Tip: Don't Drink the Wrong Kind of Coffee Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip Don t Drink the Wrong Kind of Coffee Coffee can prevent disease and extend life but only if you drink the right kind by TC Luoma September 28, 2017January 31, 2022 Tags Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Make Sure Your Coffee is Rich In CGA It's not often you find a vice that has redemptive qualities. I mean you'd have trouble finding people to defend unrestricted drinking, smoking, or porning it up, but coffee is unique in that regard. While it gives you a nice caffeine buzz, it's actually amazingly good for you, and the more you have (to a point), the better the health benefits. Try saying that about cigars, cigarettes, or shots of Jagermeister. Large study after large study shows that coffee drinkers just don't give up the ghost that easy. They have fewer diagnoses of diabetes, cancer, obesity, heart disease, stroke, depression, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. And in a recent 16-year study of coffee drinkers, those that drank more than three cups a day were less likely to die (12% for men and 7% for women) from any cause. Coffee presumably does this because it contains over 1000 biologically active compounds, but perhaps the most interesting among those active compounds is a polyphenol named chlorogenic acid, or CGA. While scads of plant chemicals are anti-inflammatory or anti-oxidative, CGA seems to be particularly adept in those areas. The trouble is, CGA content varies enormously among coffee varieties, roasts, and grinds. Drink 3 to 5 cups of high-CGA coffee every day. Here's how to make sure you're getting the right stuff, as determined by Bob Arnot, MD: The coffee beans with the highest CGA are grown at high altitudes and near the equator. Opt for Kenyan, Ethiopian, or Columbian. The commercial coffees with the highest CGA content that you can buy from the grocery store are Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend and McCafe Premium Roast Decaf, medium roast. Artisanal coffees, though, generally have 50% more CGA than those you can find at the grocery store. Caffeinated versions generally have about 25% more CGA than decaffeinated versions. Flavored blends don't usually have a high CGA content because they typically use low-quality, low CGA beans (the artificial flavor negates the need for good-tasting, high-CGA beans). Light and medium roast coffees preserve CGA, while dark roasts destroy them (along with generating undesirable byproducts like acrylamide, the carcinogen found in French fries and potato chips). Use fresh ground coffee beans when possible. Pre-ground versions usually lack flavor and are short on CGA. Very fine grinds are the most healthful, but also the most bitter. Medium grinds have an acceptable amount of CGA. Arnot B. Coffee: The Ultimate Health Drink. BottomLine Health. 2017 Oct;31(10):1-3. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Diet & Fat Loss Tip Drop the Cheat Meals Cheat meals have their place, but not if you're already too fat. It's time for a reality check. Read this... or just run to your safe space and stay fat. Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Chris Shugart April 19 Supplements Tip Curcumin – The Bioavailability Issue Some curcumin supplements work great. Others don't. Don't get ripped off. Here's what you need to know. Curcumin, Nutrition & Supplements, Super Health, Testosterone Optimization, Tips TC Luoma December 12 Eating The Best Diets are Boring Here s Why What do all the best diets for fat loss have in common besides calorie reduction? Well, they're kinda boring. Here's the surprising science. Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Calvin Huynh February 27 Supplements Lower Blood Pressure With This Tasty Food Can a simple food lower blood pressure and increase blood flow as well as prescription medicines? Yes, says researchers. Here's what to eat. C3G, Nutrition & Supplements, Super Health, Tips TC Luoma March 7