Posted on August 03, 2013 by Jenny Cromack

Coffee can have some amazing health benefits; it is both rich in antioxidants and caffeine which can enhance the body’s use of fat for fuel. Here are some of those benefits:

1. Association studies have discovered that there is a direct correlation between the volumes of coffee drank and a lower the risk of death by all causes.
2. Coffee improves vascular health and lowers the risk of heart disease; although coffee raises blood pressure acutely there has been no research to show a long term negative effect on blood pressure.
3. Coffee is packed with chlorogenic acid, which has been shown to lower the risk of cancer
4. It can raise metabolism, studies utilizing coffee have shown upto 4% decreases in body fat over 6 weeks.
5. Coffee can increase resistance or interval training performance, when consumed before.
6. Coffee has been shown to improve concentration and reaction

However, drinking coffee requires adhering to some specific guidelines:

• You must avoid adding sugar to your coffee, consuming any carbohydrate with coffee will completely negate the stimulatory effects of caffeine.
• Coffee shouldn’t be consumed after 3pm as this can effect sleep quality
• It shouldn’t be used as a substitute for food, for training drink 1 cup 60-90 minutes before.
• Use organic beans, un-organic beans are one of the most chemically sprayed food sources in the world.
• Don’t add milk or consume with any carbohydrate source, this will result in a weight gain effect.