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News: Spilling The Beans
Lifestyle
24 April 2007
Drinking coffee before you go to the gym can increase stamina and help keep you hydrated, but it also has additional benefits for well-being, one of which is that it is a major source of antioxidants.
What are 'antioxidants' and why do we need
them?
Our bodies are very good at fighting diseases on their own, but
they need extra help to maintain the immune system.
We can do this by making sure we eat a healthy varied diet with lots of fruit, veg and wholegrains which all contain antioxidants.
Antioxidants act as a defence against damage that 'oxidants', also known as free radicals, can cause us. These reactive oxidants are produced in the human body in consequence of normal metabolic processes and can react to our body tissues and damage them. They are believed to contribute to various diseases such as cancers or cardiovascular problems.
Possible sources of oxidants are believed to be exercise, cigarette smoke, air pollutants, radiation and tissue inflammation.
Antioxidants provide protection against damaging free radicals and can prevent or postpone the onset of degenerative ageing diseases. The most widely known are vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A. In addition, other helpful antioxidant substances like flavonoids and more generally polyphenols are found in coffee, soya beans, green and black tea, red wine, rosemary, sage and other spices, citrus & other fruits, onions and olives.
Coffee as a source of antioxidants Coffee contains several beneficial antioxidants and has been shown to have a significantly greater total antioxidant activity than many other drinks such as cocoa, black, green and herbal tea, also well-known for their antioxidant content.
This provides further evidence that drinking coffee in
moderation, 4-5 cups per day, is perfectly safe for the general
population and may confer health benefits.
For more information call 01608 644995 or visit
www.britishcoffeeassociation.org
Did you know.
- It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso
- A cup of black coffee contains virtually no calories
- In the UK, we drink approximately 70 million cups of coffee per day
- 85% of coffee drinkers in the UK take milk in their coffee and 57% add sugar
- Coffee was first known in Europe as Arabian Wine
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