If you thought your morning cuppa was only good for that energy kick and stopped there, you may be surprised to learn otherwise. According to recent studies, which focused on the cells of coffee and non-coffee drinkers, coffee could very well be the antidote to aging. So, how exactly can coffee combat aging? Because it contains both caffeine and antioxidants, packing a heavy one-two punch. Antioxidants help your body repair damaged cells caused by free radicals (which are a byproduct of the daily functions of cells, the food we eat and our environment).
And research has shown that caffeine helps protect the body from age-related inflammation, which fuels many major diseases such as various cancers, dementia, of Parkinson’s and even depression. “The more caffeine people consumed, the more protected they were against a chronic state of inflammation,” says study author & consulting associate professor at the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection at Stanford University, David Furman. As we age, our body loses the ability to regulate inflammation and caffeine shows to “turn off” the pathway to inflammation altogether.
A study presented at The American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in October of 2011 showed that women who drank three cups of coffee daily had 20% reduction in risk of developing basal cell carcinomas (a type of pre-cancer) than those who didn’t.
Pretty awesome, isn’t it?
Before you refill your mug again, please keep in mind that caffeine is a diuretic and you should adequately re-hydrate your body with water according to how much coffee you drink.