Coffee has a whole host of health benefits. Why is that? There has been a lot of research into the health benefits of coffee and a major factor appears to be that coffee, especially Arabica coffee from places like Colombia, is rich in antioxidants. With that in mind we have given a bit of thought to coffee antioxidants and your health. The first thing to consider is oxidation and why too much of it can be a bad thing.
What Is Oxidation?
Oxidation has to do with oxygen reacting with other elements or chemicals and changing them. Within the human body oxidation creates what are called free radicals as a result of this process. The issue for one’s health is that free radicals cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can break down DNA, damage cells, and inflammation. These can, in turn, result in conditions like high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, diabetes, disorders related to obesity and even types of cancer.
What Are Antioxidants?
As one might expect, an antioxidant helps put the brakes on oxidative processes. Because the free radicals that can cause damage to cells and DNA are produced normally during natural metabolism, the presence of antioxidants is important. Vitamins A, C, and E have antioxidant properties as do beta-carotene and lycopene. But these are often not enough to do the job of protecting the body against free radicals. Here is where external sources of antioxidants come into play.
Coffee Is the Biggest Source of Antioxidants for Many People
Coffee has a lot of antioxidants, about 200mg to 550 mg per cup. This is comparable to red wine. However, blueberries, cranberries, artichokes, kidney and pinto beans, raspberries, strawberries, apples and green leafy vegetables all have higher antioxidant contents. So, why is coffee the biggest source of antioxidants for most people? It is because we drink so much coffee! Americans drink about 400 million cups of coffee a day. Consumption of things like cranberries and artichokes pales in comparison to coffee intake.
What Are the Antioxidants in Coffee?
Green coffee beans have antioxidants and others are produced during coffee roasting. Green coffee has significant amounts of chlorogenic, ferulic, caffeic, and n-coumarinic acids, all of which are strong antioxidants. During roasting there is a reaction between sugars and amino acids in the coffee beans. Melanoidins are produced a coffee is roasted while chlorogenic acid may be reduced, especially in a dark roast.
Health Benefits of Coffee
As noted on the Johns Hopkins University website, coffee has a whole bunch of health benefits. First of all, at any age, coffee drinkers are likely to live longer than folks who do not drink coffee. This is because drinking coffee cuts down the risks of diabetes, kidney disease, and coronary heart diseases. In regard to diabetes, coffee drinkers have a significantly lower risk of getting Type II diabetes, the more common form of the disease. Drinking coffee regularly is linked to lower risks of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, liver problems, colon cancer, stroke, and general damage to one’s DNA. Virtually all of these health benefits can be linked to the protective effects of antioxidants in coffee. As a rule, the more cups of coffee a day one drinks, the greater the benefit. However, this tops out at about six cups of coffee a day.