Caffeine and Coffee: The Good Side

Caffeine and Coffee: The Good Side
After many years of being a much maligned drink, coffee,
and the caffeine in it, is being seen in its true light.
Many agencies are seeing the good side of caffeine and
coffee. This lively brew has recently been re-examined by
the likes of the United States Food and Drub
Administration(FDA), the American Cancer Society, the
American Medical Administration, and the Framingham Heart
Study, just to name a few. All of these agencies have
given caffeine a clean bill of health while showing the
good side of caffeine and coffee. I would suggest you use
only organic blends. Coffee in one of the most pesticide
ladened crops in the world.

According to the results of the recent research endorsed by
these organizations, moderate intake of caffeine does not
increase your risk for several diseases. Moderate intake
is considered to be 3 to 6 cups or 350mg of caffeine per
day. Caffeine was once thought to contribute to certain
types of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, bone
loss, and complications during pregnancy. In fact the
opposite is true in many instances. The good side of
caffeine is that it can increase physical performance,
endurance, and may protect against heart disease. Any
increase in blood pressure is short lived. It is usually
the same, or less than, what is seen if you climb a single
flight of stairs. Another good side of caffeine and
coffee is that they can be performance and endurance
enhancers. Recent research performed at the University or
Guelph, in Canada, has proven that caffeine works. The
battery of tests proved that ingesting 330 mg (5mg per kg
of body weight) one half of an hour to an hour before your
workout will result in an increase in endurance, faster
times, less fatigue, and a more rapid recovery. On average
this increase was 30% in each category. You have to be
careful though. Very high doses, 600 mg or more, cause the
effects to diminish. Also, since caffeine is a powerful
diuretic, the high doses can lead to dehydration. Because
of the dehydration potential, you should never take
caffeine or drink coffee while you are working out.

The good side of caffeine and coffee is further
demonstrated by its qualities as a fat burner. While it
should not be the only component of a weight loss regimen,
caffeine has several beneficial aspects in fat loss. First
of all, caffeine increases your metabolism. Caffeine
breaks down fat cells into fatty acids. If you are working
out, your body will break down these freed fatty acids and
burn them immediately. As the fat is being burned, the
sugars in your blood are being held in reserve. That way
your blood sugar level will not drop as drastically while
you work out.

The many good sides of caffeine and coffee have been
brought to light by recent research. Nearly all of the old
myths have been blown out of the water. A moderate intake
of 3 to 6 cups, or 350 mg, per day has many benefits that
are of interest to people who want to stay in shape. By
increasing your endurance you can get more reps in each
time you work out. The release of fatty acids will help to
change your overall body mass index, and keep your blood
sugar level in the proper range longer. The good side of
caffeine or coffee is the increased metabolic rate that you
will experience. An increased metabolism normally
translates into a more fit you.

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David Grisaffi is a Sports Conditioning Coach and holds
multiple certifications including three from the
prestigious CHEK Institute: Level II Corrective Holistic
Exercise Kinesiologist, Golf Biomechanic, and Nutrition and
Lifestyle Coach. Plus he is also the author of the popular
selling e book, "Firm and Flatten Your Abs," which teaches
you how to develop a ripped abdominal region. Visit his
blog at http://www.flattenyourabs.net/blog