Happy National Coffee Day!
For years my motto has been “Who needs sleep when you’ve got
coffee?” People warned me of the perils of caffeine. They told me my moods, my
heart and my outlook on life would suffer from drinking the wicked brew. Guess
what? Now doctors are saying that coffee is actually BENEFICIAL to our health!
So “nyah na nyah” to all the naysayers over the years; If you wait long enough,
some study will prove true what you’ve known all along!
Stanley
Segall, Ph.D., professor emeritus of nutrition and food sciences at Drexel
University in Philadelphia has revealed that caffeine provides “a number of
beneficial effects on a laundry list of conditions”. Caffeine can increase both
mental focus and alertness, and improve memory. It can cure a headache, and
even help guard against diseases that cause cognitive decline.
The
researchers have even found that a blast of caffeine can temporarily enhance
athletic performance, especially when it comes to stamina and endurance by
keeping muscle and heart rate-stimulating compounds active longer. Along with
all of this, a 2007 University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) study reported
that caffeine can also reduce muscle pain.
Of course
this doesn’t mean you can buzz through 2 or 3 pots on a daily basis. Stick with
a limit of 300 milligrams of caffeine per day. An 8-ounce serving of coffee
contains about 150 mg of caffeine, while the same size serving of tea has 40 to
120 mg. Cola has about 50 mg, and a 1 and 1/2-ounce serving of dark chocolate
has 31 mg.
So don’t feel guilty drinking that
first, second, or even third cup of coffee this morning.
After all, it’s
medicinal, right?
