Before you sit down for your daily cup of coffee, take a look at this article recently posted onYahoo!Health concerning the immediate effects that coffee has on your body.
Have an upcoming eye doctor’s appointment or exam for school? Then drink away! Mental and visual acuity are both sharpened within 30 minutes of drinking coffee, helping you actually see better and concentrate easier.
Suffering from high blood pressure or elevated heart rate? Switching to decaf or forgoing the java altogether may be in your hearts best interest. The caffeine in a six ounce cup of coffee can increase your blood pressure and heart rate upwards of 10-20%.
Doctor says you need to lower your cholesterol levels? Sorry coffee purists, but you may want to skip the French Press. Coffee beans contain oils that have been shown to increase LDL cholesterol levels (the bad kind). Normally in filtered coffee these oils are extracted, but in other methods such as French Press, the oils are retained, increasing your blood cholesterol levels.
As with everything—moderation is key—if you stick to 1-2 cups of coffee a day and stay adequately hydrated by drinking the recommended amount of water you should be fine. Two key points to remember are:
- Coffee is not always the villain: with a lot of these health changes, it’s the caffeine component that causes your body’s response. Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, be on the look-out for drinks high in caffeine (teas, soda, etc).
- DRINK WATER. We cannot stress this enough, health equals hydration.
Stay healthy,
Cole Racich, PT, DPT, OCS