Coffee is good for your heart.
Harvard researchers found that coffee drinkers have a 10 percent decreased risk of death from heart disease. But a common java add-in may counteract the drink’s health-boosting effects: creamer. The traditional varieties are packed with trans-fats, often hiding under the guise of its lesser-known name: hydrogenated oil, which raises levels of cholesterol and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yikes! Keep the creamer out of your cup to reap its heart-healthy benefits.
Coffee makes you poop.
According to a study published in the journal Gut, “The speed at which the response [peristalsis, wave-like muscle contractions in your gastrointestinal tract] occurs suggests an indirect action on the colon as it seems unlikely that coffee would reach the colon in this time either via the intestinal lumen or the bloodstream. We suspect that coffee may induce a ‘gastro colonic response’ by acting on epithelial receptors in the stomach or small bowel. Such a mechanism could be mediated by neural mechanisms or by gastrointestinal hormones. Coffee has been shown to promote the release of Gastrin, which can increase colonic spike and motor activity.”
