How Drinking Coffee Could Improve Your Health

If you rely on coffee to get through the day, or just to get it started, you might be lacking sleep or something in your diet. Nobody, after all, is ever going to mistake coffee for health food.

But like wine, chocolate and popcorn, coffee has joined the ranks of unlikely foods with health benefits. An increasing body of research has found that drinking coffee—even four or more cups per day in some instances—provides health benefits. And a 13-year study of 402,260 AARP members conducted by the National Cancer Institute, which was published May 17 in the "New England Journal of Medicine," concluded that devoted coffee drinkers were associated with a reduced risk of early death by up to 16 percent.

“This is perhaps the most compelling because the study was so large,” says Robert Davis, at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and author of “Coffee is Good for You: From Vitamin C and Organic Foods to Low-Carb and Detox Diets, The Truth About Diet and Nutrition Claims.” He noted that the study was observational, so it doesn’t prove cause and it effect.

Though drinking coffee excessively can increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol and foster a dependence on caffeine, here are ten areas where coffee consumption just might be beneficial – if you limit the cream and sugar.

1. Gallstone Prevention
Harvard researchers in 2002 found that women who drank at least four cups of coffee a day were at a 25 percent lower risk of gallstones. An earlier study found similar results for men.

2. Depression Prevention
Women who drank two to three cups of daily coffee were 15 percent less likely to develop depression, and those drinking four cups were 20 percent less likely, according to a 2011 report in the "Archives of Internal Medicine."

3. Memory Improvement
Coffee can help with both long- and short-term memory. In a 2005 study presented at the Radiological Society of North America, researchers found that consuming two cups of caffeinated coffee improved short-term memory and reaction times.

Interestingly, a 2007 study found that women -- but not men -- who were 65 or older who drank more than three cups of coffee each day performed better on memory tests and were less likely to show memory decline than those who drank just one cup a day.

Although researchers have known for some time that coffee can decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of South Florida in 2011 found that a distinctive interaction between caffeine and coffee might be why. They recommend drinking four to five cups daily, starting in middle age, to increase GCSF, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, which is decreased in Alzheimer’s patients and improves memory in mice.

4. Less Risk for Diabetes
Studies suggest that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, with those putting away four or more cups daily 50 percent less likely. A January 2012 report in the 'Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry" might explain why. It attributes the effect to compounds in coffee that block hIAPP, a polypeptide that can result in abnormal protein fibers, which are found in people with Type 2.

5. Decreases Cancer Risk
Coffee consumption has been associated with decreased risk of breast, endometrial, prostate and liver cancers, and those linked with obesity, estrogen and insulin. A 2008 Swedish study found that drinking at least two to three cups a day reduced the risk or delayed the onset of breast cancer.

A 2011 study in "Breast Cancer Research" found that drinking five or more cups could translate into a 20 percent less chance of developing estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer. And, citing research on coffee’s effect on diabetes, researches also found that drinking more than four cups a day was linked with a 25 percent reduced risk for endometrial cancer.

But it’s not just the women who luck out. A recent study out of the Harvard School of Public Health found that both regular and decaf coffee resulted in reduced risk of prostate cancer.


6. Metabolism Boost
Coffee might help you maintain -- or even lose -- weight. A study as far back as 1980 found that the caffeine found in coffee stimulates the metabolism, but that only “normal,” rather than obese, subjects experienced greater oxidation of fat.

A 2006 study confirmed that the metabolism-boosting benefits of coffee were greater -- and lasted longer -- in lean women. More recently, researchers discovered that ground green coffee beans taken as a supplement seemed to promote weight loss -- an average of 17 pounds in obese adults during a 22-week period. Researchers didn’t think it was the caffeine; rather, they credited the chlorogenic acid, which might reduce glucose absorption.

7. Lower Risk for Parkinson’s Disease
The "Journal of the American Medical Association" in 2000 found that the caffeine intake associated with coffee translated into a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s. A 2010 study found that drinking two to three cups of coffee daily can mean up to a 25 percent less chance of developing the disease.

8. Antioxidative Properties
Harvard researcher Edward Giovannucci, in research published in "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention," noted that coffee has more antioxidants than most vegetables and fruits. In fact, a 2005 study found that coffee is the No. 1 source for antioxidants in the American diet. That’s a reflection of the volume of coffee consumed in this country, and how much is making it into the bloodstream is unclear.

9. Performance-Enhancing Benefits
Coffee -- and the caffeine in it -- has been shown in multiple studies to increase both endurance and short-term performance. A 2008 study concluded that the benefit of caffeine before exercise occurs during endurance events, stop-and-go events and long-term high-intensity activity. It also can help athletes perform better during strength training -- even when sleep-deprived -- if taken one hour before exercise at the rate of 4 mg for every kg of body weight.

10. Gout Prevention
A 2007 study of men older than 40 linked long-term coffee consumption with a lower risk of gout, an inflammatory condition caused by elevated levels of uric acid. Decaf and regular both had an effect, and those drinking six cups a day experienced as much as a 60 percent lower risk of gout.

Beet Juice For Weight Loss

Beets are usually roasted or boiled and eaten cooked, although you can shave them raw and add them to salads. Raw beets can also be made into a fresh juice using a juicer, extracting the nutrients from the root vegetable. This makes for an easy way to consume the health benefits of beets. A 1-cup serving of raw beets makes 1/2 cup of fresh beet juice. While you're better off eating beets than drinking beet juice, the juice can fit into a healthful weight-loss diet.

Naturally Sweet
As it is naturally sweet-tasting, substituting fresh beet juice for a sugary drink, such as soda, can help reduce your added sugar intake intake, which can help with weight loss over the long term. One-half cup of beet juice has just over 9 grams of sugar per serving, while a 12-ounce serving of cola has almost 40 grams of added sugar. The American Heart Association recommends having no more than 100 to 150 of your daily calories coming from added sugar. A diet high in added sugar can increase your risk of weight gain. Added sugars are considered empty calories, as they have no other nutritional benefit, whereas the natural sugars found in beet juice go hand in hand with essential minerals and vitamins.

Dietary Fiber Content
Juicers extract all the insoluble fiber from beets during the juicing process, but they preserve the soluble fiber, roughly half the the total dietary fiber content. This means that a 1/2-cup serving of beet juice has 1.9 grams of dietary fiber per serving. You can also mix in the extracted fiber with your fresh juice to get the full 3.8 grams of dietary fiber. If you do so, add 1/2 cup of water to thin out the texture. Dietary fiber increases bulk in your diet, helping you feel fuller with less food, leading to a lower calorie intake that helps with weight loss. A regular serving of beet juice will give you 5 percent to 7.6 percent of the recommended intake of dietary fiber, while beet juice with the added fiber will provide 10 percent to 15 percent.

Potential Benefits of Leucine
Leucine is an amino acid that is naturally present in beets. It may potentially help reduce body fat levels by increasing protein availability and lean muscle mass. In a study published in a 2006 issue of "Nutrition," scientists found that leucine supplementation in adult rats led to lower body fat percentages, although it did not lead to lower overall body weight. The researchers concluded that while long-term human study was still needed, leucine was possibly helpful in reducing overall body fat percentages, even at low supplementation levels. But it's not yet known if just consuming leucine through your diet has the same effects.

Higher Vegetable Intake
Vegetables are important for a healthy, balanced diet, which is needed for healthy weight loss. A 1/2-cup serving of regular beet juice counts as 1/2 cup of veggies, so it can help you meet the 2 to 3 cups of vegetables recommended per day by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Having a healthy, balanced diet that is rich in vegetables can help you reach your weight-loss goals, as the quantity and quality of food in your diet greatly affects your weight, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. A diet that includes your full vegetable recommendation is also key for maintaining lost weight so that your hard work is not wasted.

Should You Stretch Before or After a Workout?

Some coaches, trainers and textbooks recommend stretching before and after your workout because it can help your performance and reduce the risk of injuries. However, numerous research studies has shown that some types of stretching can enhance your workout while others do not improve or reduce your athletic capabilities. Exercise physiologist Len Kravitz recommends that you perform dynamic stretching before your workout and static stretching afterward.

Dynamic Vs. Static
Dynamic flexibility is often used as a warmup to stimulate your nervous system and muscles to be better prepared for the upcoming activity. It involves moving your muscles and joints repetitively within your range of motion. The movement is usually specific to the exercise or sport that you're going to play. For example, soccer players warm up by doing leg and hip swings in different directions, and boxers do a couple of standing torso and shoulder twists while working on their footwork and punches. Static stretching, which involves stretching a muscle for 20 to 30 seconds, decreases neural stimulation to the muscles and enhances relaxation. This type of stretching is usually non-sports specific, working on fixed muscle groups instead of movement like dynamic stretching. Therefore, static stretching should be performed after a workout.

Effects of Stretching
Dynamic stretching has been shown to improve athletic performance before training. A study performed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill showed that subjects who performed dynamic stretching had significantly improved their strength and power during the vertical jump test. The other two groups in which one group performed static stretching and the other group performed no stretching showed no positive or negative effects in the test. Static stretching can decrease athletes' sprinting ability. In a study performed at Middle Tennessee State University, soccer players who performed static stretching before a bout of 30-meter sprints resulted in slower performance than those who didn't perform static stretching. Researchers concluded that athletes who are in sports that require sprinting should avoid static stretching as part of their warmups.

Sample Stretches
Dynamic stretching emphasizes full-body movements that can be performed with just your body weight or with certain tools. These include clockwork lunges, yoga series such as Sun Salutation, martial art katas, medicine ball swings and chops and standing butt kicks. Simpler dynamic stretching can also include neck rolls, shoulder rolls and jumping jacks. Static stretching include all kinds of stretches that you may recall from your middle-school physical education classes, including the seated groin stretch, standing toe touch, standing thigh stretch and lateral neck stretch. Always maintain a steady breathing rhythm in all your stretches.

Warning
Stretching too quickly and too far -- and sometimes too eagerly -- can cause your muscle fibers to contract and shorten reflexively. This reaction is called a stretch reflex, which is your body's defense to avoid tearing of your own joints and muscles. This can cause the muscle to be less responsive to length change and more sensitive to pressure and touch.

Benefits of Fresh Ginger Carrot Juice

Fruits and vegetables should form the foundation of a healthful diet, but as many as seven in 10 Americans fall short of their daily fruit and veggie intake, reports the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. Drinking juice, such as ginger carrot juice, as part of a balanced diet helps you boost your fruit and vegetable intake. A serving of carrot ginger juice -- made from 3/4 cup of fresh carrot juice and 1/4 cup of fresh ginger juice -- contains 129 calories to fuel your healthful lifestyle. It offers numerous health benefits because of its nutrient content.

Healthy Immune Function
Carrot and ginger juice has a beneficial effect on your immune system thanks to its supply of vitamins A and C. Vitamin A helps the stem cells in your bone marrow develop into white blood cells -- the family of cells tasked with finding and destroying disease-causing pathogens. A cup of carrot ginger juice boasts 33,412 international units of vitamin A -- your entire daily recommended intake. Each cup of juice also provides you with 15 milligrams of vitamin C -- 20 percent of the recommended daily intake for women and 16 percent for men. Vitamin C also helps you produce white blood cells and protects these cells from damage.

Healthy Skin
Drink carrot ginger juice for healthy skin. The vitamin C found in the juice helps boost collagen production, a process needed for wound healing, as well as to keep your skin strong. It also serves as a source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that provides natural protection from the sun's harmful rays. Vitamin E regulates skin inflammation and can help reduce fluid buildup and swelling in your skin. A cup of carrot ginger juice provides you with 1.5 milligrams of vitamin E -- 10 percent of the recommended daily intake.

Cancer Protection
Ginger carrot juice offers all-natural cancer protection. It contributes to a diet rich in vitamin C, which is associated with a lower risk of several cancers, including breast and stomach cancers. The gingerols present in ginger juice also promote ovarian cancer cell death, according to a test tube study published in the "European Journal of Pharmacology" in 2012. An additional test tube study, published in "Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" in 2012, found that gingerols can also stunt colon cancer cell growth.

Cardiovascular Health
Several nutrients in carrot ginger juice also benefit your cardiovascular health. The gingerols in ginger juice interact with a protein called angiotensin II type 1 receptor, which helps regulate blood pressure, according to a study published in "Planta Medica" in 2013. As a result, the gingerol in your juice might help lower your blood pressure, which could in turn reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. The vitamin C in ginger carrot juice also contributes to these beneficial effects, helping to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

3-Day Body Cleanse

The three-day body cleanse is a method of cleansing the body utilizing a variety of herbs that occurs over a three-day period. Created by Dr. John Christopher, the cleanse is designed to rid the body of waste by cleaning skin pores, eliminating accumulated waste in the intestines and purging the lungs, kidneys and liver of excess toxins. The cleanse is the first step in a full-body detoxification process offering individuals better health and weight management, and offers a few basic and easy to perform steps.

Step 1
Drink approximately 16 ounces of unsweetened prune juice on the first morning of the cleanse. Be prepared to make several trips to the bathroom, although the prune juice will do more than just clean out your bowels. The prune juice is also meant to help draw excess toxins from other organs in the body, such as the liver, kidneys, lungs and stomach into the intestines for elimination.

After waiting approximately 30 minutes, drink an 8-ounce glass of pure, natural or undiluted apple juice. This apple juice should be thicker than what people normally think of as clear, coppery looking apple juice. Another 30 minutes later, you need to drink a glass of purified or distilled water, followed another 30 minutes later with another glass of apple juice.

If you do not care for apple juice, you may substitute several other types of juices in this cleanse, including carrot, citrus, tomato or grape juice. However, it is suggested that you stick to one specific type of juice to drink throughout the three-day cleanse.

Step 2
Drink the apple juice and water repetition throughout the day, every 30 minutes. At the end of the day, you will have consumed about a gallon each of apple juice and water. This cleanse is best done in the privacy of your home, where you can have access to the bathroom. The combination of prune juice, apple juice and water will place a temporary strain on the urinary tract and bowels as the cleansing continually works through the body.

Step 3
Repeat this process for three days, not eating any solid foods during this time. If you get really hungry, you can eat some raw vegetables like carrots or apples, or match the raw fruit to the type of juice you're drinking with the water-juice routine. If you have any medical conditions or take prescription drugs, discuss the cleanse with your doctor. Individuals may expect to become constipated, a condition caused by the breakdown of mucus that is generated from the release of toxins in the body as they make their way into the lower intestine or colon. You may drink an extra glass of prune juice to help alleviate any cramping or discomfort. The cleanse also works best if the individual takes between 1 and 2 tablespoons of olive oil three times a day to help soothe and lubricate the liver and liver bile ducts. On the fourth and subsequent days, gradually add raw vegetables and fruits to the diet to re-incorporate solid food.

Things You'll Need
Unsweetened prune juice

Egg Mask for Acne

Dealing with blemishes can be a bumpy ride. However, there are things you can do in conjunction with using acne-fighting cleansers and medications to help weather the pimply storm. Create an egg-white acne facial mask at home and apply it weekly to help banish your blemishes and soothe your irritated skin.

Why Egg Whites Help
Eggs are a good source of protein which, when applied to the skin, can diminish large pores. Because eggs are high in vitamin A, which is used to treat scars, egg whites may help smooth acne lesions. In addition, the protein in eggs serves as a mild astringent for oily skin and a firming agent to keep skin from sagging.

Making the Mask
After you separate the yolk from the egg white. Whisk the egg white into a creamy froth. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Whisk a bit more to combine. Lemon is a natural source of vitamin C and rich in alpha hydroxy acids, which can exfoliate dead skin cells and unclog pores. Apply the egg mask to your skin using either your fingertips or a soft-bristled pastry brush. Wait about 30 minutes for the egg white to dry.

Follow-Up Care
Rinse off the mask with warm water and pat your face dry with a clean towel. Apply a noncomedogenic, oil-free and perfume-free moisturizer to your face. It's important to moisturize afterward because the egg mask is drying. Moisturizing the skin returns necessary hydration to your skin so your body doesn't produce oil to compensate.

5 Fruits You Should Not Eat to Reduce Belly Fat

With more than 2 in 3 adults and one-third of all children in the United States qualifying as being overweight or obese, stubborn belly fat has become a major health concern that affects people of both genders and practically all age groups. Fructose has been blamed for contributing to this epidemic -- more than 10 percent of the average American’s daily calories come from fructose, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Fruit, a natural source of fructose, has been vilified by some in the process. While fruit is generally healthy, there are a few kinds of processed fruit you should limit or avoid when you’re trying to lose weight.

Fruit Packed in Syrup
Although the amount of fructose in a serving of fresh fruit is a fraction of what you’d get from a sugary beverage or a rich dessert, fresh fruit that’s been preserved in sugar is another story. Such fruit is typically kept in the center aisles of the grocery store, where you can typically find canned or bottled fruit cocktails, peaches, apricots, pineapple, mangoes, pears, cherries and mandarin oranges. While some of these fruits are packed in water, many are packed in light or heavy syrup or even sugary gelatin, which can greatly increase their sugar content. For example, you’ll get just under 13 grams of sugar from a cup of fresh peach slices, whereas a cup of peach slices preserved in heavy syrup provides almost 33 grams of sugar.

Fruit Juice
The fiber in whole fruit helps control the rate at which your body absorbs its natural sugars, which is part of what makes whole fruit a healthy choice, despite its fructose content. When fruit is stripped of its fiber, as it is when it’s juiced, not only does your body absorb its sugar faster, but there’s more sugar to absorb. It can take several pieces of fruit to make one glass of fruit juice, which is what makes juice a more concentrated source of sugar. So even though the U.S. Department of Agriculture counts a cup of 100-percent fruit juice as a serving of fruit, it’s not the best option when you’re trying to lose weight.

One cup of unsweetened grape juice has 150 calories and 36 grams of sugar, while a cup of seedless grapes has 100 calories and 23 grams of sugar.

Blended Fruit Drinks
Blended fruit drinks, or smoothies, are sometimes perceived as healthier than juice because they aren’t pressed and filtered; instead, they’re pulverized. While this does mean that many smoothies offer some amount of fiber, it’s less than what you would have gotten from the whole fruits that went into the beverage, and some of it is not of the same quality -- pulverizing insoluble fiber changes its structure and affects the way it behaves in your digestive tract, according to a 2012 review on dietary fiber published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology. Many commercially produced fruit smoothies pack a lot of fruit into a single serving, which means you’ll ingest a lot of calories and sugar when you drink them -- an 8-ounce serving of one commercially produced mango smoothie provides 150 calories, 30 grams of sugar and no dietary fiber.

Sweetened Dried Fruit
Dried fruit has something in common with fruit juice – it takes the calories and sugar of whole fruit and concentrates it. A big problem with dried fruit is that many varieties are processed with added sugars. Blueberries are a prime example – you’ll get about 130 calories and 27 grams of sugar from 1/4 cup of dried, sweetened blueberries, whereas a cup of fresh blueberries has just 80 calories and less than 15 grams of sugar. Although unsweetened dried fruit has a leg up on juice -- it retains most of its nutrients and fiber, which also become highly concentrated -- its compact package makes overindulgence more likely. If you can avoid sweetened dried fruit and keep yourself to a single serving of dried fruit -- which is about 1/4 cup, in most cases -- you’ll actually get about the same level of nutrients as you would from a single serving of the same fresh fruit.

Fruit-Based Snacks
The various processed fruit-based snacks aimed at children aren’t all that healthy and certainly won’t help your waistline. Even products that are all-natural, contain no added sugars and claim to count toward your fruit intake aren’t nearly as good for you as the real thing -- they’re typically made from concentrated fruit puree, which means they often contain little or no fiber. They also tend to contain fewer vitamins and minerals than their source fruits. Fruit-based snacks include fruit chews, fruit strips and fruit leathers. A large fruit leather has about 80 calories, more than 10 grams of sugar and no dietary fiber.

Fruit and Reducing Belly Fat
When it comes to weight loss and weight management, fresh fruit has a lot to offer -- it’s nutrient-dense, relatively low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. Its natural sweetness is a healthy alternative when you want to satisfy your cravings for baked goods and other sugary food products. Eating fruit probably isn’t what caused you to gain belly fat in the first place, and eliminating the high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that more likely did -- in addition to getting more active -- would help you reach your goals more readily than would avoiding most kinds of fruit.