Nov
Guest post by Ashley Lipman
The internet has changed the way we receive information. More importantly, it’s changed the way we receive misinformation.
Every time you scroll through the newsfeed, you see contradictory information. One of the hot topics right now is coffee fighting the signs of aging. While some sources say it’s a miracle cure for aging, others say it will cause you to age faster.
Let’s spill the coffee beans on how this wonderful beverage can help and hinder your anti-aging efforts.
What is Coffee?
For most people, coffee is the reason they get up in the morning. One of the main compounds found in coffee is caffeine, a stimulant that targets the central nervous system. This is the boost people look for when drinking coffee to start their day.
Coffee also consists of chlorogenic acids and melanoidins, antioxidants that are perceptible in the bloodstream after drinking a cup of coffee. At this time, the effectiveness of these antioxidants is unknown. Coffee also contains cafestol and kahweol, diterpenes that can negatively impact cholesterol levels.
Fortunately, the presence of diterpenes is impacted by the brewing method and often eliminated. When making coffee, grinding your own using this kind of a tool and brewing with a drip brewer, pour-over apparatus, or French press is not a concern.
That’s the breakdown of what coffee is. Now onto what it does, and does not, do for anti-aging.
Impacts on Eye Puffiness
One of the immediate, noticeable impacts that coffee has in regards to anti-aging is the impacts on eye puffiness. While it’s known that caffeine has an effect on energy levels, and can improve alertness and performance, it has physical effects as well.
As we tend to look older when we’re tired, coffee can make you look instantly younger. Not only does it make you look more awake, but the anti-inflammatory properties can reduce eye puffiness from within. This is an instant-yet-temporary impact on anti-aging.
Topical Application of Coffee
As coffee can have an impact on your physical appearance from within, it’s no surprise that it can benefit you when applied topically. Reusing coffee grounds as a topical application to your skin can reduce inflammation, exfoliate, and clear away dead skin cells and diminish the appearance of cellulite.
Using coffee grounds as a skin scrub, especially when mixed with other nourishing ingredients, can revitalize your skin. This is also an eco-friendly and budget-savvy way to follow an anti-aging skincare routine, so it’s a win-win.
Metabolism Boost
Weight gain is often associated with the appearance of aging. The caffeine in coffee can help with appetite suppression and can be a valuable tool in the weight loss arsenal.
That being said, if you drink your coffee with additives, such as sugar, calorie-free sweetener, milk, or cream, you won’t get these benefits.
Consumption Considerations
So is coffee a miracle tool for anti-aging?
No, because over-consumption can diminish your skin elasticity through dehydration and have the opposite impacts on your anti-aging routine. This is where a lot of the conflicting information comes in when looking for a solution online.
As with all things, balance is vital. Drinking coffee, and applying it topically, has positive anti-aging effects that are worthy of consideration. To take advantage of these effects, there are three things to keep in mind:
- Coffee is a diuretic that can cause dehydration. Offset the impacts by ensuring that you drink a tall glass of water before going for another cup of joe. Focus on getting the recommended minimum of eight glasses of water (not coffee) per day.
- The benefits of drinking coffee are lost when you offset them with high-calorie and inflammatory additives, like sugar and sweeteners.
- Taking a proactive approach to diet and exercise will always have more benefits than drinking coffee.
The takeaway is that coffee is a divine beverage that can give you the fuel you need to get through the day. Savor it and enjoy it for what it is, rather than focusing on its potential anti-aging benefits.
Thanks for reading.
About the guest blogger:
Ashley Lipman is an award-winning writer who discovered her passion for providing knowledge to readers worldwide on topics closest to her heart – all things digital. Since her first high school award in Creative Writing, she continues to deliver awesome content through various niches touching the digital sphere.
