Following all the information (or myths) about the food and beverages we should and should not consume makes our heads spin – and gives us a case of indigestion. Low fat foods are always better for you. Nope. A good intake of healthful fats benefits heart health. Dairy, particularly milk, is the best thing for your bones. But are you rhyming “dairy” with “calcium”? Turns out dark leafy green contain plenty of calcium for bone health and also vitamin K, also key to bone health, which dairy does not. Eating eggs ups your cholesterol. The truth? Eggs contain very little saturated fat and no trans fats, the bad actors when it comes to cholesterol. Aluminum foil and cookware is linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Not so, that story went out with the conspicuous consumption of the ‘90s. And coffee? Does a cup of fully leaded make you feel stressed out? Cause insomnia? With moderation and because of the way caffeine is metabolized in our systems, the answer is “no” is both cases. What’s more, an article in EcoWatch points out “9 Incredible Health Benefits of Coffee” that include weight loss, less inflammation, lower diabetes risk, liver purge and heart health. Turns out your jones for a morning cup of joe could be a good thing.
Coffee is such a staple in the American diet. From their a.m. wake-up call to their cup of decaf with dessert after dinner, Americans are drinking the stuff all day long. And while this miracle brew has been besmirched with old wives’ tales that it’ll stunt your growth (false, by the way), coffee, in truth, is brimming over with health benefits.
Coffee isn’t usually thought of as a detox drink, but research has found that not only does coffee lower abnormal liver enzyme levels, but it can even reduce your risk for cirrhosis, a liver disease, courtesy of EcoWatch
Why the discrepancy? Dave Asprey, author of The Bulletproof Diet, explains that for coffee to be good for you, it has to be good coffee. “The studies on coffee and health go back and forth,” he explains. “Some studies show health benefits, while others show negative impacts. This might seem confusing, but the reason is simple: Bad coffee is bad for you, and scientists don’t differentiate between types of coffee when they run these studies.”
Asprey points out that coffee can be a major source of mold toxins, which come with their own set of negative health consequences. But some coffees are moldier than others. For instance, beans are cleaner than instant coffee. Fortunately, if you pick a good clean bean, you can enjoy these nine benefits of a healthy cup of joe.
1. Increased Longevity
It doesn’t get much simpler than this: Coffee reduces your chance of dying. According to research published in The American Journal of Epidemiology, four cups of coffee per day reduced the risk of death, from any cause, by 16 percent, and three cups per day reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 21 percent.
2. Protection Against Cancer
Research conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center that found that drinking four or more cups of coffee per day reduced a man’s risk of prostate cancer recurrence by 59 percent. One explanation for this finding is that coffee is loaded with antioxidants. “The richest source of polyphenols in Western diets by far is coffee,” says Asprey. And previous research has shown that polyphenols can reduce the risk of the onset of prostate cancer.
It’s not just cancer of the prostate, either. A meta-analysis performed by Chinese researchers found that higher coffee consumption could reduce the risk of liver cancer by 50 percent, and another study by Canadian researchers found that high coffee intake was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer.
3. More Weight Loss
Coffee may be your new favorite diet food. First, Asprey points out, the polyphenols in coffee are a prebiotic for the good bacteria in your gut, a species called Bacteroidetes. This species of gut bacteria has been associated with thinness. “You can’t increase the population of that species with probiotic capsules,” he explains; “you have to feed it.” Plus, the caffeine makes it thermogenic, meaning it helps you increase your resting metabolic rate and energy expenditure, leading to more calories burned….
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