Brain Food
There's good news for those of us who've given up our beloved cups of Joe in the interest of good health. Coffee has been undergone some rigorous testing in the past ten years, and according to studies from the Harvard University School of Public Health and The Nestle Research company, Coffee packs more of an antioxidant punch than either green tea or red wine. Two or three times more, in fact.
It's not only a heavyweight when it comes to battling free radicals. Coffee appears to be sort of a "miracle food" that has been shown to prevent type II, or adult onset Diabetes. It also reduces the risk of colon cancer, prevents Parkinson's disease, boosts male fertility, cuts the risk of liver cirrhosis by 80%, helps manage asthma (it can even help control an attack when medication is unavailable), prevents cavities, and helps offset damage from smoking and drinking too much.
Scientists have suspected for quite some time that coffee helps protect against Cancer, and German scientists recently discovered why. Coffee contains an exclusive and powerful antioxidant called methylpyridinium. Methypyridinium boosts blood enzymes that fight colon cancer and is formed in the roasting process from a chemical found naturally in the bean.
The stronger the coffee, the higher the level of methylpyridinium. Darker roasts contain two or three times more than medium roasts.
Decaf does not offer the same benefits, and the Robusta beans offer 2-3 times more antioxidants than Arabica, but the difference is evened out in the roasting process. (Just FYI, adding milk and/or sugar does not alter the antioxidant levels).
Besides protecting against disease, the caffeine in coffee has been shown to boost athletic performance. In a study published by Current Sports Medicine Reports, caffeine was shown to improve performance and endurance during prolonged exhaustive exercise, and boost short-term, high-intensity athletic performance, as well as enhancing concentration, reducing fatigue, and amping alertness.
More than six independent studies have confirmed that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are 60 to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, and three of those studies show that the more they drink, the lower the risk.
Patients who suffer from "dry mouth" during treatment for depression with tricyclic antidepressants, are relieving their symptoms with cappuccino. Apparently, cappuccino increases the amount of saliva, and improves a patient's ability to talk for up to 2 hours.
So go ahead, have another cup of coffee.
Source - Coffeescience.org
By Liza Hall - Group Fitness Director, Thousand Oaks
