Poll: Drink Coffee?

Do you drink coffee? I do, and so do 81% of adult Canadians. On average, we consume 2.6 cups a day! According to a study from the University of Scranton, coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants (Cancer fighting substances) in Canadian diets. The study found the brew to be roughly 17 times higher in antioxidants than a banana. Decaf was almost as high. Take an extra minute to grind your own beans for maximum antioxidant benefit.

Jonesing for a jolt? Head to Tim's instead of the pop cooler. Coffee decreases blood pressure, but cola does the opposite. When The Journal of the American Medical Association studied the results of more than 155,000 women they found that participants who drank more than three 8-ounce cups of coffee daily were 10% less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who drank little or no coffee at all. Women who drank four or more cans of regular (non-diet) cola daily were 28 to 44% more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who drank none. Diet cola also increased the risk by about 18 %. "The antioxidants that are abundant in coffee may cause this protective effect," said lead researcher Wolfgang Winkelmayer, M.D., Sc.D.

Another reason (like we need one) to drink coffee? A study recently published in Women's Health magazine, showed that drinking coffee prior to working out helped give more energy and burn more calories! It also found that women who ingested caffeine one hour before their workouts had less muscle soreness post-exercise than those who took a placebo. It's thought that caffeine reduces pain by blocking the chemical adenosine, which the body releases in response to trauma. Exercise creates minor muscle trauma by creating micro-tears in the tissue-it's how you get stronger. You'd need to drink about two cups to get the effect. Pretty cool.

So, do you drink coffee? Be sure to tell us why you do or don't.