7 Reasons Why Coffee Is Good For You

By Kris Gunnars/ Authority NutritionPosted 02.21.2013 at 10:00 am

Coffee beans Dreamstime

Coffee isn’t just warm and energizing, it may also be extremely good for you.

In recent years and decades, scientists have studied the effects of coffee on various aspects ofhealth and their results have been nothing short of amazing.

Here are 7 reasons why coffee may actually be one of the healthiest beverages on the planet.

1. Coffee Can Make You Smarter

Coffee doesn’t just keep you awake, it may literally make you smarter as well.

The active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, which is a stimulant and the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world.

Caffeine’s primary mechanism in the brain is blocking the effects of an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine.

By blocking the inhibitory effects of Adenosine, caffeine actually increases neuronal firing in the brain and the release of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine (1, 2).

Many controlled trials have examined the effects of caffeine on the brain, demonstrating that caffeine can improve mood, reaction time, memory, vigilance and general cognitive function (3).

Bottom Line: Caffeine potently blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, leading to a net stimulant effect. Controlled trials show that caffeine improves both mood and brain function.

Espresso:  Evan Swigart/Wikimedia Commons

2. Coffee Can Help You Burn Fat and Improves Physical Performance

There’s 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 (4, 5, 6).

Caffeine can also improve athletic performance by several mechanisms, including by mobilizing fatty acids from the fat tissues (7, 8).

In two separate meta-analyses, caffeine was found to increase exercise performance by 11-12% on average (9, 10).

Bottom Line: Caffeine raises the metabolic rate and helps to mobilize fatty acids from the fat tissues. It can also enhance physical performance.

3. Coffee May Drastically Lower Your Risk of Type II Diabetes

Type II diabetes is a lifestyle-related disease that has reached epidemic proportions, having increased 10-fold in a few decades and now afflicting about 300 million people.

This disease is characterized by high blood glucose levels due to insulin resistance or an inability to produce insulin.

In observational studies, coffee has been repeatedly associated with a lower risk of diabetes. The reduction in risk ranges from 23% all the way up to 67% (11, 12, 13, 14).

A massive review article looked at 18 studies with a total of 457.922 participants. Each additional cup of coffee per day lowered the risk of diabetes by 7%. The more coffee people drank, the lower their risk (15).

Bottom Line: Drinking coffee is associated with a drastically reduced risk of type II diabetes. People who drink several cups per day are the least likely to become diabetic.

4. Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Not only can coffee make you smarter in the short term, it may also protect your brain in old age.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world and a leading cause of dementia.

In prospective studies, coffee drinkers have up to a 60% lower risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia (16, 17, 18).

Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by death of dopamine-generating neurons in the brain. Coffee may lower the risk of Parkinson’s by 32-60% (19, 20, 21, 22).

Bottom Line Coffee is associated with a much lower risk of dementia and the neurodegenerative disorders Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

5. Coffee May be Extremely Good For Your Liver

The liver is a remarkable organ that carries out hundreds of vital functions in the body.

It is very vulnerable to modern insults such as excess consumption of alcohol and fructose.

Cirrhosis is the end stage of liver damage caused by diseases like alcoholism and hepatitis, where liver tissue has been largely replaced by scar tissue.

Multiple studies have shown that coffee can lower the risk of cirrhosis by as much as 80%, the strongest effect for those who drank 4 or more cups per day (23, 24, 25).

Coffee may also lower the risk of liver cancer by around 40% (26, 27).

Bottom Line: Coffee appears to be protective against certain liver disorders, lowering the risk of liver cancer by 40% and cirrhosis by as much as 80%.

6. Coffee May Decrease Your Risk of Dying

Many people still seem to think that coffee is unhealthy.

This isn’t surprising though, since it is very common for conventional wisdom to be at exact odds with what the actual studies say.

In two very large prospective epidemiological studies, drinking coffee was associated with a lower risk of death by all causes (28).

This effect is particularly profound in type II diabetics, one study showing that coffee drinkers had a 30% lower risk of death during a 20 year period (29).

Bottom Line: Coffee consumption has been associated with a lower risk of death in prospective epidemiological studies, especially in type II diabetics.

7. Coffee is Loaded With Nutrients and Antioxidants

Coffee isn’t just black water.

Many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink, which actually contains a decent amount of vitamins and minerals.

A cup of coffee contains (30):

6% of the RDA for Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5).
11% of the RDA for Riboflavin (Vitamin B2).
2% of the RDA for Niacin (B3) and Thiamine (B1).
3% of the RDA for Potassium and Manganese.

May not seem like much, but if you drink several cups of coffee per day then this quickly adds up.

But this isn’t all. Coffee also contains a massive amount of antioxidants.

In fact, coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants in the western diet, outranking both fruits and vegetables combined (31, 32, 33).

Bottom Line: Coffee contains a decent amount of several vitamins and minerals. It is also the biggest source of antioxidants in the modern diet.

Take Home Message

Even though coffee in moderate amounts is good for you, drinking way too much of it can still be harmful.

I’d also like to point out that many of the studies above were epidemiological in nature. Such studies can only show association, they can not prove that coffee caused the effects.

To make sure to preserve the health benefits, don’t put sugar or anything nasty in your coffee! If it tends to affect your sleep, then don’t drink it after 2pm.

At the end of the day, it does seem quite clear that coffee is NOT the villain it was made out to be.

If anything, coffee may literally be the healthiest beverage on the planet.

The Glass of Water

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

9 Secrets from a 73-Year Marriage

By Redbook | Love + Sex – Fri, 15 Feb, 2013 10:24 AM EST

After 73 years of marriage, 94-year old Barbara Cooper knows how to get through matrimony's rough patches. The author of Fall in Love for Life shares her hard-earned wisdom. By Holly Corbett, REDBOOK.

On making time to make love
"I don't understand couples who say they are too busy or too tired to sleep together. Unless they are building roads all day or running a multi-national corporation, I expect they have just lost sight of priorities. If you wish to stay connected and happy in your marriage, my advice to you is to never be too tired or too busy to feel love for your partner. When your life is nearly over, you will regret it if you look back and recall too many nights when you made excuses instead of making love."

On bickering
"The most important thing for any couple trying to get along is to think before you speak. If you are bickering and find that you are getting angry, take a deep breath and change course, and ask your partner to do the same. Try saying something conciliatory like, 'I don't know why this is making me so upset, but it is, so can you just humor me and help me get over it?' By simply admitting you are losing your cool, you may find that the anger quickly dissipates."

On greeting your partner
"If you want your relationship to survive and to thrive, you will have to train yourself to focus most of your attention on the person you love. When your sweetheart comes into the room, whether it's just from taking care of some chores in the garage or from a long day at work, your job is to put down whatever you're doing, look him in the eye, and verbally express your delight at seeing him again. It's really so little to ask, and delivers so much - to both of you."

On having affairs
"Some people have affairs because they tell themselves that they deserve more attention than they get at home. Or maybe they get annoyed because they feel that all of their needs aren't getting met by their partner. Well, whoever told them that one person could meet their every need? You can actually live quite comfortably without having all of your needs met. Try thinking about it that way; you might be surprised how liberating it is. You are not perfect, and neither is your partner, but you can make a very pleasant life together if you are both serious about providing the love and support that go along with a marriage."

On going from lovers to parents
"It's true that when your babies are small, there isn't much time left over for romantic gestures. But the wonderful thing about romance is that it is the quality, never the quantity, that matters. So when the baby is napping, throw a blanket on the living room floor, slice some peaches or plums or whatever you have in the house, pour a glass of something bubbly, and enjoy a mini picnic. Write love notes to each other and slip them in between the clean diapers. Be creative, and if you want your love to flourish, it certainly will do so."

On overcoming money problems
"The most important ingredient for getting through tough economic times is THE TRUTH - it's so important it should be capitalized and italicized. So this means that if you have any financial secrets you are keeping from your partner, you must put them on the table. Doesn't that sound scary? I am sure it does, but as with so many unpleasant things that only get bigger and stronger in the dark, these secrets have a funny way of shrinking in the light of the truth. And as they get smaller, your stress and worry will fly away. There's never a better time to be honest with your partner and yourself and make a plan for dealing with your debts and your excess spending - together. I promise, you will not regret it."

On tuning in to your partner
"I think the place where good marriages break down is when one or both parties begin to take the other person for granted. And yet it's understandable that this happens. Life is complicated and can be exhausting, so there is always a temptation when you get home to just tune out, because home is one place where you should feel safe enough to let your guard down this way. But there's a difference between relaxing and disengaging, and while relaxing is a healthy way to recharge your psychic and spiritual batteries, disengaging is a drain on you and your relationships. Nothing is more important than that you recognize the difference and stay present for all the people you love."

On bringing up the past
"The most important lesson I can teach you from our happy marriage is that we did not rehash. If something was unpleasant, we got through it, handled the fallout, and did not bring it up again in happy times. So we both knew that once a problem was solved, that was it - we would not have to answer for it again, at least not in its current form. And knowing this, we could give all our attention to fixing the problems that came along, because once they were fixed, we could forget about them, which is a very wonderful feeling."

On controlling your anger
"Have you ever noticed that you can't spell dangerous without anger? I'm no linguist, but I don't think that's a coincidence. When you're ready to blow, you might say anything hurtful, things you would normally spare the person you love from hearing. Don't say something you'll regret forever. Don't give your partner an excuse to come back to you with his or her own resentments. Instead, find a way to get your anger under control. For myself, I simply run through my mind a short movie of how foolishly I have been acting. You may have better luck singing a silly song, or patting your head while rubbing your tummy, or doing whatever little trick helps bring you outside of yourself long enough to regain control." 

Prodigal Son by Casting Crowns

Living on my own, thinking for myself

Castles in the sand, temporary wealth

Walls are falling down, storms are closing in

Tears have filled my eyes, here I am again

And I've held out as long as I can

Now I'm letting go and holding out my hand

Daddy, here I am again

Will You take me back tonight

I went and made the world my friend

And it left me high and dry

I drag Your name back through the mud

That You first found me in

Not worthy to be called Your son

Is this to be my end

Daddy, here I am

Here I am again

Curse this morning sun

Drags me in to one more day

Of reaping what I've sown

Of living with my shame

Welcome to my world

And the life that I have made

Where one day you're a prince

The next day you're a slave

And I've held out as long as I can

Now I'm letting go and holding out my hand

Daddy, here I am again

Will You take me back tonight

I went and made the world my friend

And it left me high and dry

I drag Your name back through the mud

That You first found me in

Not worthy to be called Your son

Is this to be my end

Daddy, here I am

Here I am again

And I've held out as long as I can

Now I'm letting go and holding out my hand

Daddy, here I am again

Will You take me back tonight

I went and made the world my friend

And it left me high and dry

I drag Your name back through the mud

That You first found me in

Not worthy to be called Your son

Is this to be my end

Daddy, here I am

Here I am again.

Don't you worry Child

There was a time, I used to look into my father's eyes

In a happy home, I was a king I had a golden throne

Those days are gone, now the memories are on the wall

I hear the sounds from the places where I was born

Up on the hill across the blue lake,

That's where I had my first heart break

I still remember how it all changed

My father said

Don't you worry, don't you worry child

See heaven's got a plan for you

Don't you worry, don't you worry now

Yeah!

Don't you worry, don't you worry now

See heaven's got a plan for you

Don't you worry, don't you worry now

Yeah!

There was a time, I met a girl of a different kind

We ruled the world,

Thought I'll never lose her out of sight, 

We were so young

I think of her now and then

I Still hear the songs, reminding me of a friend

Up on the hill across the blue lake,

That's where I had my first heart break

I still remember how it all changed

My father said

Don't you worry, don't you worry child

See heaven's got a plan for you

Don't you worry, don't you worry now

Yeah!

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!

See heaven's got a plan for you

Don't you worry, don't you worry child

See heaven's got a plan for you

Don't you worry, don't you worry now

Yeah!

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!

Yeah!

ReGrow your Vegtable waste, Cool trick

Brilliant money saving technique!!!

I bet a lot of you throw out the stump at the end of the lettuce when you are done. Until recently, so did I! Then I came across this really interesting post online about regrowing from the remaining hunk. It is simple:

Save the end from your lettuce and put into a little water (about a half inch). Change out the water every day. The lettuce will grow back incredibly quick too.

The one on the left i cut today. The middle one yesterday and the one on the right, the day before. You can see how much it grows in just two days!!

But don't feel limited to romaine. This technique can also be used with green onions and celery

Oil of Oregano

IMPORTANT PLEASE SHARE! 

The more knowledge I acquire the more Health Canada disappoints me (the American Health Care system disappointed me years ago). With talks of Oil of Oregano becoming illegal in the near future the threat of freedom for Canadians is in jeopardy. While I do believe that some supplements may be better off being regulated, it makes me ill (soon it will be literal) to think who may be administering and making these products.

It is safe to say that our nation is much more health conscious than we were a decade ago. Some people decide not to make wise choices about their health but everyone has an enhanced awareness that nutrition plays a critical role in disease prevention and in some cases treatment. With the being said I encourage all of you to take a look at the curriculum for the top four medical schools in North America. You will have to dig deep (real deep) to find any more than FOUR HOURS (yes I said hours) of nutritional education and vitamin/supplement training. Yes, there are some medical doctors (MD) that take it upon themselves to educate themselves on vitamins and supplements along with nutrition but tell me how a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) takes four years of education (post pre-med education) on how to properly administer these supplements and an MD can just be given the automatic rights to administer them.

There are so many reputable and high quality supplement companies on the market today. My fear is that the pharmaceutical companies will buy them out and the quality will go to the dogs. There is no argument in that pharmaceutical companies make efficient drugs and vaccines BUT they have yet to prove themselves on the vitamin and supplement front. Every prenatal vitamin I have come across that was developed and distributed by a pharmaceutical company have been in hard to digest hard pressed tablet forms with added colors and additives which makes it extremely difficult for a pregnant woman to absorb/use. I suppose what I am trying to say is that if you were doing renovations on your house would you call an electrician to install your toilet? I mean they are both in the construction industry but they specialize in two totally different things.

My fear within the health industry is that all vitamins, minerals and supplements will be regulated and administered by unqualified individuals. While some think that this may be a good thing as they will be able to get vitamins and supplements covered by their health care plan you really need to think about what kind of quality they will be and if you will be given the right substances in order to support your health. In short you may just have some really expensive (to all of us tax payers) urine if you cannot absorb these nutrients (best case scenario). I have a hunch that mandatory additional education (as in a weekend course) will be asked of the MD’s which leads me to ask the question of how this is any different from the millions of average people that have done research, read articles and books, or have taken seminars on nutrition? The answer is there is no difference because when it comes to vitamins and supplementation is not that simple. Just to test out the theory the next time you see your MD ask them what type of iron or calcium you should take. They may mention a brand or tell you a dose but did you know that every MD I have come across has prescribed the most inefficient non absorbable type of iron? Qualified? You be the judge.

Make noise and let it be known that you want to make your own decisions when it comes to your health! It is up to all of us to let the government know that we will not be bullied into decisions for their profit!

Cucumbers... I didn't know this...

Cucumbers...  I didn't  know this... WOW!!!  WHAT A LITTLE GEM THE CUCUMBER IS. I WILL LOOK   AT IT DIFFERENTLY NOW.      1.  Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin  B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc. 2. Feeling tired  in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a  Cucumber.  Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and                                Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours. 3. Tired of your  bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower?  Try rubbing a  Cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing,  Spa-like fragrance. 4. Are grubs and Slugs  ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals  In the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area. 5  Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool?  Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up  the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!! 6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices  before going to bed and wake up refreshed and Headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B Vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!! 7. Looking to fight off  that afternoon or evening snacking binge?  Cucumbers  Have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation. 8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber  over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water. 9.  Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the  squeak is gone! 10.  Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire Cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce  stress in new mothers and college students during final exams. 11. Just  finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30  seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your  mouth responsible for causing bad breath. 12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel?  Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean. 13.  Using a Pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the  Cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the Walls!! 14 (My addition)   They make great pickles too!