- We all love our coffee,
but some people actually prefer
to limit their caffeine intake,
that's where decaf coffee comes in.
But is it good or bad for you?
Decaf is a short term
for decaffeinated coffee.
Now it's the coffee from coffee beans
that have had at least 97 percent
of their caffeine removed,
so it still does contain
trace amounts of caffeine.
There are many safe
ways to remove caffeine
from raw coffee beans.
And most of them include
water, organic solvents
or carbon dioxide.
This process leaves the nutritional value
of decaf similar to regular coffee
apart from the caffeine
content, of course.
So there's no issues with the
caffeine removal process itself,
but how does the end product compare
to the health benefits of regular coffee?
Regular coffee is actually
the biggest source of
antioxidants in the western diet.
More than we get from fruits
and vegetables combined.
Now antioxidants are molecules
thought to help protect against
numerous lifestyle diseases
such as type two diabetes
and heart disease.
Decaf usually contains similar
amounts of antioxidants
to regular coffee,
although some studies have found
that levels can be up to 50 percent lower
due to losses in the
decaffeination process.
Despite this potential
small drop in antioxidants,
numerous studies have found
an association between
decaf coffee consumption
and health benefits.
Drinking coffee, both regular and decaf,
has been linked with reduced
risks of type two diabetes.
Each daily cup may reduce the risk by
up to seven percent.
The effects of decaf on liver function
are not as well studied as regular coffee,
but one large observational study
linked decaf with reduced
liver enzyme levels,
which suggests a protective effect.
Drinking decaf has also been linked with
a small, but significant,
reduction in the risk
of premature death
as well as death from stroke
or heart disease.
Both regular and decaf coffee
also seem to have positive effects
on age related mental decline
with human cells studies showing
decaf may protect neurons in the brain.
Now this could help prevent
the development of
neuro-degenerative diseases
like Alzheimers and Parkinsons.
Where regular coffee
has the edge over decaf
is all the health effects
associated with caffeine,
obviously.
So things like, improved mood,
improved energy, metabolic rate
and athletic performance.
But otherwise, decaf coffee is
definitely a great choice if
you are sensitive to caffeine
or you have a medical condition
that requires you limit your total
caffeine intake.
It's perfectly safe
and carries just about
all the health benefits
of regular coffee,
just without the caffeine side effects.
For much more information
about decaf coffee
and access to the studies
used in this video,
just follow the link in the description
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