I read Vivawoman’s post on how green tea may help with slimming and then I thought – Wait a minute here, I don’t drink tea in any colour or form. I just don’t like tea. But I like my coffee. So, are there any benefits of coffee at all?
I undertook some research on this and found that although coffee gets a lot of flack because of the caffeine it contains, there are also benefits to coffee and caffeine in regular small doses.
Coffee Berries contain high antioxidants
Like tea, research has shown that coffee too contains antioxidants and may be instrumental in reducing the risk of certain diseases like diabetes and parkinson’s. BeyondJane has an interesting article on the anti-aging benefits of coffee that is worth reading. Apparently, it is shown that coffee berries actually have a higher amount of antioxidants than even tea!
However, the most common known benefit of coffee or caffeine is as a stimulant. If you have ever wondered why only a cup of strong coffee in the mornings can get you going when nothing else can, it is attributable to caffeine and its stimulating properties. Too much however can lead to headaches, migranes, heart palpitations, anxiety and leech calcium from your bones. Ooh that all sounds horrid! In fact, for some, just one cup might just be too much caffeine which might explain why some people get headaches after drinking coffee.
On the other hand, there is a report about using caffeine to help premature babies through their first few difficult days. I thought that was interesting although a dosage that large in an adult may be way too much! I do wonder if the preemies might get a little “addicted” to the caffeine though…
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