I’m talking about coffee. Coffee is amazing, especially if you like an alcoholic drink.

 

Coffee has been shown in numerous clinical trials to improve exercise performance, cognitive function, metabolism and fat burning in addition to reducing the risks of developing type II diabetes, depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cardiovascular diseases and even some types of cancers.  Furthermore coffee has a variety of antioxidants and essential nutrients.

In addition to the vast array of benefits gained from coffee consumption it may also protect your liver. This is good news if you are partial to an alcoholic beverage, especially the ones on the weekend where you drastically surpass moderate consumption.

We have all been told that excessive alcohol consumption is bad, especially for the liver. Therefore I do not encourage this behaviour especially if exercise and health is your priority. That being said, coffee may have some protective properties when it comes to alcohol consumption.

A mass of evidence is emerging showing that coffee lowers the risk of developing liver cirrhosis. Regular coffee drinkers have been found to have up to an 84% risk reduction. Those drinking 4 or more cups per day have been found to have the lowest risk. Some studies have even suggested that coffee may offset the damage caused by alcohol consumption.

That being said coffee has the potential to become unhealthy when excessive amounts of sugar, milk and other additives are used in the preparation process. This can produce a calorie dense beverage which may lead to weight gain. In addition coffee consumption near to bed time may interfere with your sleep pattern consequently having adverse effects on your body weight, appetite, energy levels, cognitive function and emotion wellbeing. Therefore please follow the suggestions below to gain the health related benefits and avoid any negative side effects.

Suggestions:

  1. Drink coffee black or with a dash of milk
  2. Drink espressos
  3. Avoid sugary or milk based coffees.
  4. Switch to decaffeinated coffee late in the evening