Coffee May Perk Up Your Heart!
Uh oh, coffee is now healthy again …
Seems to be the case with almost everything in nutrition – it’s good, then bad, then good, now in moderation, now in excess.
What are we to do???
This time coffee is up and some interesting data suggests there may be a relationship between coffee consumption and a decreased risk in heart disease.
Let’s take a look.
This study published in 2008 in the Annals of Internal Medicine followed over 100,000 men and women. This long term study was self reported and asked questions about coffee consumption – daily (if so, how much), weekly, and monthly.
Lo and behold, as coffee consumption increased, risk of heart disease decreased — with those who reported they drank 6 or more cups each day having the lowest risk of heart disease.
Huh.
The authors didn’t make mention of what they put in their coffee – I’ll add that if it’s half and half and sugar, that possible benefit will quickly go away.
The researchers were quick to note that this doesn’t mean gulping down coffee by the gallon will prevent heart disease – the fact that the data was self reported and that it is a correlational study are both limitations. They also noted that more research needs to be done to confirm this possible benefit.
So where does this potential benefit come from?
I wish it meant those who are overly caffeinated have more energy to workout and become gym rats.
Unfortunately not.
One thought is that coffee is a great source of antioxidants. In fact, a 2005 study from the University of Scranton suggested that coffee is the #1 source of antioxidants in the American Diet!
That’s not to say it should replace fruits and veggies…
…it came out as the highest source because Americans drink so darn much of it.
When comparing equal serving sizes, it’s not quite as high as it looks on the surface …
…but it does still offer some benefit.
At the end of the day, if you regularly drink coffee, skip the added junk that will make a potentially healthful cup of coffee, not so healthy after all.
And if you don’t drink coffee now, there are other super healthy foods that will give even more bang for your buck.
February 10th, 2010 at 8:29 am
I always have coffee before a workout. One question would be…is it better to have brewed or instant to get the most antioxidant benefit?
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February 10th, 2010 at 8:31 am
I always have coffee before my workout.
My question would be…..is there more antioxidant benefit to brewed coffee or instant?
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Chris and Kara Mohr Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Hi Mark — great question! I haven’t seen data comparing instant vs brewed coffee, but I wouldn’t imagine a difference. Some studies have looked at decaf vs. regular and there doesn’t appear to be a difference.
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February 10th, 2010 at 8:33 am
I always have coffee before a workout.
Is the antioxidant benefit better with brewed coffee versus instant?
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July 13th, 2010 at 8:44 am
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