seven health facts about coffee

when you’re considering your morning coffee, here are some health facts to keep in mind:

1. coffee reduces your risk of diabetes (糖尿病)

in a 2005 review of nine studies, researchers found that for those that drank four to six cups of coffee per day, versus only two or fewer, their risk for type 2 diabetes decreased by almost 30 percent. the number decreased by 35 percent when people drank more than six cups per day. and if you’re picturing yourself running around the office with your eyes bugging out of your head, no worries because caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees provided much the same results.

2. coffee fights free radicals (自由基)

we often forget that coffee is actually a plant and like all plant foods, the coffee bean contains more than 1,000 naturally occurring substances called phytochemicals, which may help prevent disease. many of these phytochemicals are antioxidants which protect the cells from damage from free radicals.

3. coffee improves memory and cognition

researchers reported that volunteers who drank caffeinated coffee in the morning performed better than nondrinkers on tests that involved learning new information. coffee can also improve cognitive function as we age. one study found that combining coffee with a sweet treat had an even bigger impact.

4. coffee can increase osteoporosis (骨质疏松)

it’s true that coffee can cause the body to excrete calcium in urine. we don’t want the body to rid itself of calcium because this can lead to osteoporosis. according to

the diet channel

, about five milligrams of calcium is lost per every six ounces of coffee consumed. but these calcium losses can be counter balanced with two tablespoons of milk or yogurt per cup of coffee.

5. coffee causes wrinkles

even though coffee has antioxidants, if you drink too much of it, it can cause wrinkling of the skin. this is a result of dehydration (脱水) which is the worst thing for your skin. so when you’re drinking that morning cup or two, make sure that you’re pairing it with water. even better, add one tablespoon of chia seeds to your water and let them sit for 30 minutes. the chia seeds keep you even more hydrated than regular water.

6. coffee can actually cause weight gain

the blood sugar changes that a caffeine high produces can contribute enormously to a strong desire for it, according to

ivillage

. coffee is also socially connected to food. for example, we pair coffee with dessert or that morning powdered doughnut. additionally, when we crash from our caffeine high that’s when we reach for all sorts of fatty snacks to keep us going.

7. conventional coffee is laden with pesticides (杀虫剂)

the coffee plant is one of the most heavily sprayed crops. it’s coated with chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, nothing you’d want to be swallowing. if you do drink coffee, make sure that it’s the organic variety, free from assorted chemicals that leech into our ground water and can make us sick down the road.

if you switch to decaffeinated coffee, make sure the caffeine (***) is removed in a natural way without the use of chemicals to do it. often times, conventional decaffeinated coffee has more chemicals than regular.

小题1: if you want to decrease the risk of diabetes by 35%, you need to take at least _____ cups of coffee every day.

a．seven

b．six

c．five

d．four

小题2:if you are a heavy drinker of coffee, a far better way to avoid wrinkling of your skin is to drink water _____.

a．less than usual

b．regularly

c．with sugar

d．with chia seeds

小题3: which of the following statements is wrong?

a．adding two spoons of milk to a cup of coffee can prevent calcium losses.

b．decaffeinated coffee has different effects from caffeinated coffee as to diabetes.

c．many phytochemicals protect the cells from damage from free radicals.

d．the organic variety of coffee plant is free from assorted chemicals.

小题4: the author has a/an _____ attitude towards drinking of coffee.

a．positive

b．negative

c．objective

d．imaginative