• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

I Need Coffee

By Coffee Fans, For Coffee Fans!

  • Coffee Brewing Guide
  • About INeedCoffee
You are here: Home / Coffee and Health / Coffee is Loaded With Antioxidants

Coffee is Loaded With Antioxidants

May 12, 2010 by Michael Allen Smith

Coffee is Loaded With Antioxidants

I always knew coffee had some antioxidants, but was unaware than it had more than tea. Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals. Dr. Jonny Bowden in his book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth lists Coffee as one of the top 150 foods. He even states it has antioxidant power greater than tea or cocoa.

…a study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in 2001 found that coffee has significantly more total antioxidant activity than either cocoa, green tea, black tea, or herbal tea.

What makes coffee such a rich source of antioxidants? According to Dr. Bowden, coffee has chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. Both are strong antioxidants. The Coffee Science Information Center states that a 200 ml of arabica coffee (~6.7 ounces) can contain between 70 and 200 mg chlorogenic acid.

The Wikipedia has this to say about chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid:

Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid are antioxidants in vitro and might therefore contribute to the prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and cardiovascular disease. It is claimed to have antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal effects with relatively low toxicity and side effects, alongside properties that do not lead to antimicrobial resistance.

The Coffee Science Information Center also reports that the roasting time of coffee will impact the antioxidant levels.

The roasting of coffee beans dramatically increases their total antioxidant activity. A roasting time of 10 minutes (medium-dark roast) was found to produce coffee with optimal oxygen scavenging and chain breaking activities in vitro (6).

150-healthiest-foods-on-earth

I think I’ll go have a mug of antioxidants.

Resources

The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why by Jonny Bowden

Coffee is number one source of antioxidants – 2005 study by the American Chemical Society.

Understanding Free Radicals and Antioxidants – Good primer on sharing electrons.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Michael Allen Smith
Michael Allen Smith
Michael Allen Smith is both a coffee fanatic and a web developer. In April 1999, he combined these two interests and started the coffee website INeedCoffee.com. His personal blog, which covers a wide range of topics, is Critical MAS.
Michael Allen Smith
Latest posts by Michael Allen Smith (see all)
  • Buying Your First Home Coffee Roaster - January 11, 2022
  • How to Make Pour-Over Coffee With the Gabi Drip Master - August 1, 2021
  • A Clever Way To Make Iced Coffee - July 5, 2021

Filed Under: Coffee and Health

About Michael Allen Smith

Michael Allen Smith is both a coffee fanatic and a web developer. In April 1999, he combined these two interests and started the coffee website INeedCoffee.com. His personal blog, which covers a wide range of topics, is Critical MAS.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Essential Coffee Gear


Essential Coffee Gear

Our guide to some of our favorite coffee gear.

French Press Guide

AeroPress Brewing Guide

Iced Coffee Tutorial

Connect

  • RSS
  • Twitter

Newsletter

Sign up here to receive our newsletter delivered by Follow.it.

Recent Posts

  • Life is Coffee Comics #39
  • 20 Amazing Facts about Coffee
  • 5 Ways to Make Your Coffee Habit More Sustainable
  • Life is Coffee Comics #38
  • Buying Your First Home Coffee Roaster

Categories

  • Brewing Coffee
  • Cafe Culture
  • Coffee and Health
  • Coffee Business
  • Coffee Comics
  • Coffee History
  • Coffee People
  • Espresso
  • Grinding Coffee
  • Recipes
  • Roasting Coffee
  • Tea

Watch

Popular Posts

  • Coffee Grind Chart
  • French Press Coffee Tutorial
  • The Upside Down AeroPress Coffee Brewing Tutorial
  • Stovetop Espresso Brewing Tutorial
  • How to Brew Vietnamese Iced Coffee
  • Cold Brew Coffee is Not Rocket Science
  • Coffee Brewing Guide
  • Brewing Espresso in a Moka
  • Chemex Coffee Brewing – History and Tutorial
  • Making Green Bean Extract Beverages at Home
  • Making Cold Brew Coffee in a French Press
  • Buying a French Press – Picking the Right One

Sections

  • Brewing Coffee
  • Cafe Culture
  • Coffee and Health
  • Coffee Business
  • Coffee Comics
  • Coffee History
  • Coffee People
  • Espresso
  • Grinding Coffee
  • Recipes
  • Roasting Coffee
  • Tea

Media.NEt

Before Footer

Life is Coffee Comic

Life is Coffee Comics #39

By Todd Zapoli

Pages

  • About INeedCoffee
    • Contribute
    • INeedCoffee Logos
  • Coffee Brewing Guide
  • Essential Coffee Gear
    • Attrezzatura essenziale per la preparazione del caffè
    • Equipo de café esencial
    • Essential Kaffee Getriebe
    • Les essentiels du café
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sponsor / Advertise
  • User Sitemap
Copyright © 1999-2022 INeedCoffee is a project by coffee fanatic Michael Allen Smith. User Sitemap | Privacy Policy