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.

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