Health Aspects of Organic Coffee
Coffee is great waker-upper and the health aspects of organic coffee simply add to the benefit of a steaming hot cup in the morning or any time throughout the day. The general health aspects of organic coffee are twofold. First of all, healthy organic coffee is free of the many contaminants that are unfortunately found in regular coffee. Secondly, organic coffee contains antioxidants, chemicals with a wide variety of positive effects on the human body. These two health aspects of organic coffee combine with the fact that organic coffee is healthy for the environment as well. The sustainable growing practices used to produce shade grown organic coffee provide small growers with a better income than if they had grown regular coffee and serve to protect the watershed and water table as well. The drinker of organic coffee has the satisfaction of knowing that as he consumes a cup of organic coffee that he is helping individuals, often half way around the world, live a healthier and more prosperous life. In the meantime just what are the exact health aspects of organic coffee?
With the use of high yield growing techniques, growers plant coffee in full sun. They use synthetic fertilizers and crowd the plants to increase production. Crowding leads to an increase in plant diseases and insect pests. Herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides used to protect the coffee plant end up in the coffee bean itself. Reliable estimates are that there can be as many as 150 unwelcome contaminants in the regular coffee that you purchase at the grocery store. Safe organic coffee, on the other hand, is typically grown in the shade and spaced among a natural plant cover. By avoiding a closely bunched monoculture of coffee plants, organic coffee growers reduce the need to fight plant diseases and pests. Organic growers use natural fertilizers and protect not only the soil from erosion but the subsoil from artificial contaminants. When plant diseases or pests arise they are treated with natural remedies preserving the health aspects of organic coffee.
Antioxidants are responsible for the positive health aspects of organic coffee. Antioxidants in organic coffee are naturally occurring chemicals that impede the breakdown or oxidation of other chemicals. By impeding oxidation in various chemical and enzyme systems of the human body organic coffee antioxidants produce a number of positive health effects. For example, a naturally occurring antioxidant, trigonelline is found in coffee beans. When good organic coffee is roasted this chemical breaks down forming another useful antioxidant, methylpyridium. Recent scientific research shows us that methylpyridium increases the activity of phase II enzymes in the human body and higher levels of phase II enzymes are protective against the development of colon cancer. Thus the health aspects of organic coffee include the fact that more organic coffee can lead to less colon cancer.
Other health aspects of organic coffee include the fact that antioxidants have the ability to protect nerve cells and even reduce the incidence of diabetes. Research tells us that coffee drinkers can have an up to fifty percent reduction in the incidence of Type II diabetes, a disease that affects 20 million Americans. Beside the fact that more organic coffee can lead to less diabetes organic coffee antioxidants have the ability to reduce the risk of prostate cancer and even tooth decay. There is evidence that antioxidants in black organic coffee can lessen the rate of cell damage that leads to aging as well. So, the next time you are enjoying a good cup of organic coffee remember the contaminants you are avoiding, the good you are doing to someone across the world, and the health aspects of organic coffee provided by its naturally occurring antioxidants.
Posted in General, organic coffee and health Tags: diabetes and organic coffee, Health Aspects of Organic Coffee, healthy organic coffee, organic coffee, organic coffee antioxidants
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