Did you know that drinking coffee can be good for you? Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee—no matter how it’s prepared—contains antioxidants called chlorogenic acids, as well as other compounds that have been shown to have beneficial effects on health.
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide. Besides being a rich source of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, coffee has been linked with many positive health benefits.
Regular consumption of coffee has been associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and several types of cancer.
Here we review what recent science says about these benefits and risks and explain why it’s never too late to drink more coffee for better health.
Coffee contains antioxidants!
They can even be recognized in the aromas of freshly brewed coffee! Antioxidants help keep your immune system in good shape and may lower your risks of heart disease and cancer. Up to 20 minutes after brewing, 300 phytochemicals and antioxidants are released into the human system and last up to one month.
“A diet rich in antioxidants is useful in protecting against heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and other aging-related disorders,” according to the Alliance for Aging Research, a non-profit senior citizen group in Washington, DC. The most well-known antioxidants are vitamin C and vitamin E.
Thousands of reports on their health benefits have been published worldwide. For example, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that protects our tissues and cells’ “aqueous” parts. In contrast, vitamin E is an oil-soluble vitamin that maintains our cells and tissues’ “lipid” portions, particularly cellular membranes.
Antioxidants produced during brewing are comparable to vitamins C and E in strength. According to University of California research, a cup of coffee has the same level of antioxidants as three oranges.
What’s an antioxidant?
The billions of cells in the human body face several threats, ranging from food deprivation to viral infection. Free radicals, a kind of chemical, are a constant threat. They can destroy cells and genetic material severely. The body creates free radicals as an inevitable consequence of turning food into energy. Cigarette smoke, air pollution, and sunlight all contribute to the production of free radicals.
Antioxidants comprise dozens, if not hundreds, of different compounds. The most well-known vitamins and minerals include vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, other related carotenoids, and manganese and selenium minerals.
Coenzyme Q10, glutathione, flavonoids, lipoic acid, polyphenols, phenols, phytoestrogens, and other antioxidants. Many are found in nature and are likely to survive degradation or provide natural protection from the elements.
How antioxidants work
A small fraction of the oxygen molecules we breathe is converted into unstable free radicals within our bodies. Oxidation is the term for this process. Free radical oxidation causes premature aging, degenerative sickness, cancer, and heart disease. Therefore, any oxidative damage to the body must be repaired by the body.
The body’s tissue cells must also be protected from free radicals before they can cause mutations. Antioxidants are substances that delay, inhibit, or prevent oxidation.
Do you want more scientific evidence to back up this claim?
In Science News tests, Scientists brewed a strong cup of tea or coffee or made hot chocolate by mixing cocoa powder into hot water. They next took blood from healthy people and filtered out the lipoprotein-containing plasma (LDL).
“A little portion of the beverage was incubated with a sample of these LDLs in each run.” After then, the combination was exposed to a known oxidant. LDLs treated with just the oxidant had less oxidation than those treated with a beverage.
- For 5.0 to 16.0 hours, coffee lowered LDL cholesterol levels.
- On the other hand, the lipoproteins were preserved for 3.5 to 7.5 hours by cocoa.
- Green tea should be consumed for 3 to 5.5 hours.
- Black tea for 0.5 to 4.5 hours
- Herbal tea for 6 to potentially an hour.
The stronger the defense, the more intense the brew or cocoa.
Because Richelle’s group was concerned that milk would bind to the antioxidant compounds in one or more of these drinks, they looked into whether adding dairy would reduce the antioxidant power of the drink.” The researchers used enough milk to make up 10% of the volume of the brews and a full 66 percent of the cocoa volume. They were astounded to see that none of the drinks differed in LDL prevention.
In both studies, caffeine-free decaf coffee gave the same LDL protection as normal coffee.
Antioxidant face-off: Coffee vs. Tea
Java isn’t your cup of tea. However, antioxidants can also be found in humanity’s second favorite morning beverage. Coffee has 200 to 550 milligrams of antioxidants per cup, but black tea has 150 to 440 milligrams per cup and is caffeine-free.
Tea, like coffee, contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants. On the other hand, tea includes theaflavins, thearubigins, and catechins, whereas coffee often contains flavonoids and chlorogenic acids.
Antioxidants are more abundant in white and green teas than in black tea. According to research, the temperature of the water and the length of the steeping period impact the number of antioxidants in tea.
Whether drinking tea or coffee, you’re indulging in some antioxidant-rich benefits.
The biggest dietary source of antioxidants
The average individual eats around 1–2 grams of antioxidants daily, mostly through coffee and other beverages.
Drinks contain much more antioxidants than food in the Western diet. Beverages contain 79% dietary antioxidants, whereas food contains just 21%.
This is because people drink more antioxidant-rich drinks than they eat.
In one study, researchers looked at the antioxidant content of numerous meals based on serving size. After a variety of berries, coffee was ranked 11th on the list.
However, because many people eat few berries but drink several cups of coffee daily, coffee’s overall antioxidant content much outweighs that of berries, although berries may have more antioxidants per serving.
In several studies, coffee was the single most potent antioxidant source, accounting for roughly 64 percent of people’s overall antioxidant consumption. These studies showed that the average coffee intake was 450–600 mL per day or 2–4 cups.
According to Norwegian, Finnish, Japan, Spain, Poland, and France research, coffee is also the most abundant dietary source of antioxidants. According to research, people get more antioxidants from beverages than from meals, and coffee is the single most significant dietary source of antioxidants.
Antioxidants boosters: Make your coffee even more nutritious
If you can stomach it, the healthiest alternative is to drink plain black coffee. On the other hand, adding sugar, cream, or milk does not make it unhealthy. Don’t go overboard with the chemicals if you need to lighten your coffee.
Try one of these fun additives to your coffee if you want to improve the vitamin or antioxidant content:
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Turmeric
- Cacao
- Maca
Conclusion
Coffee is not only a great way to start your day, but it’s also high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are important for your health because they help fight off free radicals, damaging cells and leading to diseases such as cancer. Coffee is a good source of antioxidants, one of the reasons coffee is considered a healthy drink.
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Disclosure: No compensation or free products were received in exchange for writing this review.
Editorial Staff
The editorial staff at Crazy Coffee Crave is a team of coffee enthusiasts & Baristas who enjoy the one thing we all think about as soon as we get up in the morning. Trusted by thousands of readers worldwide.
