Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee

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<v SPEAKER_1>In this episode of the Throttle & Roast podcast, I'll be discussing the potential health benefits of drinking coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>While coffee lovers enjoy the experience of brewing coffee and the delicious flavors and the variety of coffee-based beverages available, it might be good for more than your mental health.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, let me first get out of the way, I'm not a doctor, and you should consult your own health professionals.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I will make an effort to distill some of the studies, though, that I've researched, into some general understandings.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And check the show notes for links to the various studies to do your own research.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, coffee is about more than caffeine.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Ask anyone about the effects of coffee, and most will immediately go to caffeine.

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<v SPEAKER_1>While caffeine can boost your alertness, and thus it's a useful catalyst to get your morning going, coffee has benefits beyond caffeine.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, antioxidants and other active substances in coffee can reduce inflammation and protect against disease, according to John Hopkins University School of Medicine experts.

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<v SPEAKER_1>There are thousands of compounds in a cup of coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And while science hasn't studied all of them, the current findings are leaning towards positive impacts, giving us hope for the potential health benefits of coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So let's dive in to some of the benefits that the studies have actually found about coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Number one is actually probably the best one for all of us, which is a longer life.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Studies have shown that coffee drinkers are less likely to die from coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even kidney disease.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Your body processes sugars more effectively.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And the studies have found that coffee drinkers are less likely to be diabetic.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, if you add a ton of sugar into your coffee, that may not work out so well for you, but this is kind of an exciting thing that this could actually help you within your own health journey.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The fact that heart failure is less likely.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Just a couple of cups of coffee each day might give your body the ability to fight off heart disease.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, studies suggest three to five cups a day could reduce the rate of heart disease by as much as 15%.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, it's important to balance this with blood pressure, so don't go too overboard and drink 50 cups of coffee a day.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You're probably gonna have some insane blood pressure at that point.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Cancer is another one that is affected positively by coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In fact, some studies have shown that dark roasts can actually boost DNA.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They seem to reduce the breakage in the DNA strands, and while DNA does break down normally in the body, if your body is unable to repair the DNA, it can manifest itself into cancerous tumors.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And now dark roast coffee seems to reduce the occurrence of the DNA breakdowns and may reduce the likelihood of developing some cancers.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, this one hits a bit close to home as my father died from melanoma cancer, but those who drank four cups of coffee per day had a 20% lower chance of developing melanoma.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if you can reduce your risk just by a few cups of coffee, it seems like it's a no-brainer to actually do this.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The other one that's affected is colon cancer.

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<v SPEAKER_1>As you're getting older, especially for a lot of the men who are in our audience, if colon cancer can actually be protected against by drinking coffee, this is another great, great thing that we can do.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, we know caffeine keeps you more alert.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We know that it can actually boost you up, and especially on a motorcycle, it can actually keep you focused to war on the road, which is a wonderful thing, but it's not just about keeping you alert.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In fact, regular coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, and those that have the disease seem to have better control of their movements because of drinking some coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, another brain function that would actually be a positive thing for us is the risk of Alzheimer's is actually reduced by drinking coffee, and some studies have shown that it can reduce dementia and cognitive decline as you age.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, this one was sort of a surprise to me, but there's actually a lower rate of depression from coffee drinkers.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And in fact, the studies have shown that about each cup of coffee per day was linked to an 8% reduction in the rate of depression.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So don't go and drink 50 cups of coffee again.

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<v SPEAKER_1>That's not gonna suddenly eliminate all of your depression opportunity, but this is something that, keeping a more positive outlook, maybe keeping a little bit more energized, could actually help reduce some incidence of depression.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And so brain health is a very, very positive thing here that seems like a wonderful thing that we could take advantage of by drinking our coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Another one that was really fascinating to me to learn about is that strokes occur less frequently by those who have regular coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And in fact, there's a 21% reduction in the likelihood of a stroke just from consuming three to four cups of coffee per day.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So opportunity to actually boost your brain health just from drinking three to four cups of coffee a day is outstanding.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I mean, who would ever have hoped and guessed that that would be something that could come in, but there's a lot of studies that are actually starting to represent this.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And I'd encourage you to follow some of the links that we'll have in the show notes where you can go and look at some of these breakdowns all on your own.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But it's not just brain health that's actually gonna be improved by having coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Another aspect that's gonna be is your liver.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Your liver actually gains a protective shield by having regular coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it was a 15% reduction in liver disease by just one cup of coffee per day.

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<v SPEAKER_1>While those who drank four cups of coffee per day had a 71% reduction in liver disease.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So huge, huge benefits for those.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, people are probably well aware, alcohol can actually have a negative impact on the liver.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if you're combining alcohol and coffee, not necessarily in the same drink, but in general, you may not see the same results.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So definitely speak to your health professional.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this one was actually interesting because there was two sides of the coin.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is about weight management.

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<v SPEAKER_1>At least one study has found a positive correlation with decreased body fat for coffee drinkers.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now this might be due to maybe some increased activity from the brain boosting effects of caffeine, but hey, it's nice to know that you could actually save some weight just by drinking some coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So how much is enough?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Well, most of the studies showed that about three to five cups a day, or a maximum of 400 milligrams of caffeine, have the positive benefits that we've discussed.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But watch what you add to your coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Too much sugar can have negative health impacts.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So maybe avoid all of that extra syrup that you're putting into your espresso drinks at your Starbucks.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, there's another study that I mentioned with the weight management that actually runs a little contrarian to this.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is that your DNA could affect your results.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And they found that there are genetic markers that make you more likely to drink coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So for those of you who are listening, who love coffee, absolutely, it's probably genetic.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But there is also a contradiction with that study about reduced weight.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This study actually said that those who had the coffee drinking genes had a greater odds of obesity.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I think the science isn't quite fully wrapped up.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I think we have to look at both ends of the equation and sort of see what makes sense to you.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So look, there's several studies that have shown positive indications.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It is absolutely critical, though, for you to speak with your own health professional to see whether it's right for you.

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<v SPEAKER_1>As I said earlier, I am not a doctor, so I can't speak for you in terms of what's gonna be right for your particular situation.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But I do think it's interesting that maybe the reason you love coffee as much as you do is perhaps that you're genetically predisposed to it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Apparently, I am in that group, so I say keep calm and drink coffee.