Smoky sweet or light and floral, doesn't matter---coffee is good for your genes
I drink a lot of French roast coffee. It is my go-to brew
when there is any doubt involved, or when I’m brewing coffee at home for
guests. I like its depth and its smoky-sweet quality. I like it with skim milk
that has been steamed and mixed in. I like it at any time of day. French roast
is considered a prototypical dark roast coffee. In default situations, this double-roasted,
dark brown coffee, with its shiny surface epitomizes the best of the dark roast
drinking experience.
There are also lots of good light and medium roast coffees. If you want a more caffeinated brew, go for the lighter roast coffee. I used to think that the darker the roast, the stronger the coffee; but in reality, the lighter the roast, the shorter the roasting time, which results in a more caffeinated brew, with bright, fruity, herbal, flavors. It’s definitely fair to say that lighter roasts have more complex flavors.
There are also lots of good light and medium roast coffees. If you want a more caffeinated brew, go for the lighter roast coffee. I used to think that the darker the roast, the stronger the coffee; but in reality, the lighter the roast, the shorter the roasting time, which results in a more caffeinated brew, with bright, fruity, herbal, flavors. It’s definitely fair to say that lighter roasts have more complex flavors.
Light, medium, and dark roasts are ALL good for you
Whichever roast you prefer, coffee is good for you. Coffee
is packed with chlorogenic antioxidants, phytochemicals that are largely
responsible for the positive health benefits of coffee. Important to note here
that lighter roasts are not only more caffeinated, they also have more
chlorogenic acids.
According to chemist, Joe Vinson, who teaches at the
University of Scranton, coffee is the #1 source of antioxidants in the American
diet. Chlorogenic acids, which make up 5% to 10% of dry coffee beans, have
profoundly potent antioxidant effects. Some of the known benefits include
better glucose control and insulin regulation; decreased blood pressure; and
improved cardiovascular function.
Epigenetics and coffee
The combination of antioxidants and caffeine is powerful. Coffee
affects us at a cellular level, burrowing its effects into our genome, the
essence of our individual physiology. In a study published in March 2012 in Cell
Metabolism, researchers and exercise physiologists evaluated the effect of
coffee-drinking versus exercise in a group of healthy, but inactive, men and
women. They found that drinking coffee
and exercise have a similar effect on the DNA in muscles.
This effect is part of a phenomenon known as “epigenetics.”
Epigenetics means that although a person’s DNA sequence and genome are fixed at
birth, lifestyle decisions can structurally and chemically alter the expression
of DNA, turning on certain genes and turning off others. If you’ve ever seen
two identical twins age in drastically different ways, you can chalk it up to
the epigenetic effects of lifestyle.
Exercise and the joy of light roast
Exercise leads to epigenetic changes that turn on genes for
better cardiovascular fitness and greater muscle strength. Likewise, drinking
coffee alters DNA expression, leading to spontaneous muscular contractions, in
addition to other invisible epigenetic modifications that express themselves as
health benefits---including a faster metabolism.
So I’ve been drinking a lot of dark roast coffee, but as
spring progresses and summer comes in, I’m going to start drinking more light
roasts. I’m pretty excited about trying new coffees and consuming even more
antioxidants.
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