The drink’s benefits for brain and heart health are well known, but new research suggests coffee may also boost muscle mass. For most of us, drinking coffee is an essential part of our morning ritual, either glugging down a mug before we head out the door or picking one up on the go. The near instant energy boost and spike in alertness is enough reason to drink it.
But the health benefits are also ample. Research has shown that it can enhance our brain , heart and gut health . Now, a fresh study suggests that coffee could also help maintain our muscle mass .
As we age, our muscles progressively deteriorate by around 5% a decade after age 30, causing us to become more weak and frail and leaving us more vulnerable to falls and fractures. But researchers, who looked at data on coffee intake and muscle mass among more than 8000 adults in the US, found those who consumed at least two mugs of coffee per day (or 240ml) had around a tenth more muscle compared to those who drank none. “That effect would make a big difference to frailty and muscle strength, and it would make a big difference to metabolic health, so the tendency towards type 2 diabetes ,” says Professor Keith Godfrey, head of nutrition, lifestyle and metabolism at the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.
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