6 Make-Ahead Meals That Are Ready When You Are
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: produce season! Literally everything is ripe for the picking, which means that this is the optimal time to up your fruit and vegetable game. This perfectly coincides with our tendency to crave lighter and more refreshing fare during warmer weather without spending...
From the Coffee Shop
Three Myths About Caffeine
Many people are wary about drinking coffee or other drinks because of their caffeine content and potential negative health effects. In several studies, caffeine has been shown to be harmless or actually improve health. Here are a few myths about caffeine: #1: Caffeine is addictive. Caffeine can cause a physical dependence but doesn’t affect physical or mental health the way addictive drugs do. If you stop drinking caffeine, you may have a few side effects like headache, fatigue, or irritability for a few days. #2: Caffeine causes insomnia. Most people’s sleeps at night are not...
Caffeinated Coffee Lowers Skin Cancer Risk
With summer in full swing, many of us are thinking about protecting our skin from the sun when we head outside. Some more recent good news for coffee drinkers is that the more we drink, the more we may be protecting ourselves against skin cancer. Cancer Research published a report that drinking more caffeinated coffee can lower the chances of developing basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common form of skin cancer. This was determined by more than 112,000 people over 20 years. It’s likely this protective benefit is linked to caffeine because tea, soda, and chocolate...
Coffee Prevents Heart Failure
Coffee may prevent heart failure, according to a study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation Heart Failure. Five studies conducted in Finland and Sweden found that people who drank a moderate amount of coffee (two 8-ounce cups per day) daily may have an 11% increase in protective benefits against heart failure. High blood pressure is usually considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease so many researchers assumed coffee could be harmful. However, previous studies have shown blood pressure is only raised for a short period after drinking coffee, and the long-term effects are actually beneficial! Read more...
Coffee Helps Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease
A study published June 5 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease shows that drinking three cups of coffee per day helps prevent Alzheimer’s Disease in older adults experiencing memory decline. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) happens in older people who show signs of early dementia but can still function in daily activities. Within a few years, this can progress into Alzheimer’s. It was found that participants who did develop Alzheimer’s had a 51% lower caffeine level in their blood compared to those whose remained stable. Researchers identified a “critical level” of caffeine needed for these protective benefits, which is...
Coffee Linked to Longer Life
Great news! A study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine found coffee drinkers are more likely to live longer than non- coffee drinkers. Men drinking 3 cups of coffee per day were 10% less likely to die than non-coffee drinkers, and women drinking that amount were 13% less likely to die. The study, conducted by The National Institute of Health and AARP, followed 400,000 men and women aged 50-71 between 1995 and 2008, and is the largest of its kind. A single cup of coffee daily was found to provide a slightly lower risk of death, while...
