified factors that lead to death from heart disease. David P. Kao, M.D., lead author for the study, pointed out that “among the most well-known heart disease risk factors” are age, high blood pressure, and smoking. However, said co-author Linda Van Horn, Ph.D., R.D., and member of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee, findings about the effect of diet on heart disease “remain relatively limited due to inconsistencies in diet assessment and analytical methodologies, as well as inherent problems with self-reported dietary intake.”
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The researchers looked back at longitudinal data that had been taken on more than 21,000 participants in three past studies, including the original cohort of the Framingham Heart Studythe famous 1960s study that uncovered the health dangers of smoking.
Coffees Health Promoting Antioxidants
Coffee Berries
Coffees health-promoting properties are likely due to the antioxidants naturally occurring in the coffee bean.
- A typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries, and oranges.
- Antioxidants in coffee may dampen inflammation, reducing the risk of disorders related to it, like cardiovascular disease.
- A study from Monash University even further demonstrated the antioxidant capacities of brewed coffee.
Its important to note that coffee doesnt replace the need for a healthy diet rich in a variety of plants since this is key for getting a wide range of micronutrients for immune system health as well as overall good health.
Just drink decaf then?
While there are still some health benefits to drinking decaf coffee, most of the above studies showed that caffeinated coffee had the greatest benefits.
This is due to some of the coffees antioxidant capacity being removed during the decaffeination process.
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Consuming Coffee Produces No Net Benefit To Our Ability To Work Efficiently Because We Become Tolerant To That Effect Peter Rogers
As the body gets used to receiving caffeine on a daily basis, there are physiological changes that adapt the body to live with caffeine and maintain normal function, says Rogers. Consuming coffee produces no net benefit to our ability to work efficiently because we become tolerant to that effect, but as long as you keep consuming it, youre probably not worse off.
If youre a regular coffee drinker, a cup is unlikely to help boost your concentration
The only people who stand to use caffeine to their advantage, he says, are those who dont drink it regularly.
At the other end of the spectrum, many people joke about being addicted to coffee. But in most cases, theyre just dependent, says Rogers.
Theres low risk of addiction to caffeine if you take it away from someone, they dont feel great but theyre not strongly craving it, he says.
Coffee, he says, demonstrates the difference between addiction, where there is a compulsion to get the drug, and dependence, where the users cognitive performance is impaired, but they dont go to lengths to get it.