benefits of coffee are quite well known, as are the harms passive lifestyle. But what if the first compensates for the second? This may seem like an exaggeration, but that is the conclusion of a study recently published by scientists from Soochow Universityin China.
In it they bought health data of more than 10,000 people from the USAwho were followed during 13 years. Interestingly, the harmful effects expected from undergoing more than 8 hours of sitting They were observed only in those who did not drink coffee daily. Those who did were shown to be protected even if they only drank a cup.
This goes far beyond the benefits of coffee. Considering that even exercise does not seem to compensate sufficiently risks of a sedentary lifestyle, coffee will have an unprecedented protective effect. Logically, this does not mean that we can spend the day sitting in front of the TV without doing any exercise and try to compensate for it with a cup of coffee. It’s helpful, not wonderful. But this means that if we have no choice but to spend long hours sitting due to work, this dark drink can help us offset the risk.
The benefits of coffee in the fight against a sedentary lifestyle
The list of beneficial properties of coffee discovered by science is getting longer and longer. It has been observed that this may help prevent cardiovascular diseases, metabolic conditions such as diabetes and some types of cancer.. It is also useful for strengthening the immune system and, of course, helps improve your mood.
A sedentary lifestyle is a big risk factor for many of the conditions mentioned above. Especially cardiovascular and metabolic. For this reason, Chinese scientists wanted to test whether there was a connection between the effects of a sedentary lifestyle and benefits of coffee.
Unexpected compensation
The study found that people who spend more than 8 hours a day sitting are at significantly higher risk than other people. die for any reason in the next 13 years, but mainly due to cardiovascular diseases. However, this was only found in non-coffee drinkers.
In contrast, participants who sat for 8 hours a day but drank at least one cup of coffee a day had a higher risk. 1.58 times lower death from all causes than those who spent the same hours sitting but without coffee. Moreover, the benefits of coffee in this aspect go even further, as these participants were also more protected than those who only completed 6 hours a day sitting, but they didn’t drink coffee. In short, coffee had a protective effect even among people who spent more time sitting.
Do you need caffeine?
This study was conducted with caffeinated coffee. In fact, many of the benefits of coffee come from this. stimulant. However, it should be noted that even without caffeine it is very rich antioxidants who care about the health of their consumers on many levels.
So if you don’t want to be too active, a cup of decaf coffee can help relieve some of it. risks of a sedentary lifestyle. Of course, it will be better if you take it with caffeine, but decaf is better than nothing. And, of course, the best thing to do would be to get out and exercise for a while after a day of sedentary work. It seems that combining coffee and exercise is key for those who spend a lot of time in a chair. Of course, neither one nor the other parameter is so difficult to achieve.
Source: Hiper Textual
