That morning cup o' joe could do more than give you an energy boost -- it could also protect your DNA from oxidative damage...and help you lose body fat.

One study, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research showed that people who drank four daily cups of the brew lost 1.5 pounds of body fat in four weeks -- not bad results for just drinking some coffee.

And in 33 healthy participants, markers of DNA damage were reduced by an impressive 40 percent compared to people who didn't partake. After a "wash-out" phase, the markers started to go up again.

Now, before you get up to brew a pot, you have to know -- it's not just ANY cup of coffee that will do the trick.

Instead, it's a special Arabica coffee blend that's blended to be rich in green (unroasted) and roasted bean compounds rather than the usual all-roast coffee.

That gives this coffee a super antioxidant boost, which accounts for its apparent power to reduce DNA damage.

One of the most abundant polyphenols in coffee is chlorogenic acid, which makes up about 12 percent of the green, unroasted coffee bean. Blends that incorporate these beans and the usual roasted beans harness the power of the green bean as well as the beneficial compounds formed during roasting.

Researchers think the components of the special blend help regulate hunger and satiety, helping people lose weight. They also point to modulation of "glucose absorption and carbohydrate metabolism" as possible sources of benefit.

You can actually buy green coffee beans and create your own power blend. There are plenty of sources online that sell green coffee beans that you can roast yourself -- I know a few people who use an air popcorn popper to roast theirs.

Instructions and equipment can also be found at many online sources. And there's a bonus -- you'll find that buying unroasted beans and making coffee a do-it-yourself project is much cheaper than a trip to Starbucks!

Printer-friendly version