Living Well Angelica never expected to spend her Saturday night moonlighting as a crime fighter.
She was working her shift at the drive-thru of a Dunkin' in West Haven, Connecticut, when the man rolled up in a white Ford Explorer to pay for his coffee... and asked her to break a $100.
And when Angelica refused, the customer told her he was going to rob her.
He managed to get an arm past the sliding drive-thru window. But somehow, she fought him off, throwing a pot of hot coffee on him. And as he retreated, she yelled at him, "Go run on Dunkin'" (a play on the company's "America runs on Dunkin'" slogan).
Not only can hot coffee stop a would-be robber, but it also can foil a mass murderer – one that kills an American every 34 seconds...
For more than a century, cardiovascular disease (or "CVD," such as heart disease and stroke) has reigned as the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S.
But we now know that we have a powerful ally to ward off this deadly villain. And it's one of my top favorite beverages: coffee.
It doesn't have to be a fancy barista-made concoction, either...
Even your humble cup of gas-station joe can deliver heart-healthy benefits. And that's according to a European Journal of Preventive Cardiology study published two years ago.
Researchers relied on U.K. Biobank data spanning roughly 15.5 years on 449,563 folks aged between 40 and 69 years.
Specifically, the team looked at the type and amount of coffee participants guzzled. The different types of coffee included ground, decaffeinated, and instant varieties, while consumption ranged from zero cups to more than five cups daily.
And, good news: It didn't matter if they stirred in a spoonful of freeze-dried granules.
Drinking any of the three types was linked to a lower CVD risk compared with the coffee abstainers.
What's more, coffee lovers enjoyed a longer lifespan, with a lower risk of dying early from any cause by...
• 27% for ground-coffee drinkers,
• 14% for decaf drinkers,
• And 11% for those who preferred instant.
As for how much to drink for the biggest risk reduction in all-cause mortality and CVD mortality, researchers found the magic number was 2 to 3 cups of any kind of java per day. Plotting the data showed a U-shaped curve where drinking less or more than that was associated with less risk reduction.
Interestingly, the team noted that 1 to 5 cups and 2 to 3 cups of ground and instant coffee, respectively, were linked to the lowest risks for suffering from irregular heartbeat.
The magic comes from polyphenols, or naturally occurring chemicals in plants. These powerful compounds act as antioxidants to neutralize free radicals. (Too many free radicals left unchecked can result in oxidative stress and inflammation – the No. 1 driver of CVD and many other diseases that plague us as we grow older.) Coffee polyphenols can also improve blood-sugar control and even the balance between the various microbes living in your gut.
As for getting the most antioxidants out of my daily brew, I recommend no creamer or sugar.
Sugar promotes inflammation – it's a no-brainer. One study has shown that adding dairy decreases antioxidant absorption, while another study has suggested that the milk proteins binding to polyphenols can boost the antioxidant activity. Me, I prefer black coffee and getting my protein in my meals. Heat helps squeeze more antioxidants out of those beans. If you tend to have acid-reflux problems, cold brew has less acid than hot coffee.
Finally, if you're worried about staining those pearly whites, have a sidecar of water with your coffee. My colleague and franchise manager Laura swears by swishing with water after having any acidic food or beverage unless you're about to brush your teeth.
Alongside coffee, I have another favorite plant-powered beverage...
I love wine for its taste, not to mention its health benefits. Now, plenty of folks might be rattled by recent warnings to avoid even the tiniest sip of alcohol. As to why I'm not giving up my daily glass of vino, you should check out last week's issue of Retirement Millionaire if you haven't done so already. (Not a subscriber? Try out my flagship newsletter here.)
What We're Reading...
- Something different: Why it's perfectly normal to see baby puffins thrown off cliffs in Iceland each year.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
September 17, 2024