Taking advantage of the fact that today, the 19th of February is the Sportsman’s Day , let’s talk about coffee and health.
Did you know that a healthy routine starts with coffee?
Coffee can be an ally in the fight against diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression, stress and diabetes. In addition, this delicious drink helps with digestion and even rejuvenates the cells of the body.
These are some of the benefits that a special coffee can represent for your health when consumed daily. In the not too distant past, science was concerned with understanding and clarifying some myths that involved the grain. This search resulted in several conclusions that almost no one imagined.
Dr. Darcy Lima, author of the book 101 Reasons to drink coffee , was the pioneer in studies dedicated to our favorite drink.
It was discovered, for example, that coffee has potassium, zinc, iron, magnesium and several minerals in small amounts in addition to caffeine. It also has amino acids, proteins, lipids, in addition to sugars and polysaccharides. According to the ABIC website, the main secret is that coffee has an enormous amount of antioxidant polyphenols, called chlorogenic acids (which also helps with weight loss).
The benefits are so many that we decided to list a few:
1 – Avoid Cancer
According to the website Health Tip, the incidence of breast cancer, cancer of the pharynx and oral, prostate, liver and esophageal can be avoided with the intake of at least one cup of coffee a day . Because it is rich in the antioxidants listed above, it helps to prevent cell degradation and alteration. Thus, preventing the appearance of mutations that can result in tumors.
2 – Relieve Stress
In a study carried out simultaneously in the United States, Portugal and Brazil it was proven that coffee and its caffeine help to improve mood, relieve stress and even guarantee more performance in reaction time, memory and reasoning.
The research (read in full here in English ) was carried out with rats and in this experiment, the animals went through stressful situations such as cold bath and inclination in the cage. For three weeks, half of them took water with caffeine and the other half took normal water. After that time, it was noted that they only consumed normal water and had altered levels of stress that were chemically noticeable in the brain and in behavior. The caffeinated animals showed no changes.
The study is not yet conclusive, but scientists believe there has been a blockage of receptors that cause stress when ingesting caffeine.
3 – Rejuvenates
It is not today that the rejuvenating power of coffee is exploited mainly by the cosmetics industry. Brands like Natura, Avon and Attrato are betting on the antioxidant substances of green coffee to further improve the effectiveness of their products. In fact, the Kapeh brand dedicated itself exclusively to coffee to develop several products in its portfolio.
All this interest is due to the presence of many components in the group of polyphenols and antioxidants (responsible for delaying the aging process and increasing life expectancy). In addition to helping with health, green grain extracts are the most used in the production of anti-wrinkle creams.
And you can enjoy the benefit of coffee on your skin with its own sludge!
In addition to being sustainable, it does very well. See our post on the benefits of coffee grounds for your skin .
4 – Stimulates Digestion
Even though it is an absolute success after lunch, few know that coffee is recommended to stimulate digestion . According to Dr. Darcy Lima, the drink stimulates the intestines, the reflex of the stomach and the retosigmoid (the final part of the large intestine), thus increasing gastrointestinal movement and facilitating digestion.
The remedy for luncheon after lunch can also be your salvation when you overdo the amount of food or on feijoada Wednesdays.
5 – Diabetes
It has been proven that chlorogenic acids and alkaloid trigonelline present in coffee help to reduce glucose and insulin. According to the Harvard School of Public Health / HSPH experiment , people who increased their daily coffee consumption over a four-year period had an 11% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. the consumption of the drink decreased, an increase of 17% was registered to develop the disease.
6 – Depression
Another discovery by Dr. Darcy Ribeiro was the positive effect of coffee in the fight against depression. It has been proven that the incidence of the disease is lower among adults and children who drink up to four cups of coffee a day (when compared to people who do not drink coffee or a smaller amount).
7 – Osteoporosis
There was a time when doctors and nutritionists considered coffee and caffeine to be the villains of osteoporosis. It was believed that the drink prevented the absorption of calcium in the body, thus weakening the bones. Dr. Darcy Lima, however, recently proved that this is all a big mistake.
According to his article (published in full here ), “Calcium has its metabolism strictly controlled by a series of hormones and vitamin (vitamin D), so that of the 1,200 mg we eat daily, only 300 mg is absorbed. If we need more calcium, the intestine only increases its absorption. Moderate caffeine consumption does not cause osteoporosis in the elderly nor does it increase the risk of fractures ”, he explains.
