Tag: health

Get rid of cellulite with coffee beans

Posted on by Sara Walker

It has been known for some time that beauty products containing coffee beans might help to reduce cellulite. However, a new product called Slimming Coffee Cream, created by Cinq Mondes has brought coffee beans and cellulite to the fore once again.

So, how do coffee beans help to reduce cellulite?

Products such as the Cinq Mondes Slimming Cream work by draining the toxins that cause fatty deposits. The caffeine basically breaks down the fat cells under your skin, helping to reverse the orange peel effect.

Coffee beans also contain xanthines – a substance found naturally in the human body. Xanthines basically help to increase fat breakdown resulting in smoother, healthier looking skin.

The key apparently to using products that contain caffeine is to use the product early in the morning, late at night or at times when you’re not about to eat. These products work best when your insulin levels are low.

What causes cellulite in the first place?

Although the causes of cellulite are not fully understood yet, the most common causes are:

  • Hormones — Some researchers believe that oestrogen, insulin and thyroid hormones can cause cellulite.
  • Diet — Eating food high in fat, carbohydrates and salt could be a contributing factor. Also, not enough fiber in your diet could cause more cellulite to develop.
  • Lifestyle — Smokers, people who don’t exercise enough and people who site down for long periods of time may have an increased risk of developing excess cellulite.
  • Clothes — Tight underwear or clothing that limits your blood flow could also increase your chances of developing cellulite.

 

Other than coffee beans and caffeine, how else can cellulite be removed?

There’s a lot of information out there about coffee beans and caffeine breaking down fat; but there are other methods to reduce the orange peel effect. Birch oil is a common favourite; fake tan will visually make your cellulite look better; and FitFlops are special shoes designed to tone and shape your legs.

Massaging and scrubbing areas where you have cellulite could also make a huge difference. You could even make your own body lotion and exfoliating cellulite busting products with sugar and ground coffee beans mixed in with a base moisturiser or shower gel.

Coffee beans may prevent depression

Posted on by Sara Walker

Coffee beans

A few years ago, scientists from Harvard Medical School researched the relationship between coffee beans and depression in women. You can read the full report published by the Jama Network here.

From 1996 to 2006 50,739 US women who were free from depressive symptoms at baseline recorded the amount of coffee they consumed on a daily basis through regular questionaires.

The results showed that after 2006 when the experiment ended only 2,600 women showed symptoms of depression at some point during the experiment; however, these women tended to be low coffee drinkers or they didn’t drink any coffee at all.

At the other end of the scale, the women who consumed more coffee beans – between two to three cups of coffee a day – decreased their risk of getting depression by as much as 15%. Participants who had as much as four cups or more of coffee a day decreased their risk of getting depression by as much as 20%.

Although researchers aren’t entirely sure why coffee beans might help to prevent depression, it is thought that caffeine enhances your mood by altering the chemical pathways in your brain.

With no solid evidence, the results, however, could just be a coincidence. Perhaps people who are on the verge of getting depression don’t drink much coffee as it can disturb sleep – one of the side effects of depression.

Some researchers, however, believe the results make sense and tie in with previous research that focused on the relationship between caffeine and suicide. It’s thought that caffeine works by blocking adenosine which according to Professor Bertil Fredholm in a BBC report, works by producing a similar efffect to increasing dopamine production.

So, although the results aren’t set in stone, drinking coffee regularly might decrease your chances of developing depression. It would be interesting to see if coffee beans could also help to make depression more bearable in people who have the illness.

7 Hidden Health Benefits of Coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker


Coffe_timeWe’re not suggesting coffee will help to cure cancer or protect your liver regardless of the amount of alcohol you drink, but there are studies out there suggesting that coffee beans can do a lot of good.

1. Reduce Pain During Exercise
Some studies have found that consuming coffee before a tough workout may decrease pain and make exercising feel less like a chore.

2. Improve Your Memory and Cognitive Ability
There have been lots of studies indicating that regular coffee drinkers have sharper memories. For example, research with women over the age of 80 showed that participants all performed significantly better on cognitive tests after consuming coffee.

3. Prevent Plaque Formation
It has been suggested that certain components in coffees may help to prevent plaque formation.

4. Protect Your Liver
Some studies suggest that coffee may significantly reduce your risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver by as much as 40% if you drink two to three cups a day. This isn’t an excuse to drink more alcohol though!

5. Reduce Your Risk of Developing Diabetes
Some research also suggests that long term coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of developing type two diabetes.

6. Prevent Skin Cancer
Wearing lots of sun screen in hot climates will help, but so could drinking coffee according to Harvard professor and researcher, Jiali Han. She discovered that the more cups of coffee you drink, the less chance you have of developing one of the most common forms of skin cancer.

7. Live Longer
Researchers from the National Institute of Health conducted a study from 1995 to 2008 to determine whether coffee helps you live longer. They came to the conclusion that if you drink three or more cups of coffee a day, you have a 10% chance of living a longer life.

Please remember that scientific research should always be read with an objective outlook.