Next time you think that you should give up or cut back on coffee maybe have a think about this.
Coffee is a health food. Due the poor quality of nutrition in the average western diet, coffee has become the foundation for provision of antioxidants so sorely lacking. We each need close to 2000mg of polyphenols or flavinoids to maintain cellular function, mitochondrial repair, or microbiome support.
Coffee does a darn fine job in providing the base for this need. Each cup of brewed coffee provides 400-450mg polyphenols. Before you get too snobby about freeze dried instant coffee, it comes in at 300-350mg. So bang for buck is still a winner. Thus having 2-3 cups per day will get you half way to providing your necessary intake of polyphenols. Now you only need to eat 7 more servings of brightly coloured or green veges
But there is a proviso with this. These polyphenols are only accessible if you take the coffee without caseinates (found in milk). The casein binds with them and locks them away. Maybe you should consider the long black, or the weird as it may sound, black coffee with butter, ghee or coconut milk or coconut oil.
So what about the coffee makes it so special?
According to Prof Mark Smith of Case Western university, it helps to modify Alzheimer's disease. In his paper “Therapeutic opportunities for caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders” in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, he states “the consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine was inversely associated with the cognitive decline associated with aging as well as the incidence of Alzheimer's disease....
Caffeine seems particularly effective to normalize rather than bolstering memory performance and is a candidate disease modifying agent for Alzheimer's Disease, based on its neuroprotective profile and its ability to reduce amyloid beta production.” In his eyes, moderate consumption was 5 cups per day.
So, do the Java Jive to reduce your chances of joining the 'Walkers', and do your bit to reduce the horrendous cost Alzheimer's Disease is going to have on your Children and Grandchildren's future.