This way you can benefit from all the beneficial effects of coffee and caffeine.
Coffee is just about the most popular beverage in the world. For many, it’s a daily morning ritual, and its caffeine provides an incredible boost of energy and mental perk. Coffee is very commonly consumed in many cultures, both for social, everyday, and stimulating reasons. The thought of starting your day without a piping hot brew might make you tremble in the knees. At least in most cases, this is a good vice, unlike a two-hour-a-day Instagram habit.
Now, there is enough evidence to show that coffee is naturally good for us. Drinking one to three cups of caffeinated black coffee per day reduces the risk of heart failure by 5 to 12 percent per cup. This is according to an analysis of three studies published by the American Heart Association in Circulation: Heart Failure. A report published in the Journal of Nutrition found that espresso-loving Italians who drank three to four cups of Italian-style coffee (without white chocolate mocha) had a lower risk of death than those who drank little or no coffee.
Another study published in Aging Research Reviews showed that moderate coffee consumption (two to three cups per day) could be a simple and effective way to extend a person’s healthy lifespan by an average of 1.8 years and support healthy aging. A study in Clinical Nutrition found that people who drink an extra cup of coffee each day have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, possibly due to lower insulin resistance.
Finally, a study published in the British Medical Journal found an association between coffee and a lower risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease and death from all causes.
There are several possible reasons why consuming soybean juice is good for your heart muscle and longevity. Freshly brewed coffee contains a variety of bioactive compounds, such as chlorogenic acid, which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may help improve metabolic health. With so many people drinking coffee and not eating enough other antioxidant-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, it’s safe to assume that coffee contributes significantly to the antioxidant intake of Americans. It also indirectly benefits your health by keeping your gut flora healthy. A new study published in Nature Microbiology found that coffee consumption has a significant effect on your gut flora, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee improve gut health because of their polyphenol content.
Or maybe it’s because moderate coffee drinkers are more active, more well-nourished, and lead an overall healthier lifestyle. (Epidemiological and nutritional studies can’t prove that drinking coffee directly prevents heart attacks or other diseases.) We’re talking about associations, not causation.)
Coffee is generally a healthy drink. It may not be as healthy as kale, but it’s still tangibly beneficial. But if you’re an avid coffee lover, there are a few things you should know to get the most out of your favorite brew.
COFFEE MAY JAZZ UP YOUR WORKOUTS:
Many people drink espresso before training to give themselves a little boost in performance. Caffeine actually boosts your workout through a variety of mechanisms, including reducing the perception of exertion and fatigue, and improving strength and performance. (Apparently, caffeine can support both endurance and strength training.) But coffee alone likely won’t give you the optimal performance-boosting dose.
The recommended research-based exercise protocol, which most people don’t follow, is to consume 3-6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight. That’s 240-490 milligrams for an 80-pound man. With this amount of caffeine, you might have to gulp down a mugful of sludge. We trust you don’t have an overactive bladder. Brewed coffee typically contains 60-180 mg (espresso has more caffeine per ounce than regular coffee), depending on the beans used, how it’s made, the size of the cup, etc. The amount of caffeine in Starbucks coffee can vary greatly from that in Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, or even the amount you make at home. The problem here is that it can be hard to judge how much caffeine you’re getting from coffee, and you may need to drink more than you think to reach the recommended dose for performance-enhancing purposes. If you don’t want to rush to the urinal, drinking four cups of coffee before sitting down at the squat rack might not be the best plan.
Sure, you might get a boost of energy from a smaller amount of caffeine than you’d get from drinking a full cup of coffee, but it probably won’t have the same effect as a larger amount. Another concern is that people who consume caffeine frequently may need a higher dose than those who are not exposed to stimulants to experience the boost in exercise.
For this reason, some people turn to supplements such as tablets, gummies, or other drinks before a key workout to give them more control over their dose and make sure they are getting enough. The key here is having enough and not too much. Some people combine brewed coffee with supplements to achieve the caffeine levels they need.
