LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

polyphenols in coffee

IS COFFEE BAD FOR ME?

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BUT COFFEE IS BAD FOR ME RIGHT?  That’s been the prevailing attitude for many decades, but, given that coffee is very high in polyphenols (like tea, dark chocolate, red wine) and has virtually no calories, this is very consistent with good health.  I think that the association has always been with other behaviors associated with coffee drinking in the past such as having JUST coffee for breakfast and loading it up with sugar and creamer.

This study confirms multiple health benefits of coffee on cholesterol and markers of inflammation.  Just remember, NO sugar and NO creamer and definitely NO artificial sweeteners.  Try adding honey and soy milk instead.  We have an espresso machine at the office and we make mochas with cinnamon, chocolate soy/rice/almond/hemp milk and organic cocoa.  Probably 80 calories and loaded with phytonutrition.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO DRINK COFFEE?

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WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO DRINK COFFEE?  To add more specifics to my last post, this study had some interesting information to offer.  In a very large study of almost 70,000 women, those who drank >1.1 cups / day had a 44% lower risk of developing diabetes.  That’s pretty strong evidence.

More importantly, this protectiveness was ONLY found when the coffee was taken with meals.  While this may seem strange at first glance, I may have some insight.  It is likely that the polyphenols in coffee are actually helping the body utilizes the insulin that is released during a meal.  While there are some strong effects of caffeine on our body’s use of glucose, the protective effect was seen in this study on both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.  This further supports the recommendation to eat breakfast (high fiber or protein based–NOT oatmeal or Cheerios!) with your morning coffee.