Pros and Cons about Coffee
1. Coffee Reduces Your Risk of Diabetes
In a 2005
review of nine studies, researchers found that for those that drank four to six cups of coffee per day, versus
only two or fewer, their risk for Type 2 diabetes decreased by almost
30 percent. The number decreased by 35 percent when people drank more than six
cups per day. And if you’re picturing yourself running around the office with
your eyes bugging out of your head, no worries because caffeinated and
decaffeinated coffees provided much the same results.
2. Coffee Fights Free Radicals
We often forget
that coffee is actually a plant and like all plant foods, the coffee bean
contains more than 1,000 naturally occurring substances called
phytochemicals, which may help prevent disease. Many of these phytochemicals
are antioxidants which protect the cells from damage from free radicals.
3. Coffee Improves Memory and Cognition
Researchers
reported that volunteers who drank caffeinated coffee in the morning performed
better than nondrinkers on tests that involved learning new information. Coffee
can also improve cognitive function as we age. One study found that
combining coffee with a sweet treat had an even bigger impact.
According to study
researcher Josep M. Serra Grabulosa, from the Department of Psychiatry and
Clinical Psychobiology at Universidad de Barcelona:
Our main finding is that the combination of the two substances
improves cognitive performance in terms of sustained attention and working
memory by increasing the efficiency of the areas of the brain responsible for
these two functions. This supports the idea of a synergistic effect
between two substances, in which each one boosts the effect of the other.
The Bad:
4. Coffee Can Increase Osteoporosis
It’s true that
coffee can cause the body to excrete calcium in urine. We don’t want the body
to rid itself of calcium because this can lead to osteoporosis. According
to The
Diet
Channel, about five milligrams of calcium is lost per
every six ounces of coffee consumed. But these calcium losses can be counter
balanced with two tablespoons of milk or yogurt per cup of coffee.
5. Coffee Causes Wrinkles
Even though
coffee has antioxidants, if you drink too much of it, it can cause wrinkling of
the skin. This is a result of dehydration which is the worst thing
for your skin. So when you’re drinking that morning cup or two, make sure that
you’re pairing it with water. Even better, add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to
your water and let them sit for 30 minutes. The chia seeds keep you even more
hydrated than regular water.
6. Coffee Can Actually Cause Weight Gain
The blood sugar
fluctuations that a caffeine high produces can contribute enormously to
cravings, according to iVillage. Coffee is also
socially connected to food. For example, we pair coffee with dessert or that
morning powdered doughnut. Additionally, when we crash from our caffeine high
that’s when we reach for all sorts of fatty snacks to keep us going.
7. Conventional Coffee Is Laden with Pesticides
The coffee
plant is one of the most heavily sprayed crops. It’s coated with chemicals,
pesticides, and herbicides, nothing you’d want to be ingesting. If you do drink
coffee, make sure that it’s the organic variety, free from assorted chemicals
that leech into our ground water and can make us sick down the road.
If you switch
to decaffeinated coffee, make sure the caffeine is removed in a natural way
without the use of chemicals to do it. Often
times, conventional decaffeinated coffee has more chemicals that regular.
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