Can Coffee Help You Get in Shape?
By: National Coffee Association of U.S.A
National Coffee Association of U.S.A / December 2007

There are many reasons that coffee is America’s favorite beverage. In addition to tasting great, keeping you alert and boosting you mood, coffee can also help you shape up and stay fit.

For your body workout, a number of studies have shown how coffee can enhance physical performance. The research shows coffee may be especially useful for athletes engaged in sports like swimming, running or cycling.¹ Many studies prove coffee boosts energy and helps people do what they do. Coffee may increase stamina, reduce fatigue¹ and even lessen muscle pain.² For many people, experts say that a cup or two of coffee 30-60 minutes before a workout may do the trick.² Coffee’s pain relieving effect on sore muscles keeps working after you exercise as well. You also may be surprised to learn that coffee is just as hydrating for your body as water.³

For working out your mind, Coffee’s a good friend too, whether you’re reading, playing bridge, studying, or even doing a crossword puzzle. In fact, evidence shows that coffee enhances thinking performance, enabling test takers to score higher particularly when under stress.⁴

And you don’t have to be working out to reap the health benefits of coffee. Scientific studies have found that coffee lowers the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.⁵ Research shows that coffee drinkers who much less liver damage, even if they’re at higher risk due to cirrhosis, hepatitis or alcohol abuse – and that coffee also reduces the risk of liver cancer.^6,7 Other research tells us that coffee may help prevent Parkinson’s Disease.⁸ Studies also show that coffee helps protect the brain in other ways, too, such as preventing cognitive decline in older men and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.⁹

So enjoy the cup of joe, that iced coffee or that delicious, healthful coffee smoothie. Because with every sip you’re getting more antioxidants than you will form any other beverage – and many more health benefits besides!¹⁰

¹Effects of caffeine or prolonged intermittent – sprint ability in team-sport athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc: 2006.

²Effect of caffeine on leg muscle pain during cycling exercise among females. Med Sci Sports Exerc: 2006.

³Fluid, electrolyte, and renal indices of hydration during 11 days of controlled caffeine consumption. Int J Sport Nutr. 2005.

⁴Coffee consumption is inversely associated with cognitive decline in elderly European men: the FINE Study. Eur J Clin Nutr: 2007.

⁵Coffee, Caffeine, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A prospective cohort study. Diabetes Care: 2006.

⁶Coffee and cirrhosis: active ingredients? Arch Intern Med: 2006.

⁷Influence of Coffee Drinking on Subsequent Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Prospective Study in Japan. J Natl Cancer Inst: 2005.

⁸Smoking, Caffeine, and Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in Families With Parkinson Disease. Arch Neurol: 2007.

⁹Does caffeine intake protect from Alzheimer’s disease? Eur J Neurol: 2002.

¹⁰Coffee and cardiovascular disease: In vitro, cellular, animal, and human studies. Pharmacol Res: 2007.