Anywhere you work you will hear it; I am going to go get a cup of coffee. Sometimes people have a huge thermos of it. Take a walk down an urban side walk, what do you see, I would say probably one coffee shop for every 100 people. The coffee craze in America is out of control. Everyday there is a new Star Bucks or local chain popping up. This has me wondering what are the benefits to drinking coffee rather than caffeine which we all know is the main reason we all drink it.
A study releases from the University of Scranton states that coffee is the number one source of antioxidants, which protect your body from diseases. Each year Americans shell out roughly 2 billion dollars in supplements containing antioxidants. They do exactly what the name implies, the battle normal everyday effects of the physiological process of oxidation in animal tissue. They are also believes to play a role in preventing cancer, heart disease, strokes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and cataracts.
“Oxidation” occurs when the amount of free radicals is more than the protective capability of the antioxidant defense. What is a free radical, it’s not a hippie, but a chemically active atom that have a charge due to an excess or deficiency in electrons. Examples of free radicals are the superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, transition metals such as iron and copper, nitric acid, and ozone. Free radicals containing oxygen, known as reactive oxygen species (ROS), are the most biologically significant free radicals. ROS include the radical’s superoxide and hydroxyl radical, plus derivatives of oxygen that do not contain unpaired electrons, such as hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, and hypochlorous acid.
So we have all these active atoms racing around our body, what makes them harmful. Imagine yourself in the morning but you can only find one sock. What is one to do? So you find another sock of a different kind and make a pair out of it. What did you do, you ruined the other pair of socks by stealing one of its parts. I know a cheesy example but it may help. Basically when these atoms are floating around your body they are scavenging, looking to steal an electron or donate its free one to create a whole cell. When this happens it damages cells, proteins, and DNA. The same oxidative process also causes oils to become rancid, peeled apples to turn brown, and iron to rust.
Antioxidants block the process of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals. In doing so, the antioxidants themselves become oxidized. That is why there is a constant need to replenish our antioxidant resources.
How they work can be classified in one of two ways:
Chain-breaking – When a free radical releases or steals an electron, a second radical is formed. This molecule then turns around and does the same thing to a third molecule, continuing to generate more unstable products. The process continues until termination occurs — either the radical is stabilized by a chain-breaking antioxidant such as beta-carotene and vitamins C and E, or it simply decays into a harmless product.
Preventive – Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase prevent oxidation by reducing the rate of chain initiation. That is, by scavenging initiating radicals, such antioxidants can thwart an oxidation chain from ever setting in motion. They can also prevent oxidation by stabilizing transition metal radicals such as copper and iron.
So an antioxidant is in store for you right? The effective of an antioxidant has a lot of factors included in it. These include what free radical is involved, how and where it is generated, and what the damage is. While some antioxidants may work for me, there is no guarantee they will work for you. In some certain instances they can work as a pro-oxidant which generate toxic oxygen species.
Antioxidants from our diet appear to be of great importance in controlling damage by free radicals. Each nutrient is unique in terms of its structure and antioxidant function.
Vitamin E is actually a generic term that refers to all entities (eight found so far) that exhibit biological activity of the isomer tocopherol (an isomer is one of two or more molecules that have the same chemical formula but different atomic arrangements). Alpha-tocopherol, the most widely available isomer, has the highest biopotency, or strongest effect in the body. Because it is fat-soluble (and can only dissolve in fats <http://www.howstuffworks.com/fat-cell.htm> ), alpha-tocopherol is in a unique position to safeguard cell membranes — largely composed of fatty acids — from damage by free radicals. Alpha-tocopherol also protects the fats in low-density lipoproteins (LDLs, or the “bad” cholesterol) from oxidation.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. As such, it scavenges free radicals that are in an aqueous (watery) environment, such as inside your cells. Vitamin C works synergistically with vitamin E to quench free radicals. Vitamin C also regenerates the reduced (stable) form of vitamin E.
Beta-carotene, also a water-soluble vitamin, is the most widely studied of the 600 carotenoids identified to date. It is thought to be the best quencher of singlet oxygen (an energized but uncharged form of oxygen that is toxic to cells). Beta-carotene is also especially excellent at scavenging free radicals in low oxygen concentration.
Selenium is a trace element. It is a mineral that we need to consume in only very small quantities, but without which we could not survive. It forms the active site of several antioxidant enzymes including glutathione peroxidase.
Similar to selenium, the minerals manganese and zinc are trace elements that form an essential part of various antioxidant enzymes.
In theory a cup of coffee a day may keep the doctor away. Doctors recommend drinking one cup of coffee a day. If you drink more than one cup a day, doctors suggest spreading your coffee drinking throughout the day, especially if you don’t drink decaf. All the caffeine in coffee can raise your blood pressure, putting undue stress on the heart. Decaf contains the same amount of antioxidants as regular coffee.
Also bear in mind, this article has been talking about black coffee, if you run to your local star bucks and buy yourself a double ventie 3 shot espresso, more sugar then any person needs macchiato you are kind of defeating the purpose are you not? Look at the nutrition facts on these drinks, on an average they have 40-70 grams of carbs per drink, usually 95% of which are sugar.
Want more benefits of coffee, well ring the bell and step on up. We have one more benefit to list. Ever need that extra kick before a work out? First off obviously the caffeine wouldn’t hurt but the Australian Institute of Sport Team found out that caffeine triggers muscles to use stored fat as energy rather than carbohydrate sugars. This is a great way to get that extra energy out of your body’s reserves before that big meet. But watch out if you are an Olympic competitor as caffeine is a banned substance. A single cup of coffee may be enough to trigger these beneficial effects. There are more findings that caffeine is OK to take prior to training and that it is very beneficial and could be considered an ergogenic aid in training.
Who would have known such a simple drink, usually free at work, could be one of the best things to put into your body. So go grab a cup sit back and enjoy the refreshing goodness of coffee, just make sure it isn’t frozen with whip cream on top.
Good luck and Happy Training
Brandon Braner
http://www.ironbarfitness.com
Loading ...