The Benefits of Drinking Turkish Coffee

Though the excessive intake of coffee may bring negative effects on your health, drinking coffee is still a healthy habit when done in moderation. And just like any type of coffee, Turkish coffee can bring you various health benefits. Turkish coffee basically refers to the method of brewing or preparation of roasted coffee beans.  Any type of coffee can be used for Turkish style coffee. Generally, Turkish coffee is the same as any other brewed coffee; only the flavor and strength are different or distinctive.

Coffee is primarily appreciated for its energy-boosting effect and for its anti-oxidant content. Coffee has been part of people’s daily life for centuries.  Many researchers have tried to unmask the risks that coffee drinking may bring to the human body, but more benefits are also revealed in the process. The magic content of coffee that makes it a valuable drink is caffeine, which is a chemical that is known for its energy-boosting properties. Drinking coffee is the best way to consume healthy amounts of caffeine.

Below are the known benefits of Turkish coffee and other caffeinated coffee:

Coffee can lower the risk for cancer – Long term consumption of coffee has been proven to reduce your chances of developing cancer. A good example is endometrial cancer.  It has been found that coffee protects the body from developing this type of cancer by 25 percent. Coffee is also known for reducing risks of developing breast tumors that are estrogen-receptor negative.

These studies, however, were only observed in participants who consumed Scandinavian boiled coffee that are chemically the same as French Press, Greek, and Turkish coffee. Regular coffee shop coffees may not work the same protection. This is because filtered coffee does not contain plenty or enough coffee-specific fatty acids. These coffee-specific fatty acids have been shown to reduce and inhibit the growth of cancer cells in animal experiments. Organic, fair-trade coffee would be the best choice for consumption and should not be prepared and brewed with chlorinated filters. Decaffeinated coffee that are of the same nature may still work, but it would be a less natural option because of the extensive chemical process that was used for removing the caffeine content.

Coffee can reduce the risk for diabetes – Studies about coffee reveal that coffee consumption can protect against the development of type 2 diabetes. Coffee works on this by increasing the level of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in the blood. SHGB is a type of protein that regulates estrogen and testosterone activities, both of which are thought to play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

It was found that women who consume about four cups of coffee had higher levels of SHGB and are 56 percent less likely to develop the disease compared to non drinkers. Coffee consumption is also thought to improve glucose tolerance by increasing body metabolism and improving insulin sensitivity.

Coffee can lower the risk of premature death – Researchers found that java drinkers have lower risks of premature death in adults who are over 50. This was observed in men and women who consumed an average of four to five cups of coffee a day.

Excessive coffee drinking, however, can cause anxiety, nervousness, throbbing headaches, and stomach problems. It would be best to either substitute or alternate your coffee consumption with another drink that provides the same benefits such as green tea.

Coffee can burn more fats – Drinking coffee prior to a workout can boost your endurance and fat-burning potential. This is because caffeine is thought to delay the onset of muscle fatigue by helping your body utilize your fat reserves as energy. Additionally, caffeine is also shown to reduce muscle pain during exercise so your body can withstand the workout a little longer.

Coffee can reduce fatty liver – A new study found that coffee consumption helps reduce fatty liver in people who are suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This type of liver disease is usually developed by those who already have pre-existing conditions that affect the liver, like diabetes.

The consumption of Turkish coffee can help you reap the benefits of caffeine that were previously mentioned.  This is primarily due to the following reasons:

• It is concentrated. Turkish coffee is served as a concentrated coffee brew where in the coffee content of a small demitasse cup is equal to that of a regular-sixed coffee cup.
• It is cost-effective. Preparing Turkish coffee is less expensive than using an espresso machine. You can also opt to prepare more or less coffee, depending on your desired amount, because it is unfiltered.
• It is flavorful. Turkish coffee is a delightful coffee drink because the brewed beverage is richer in taste and the amount of sugar and spice additive can be adjusted according to your taste. 

 http://thesavorycafened.com/the-benefits-of-drinking-turkish-coffee/

HOW THE BRAIN PURGES BAD MEMORIES?

 A brain circuit has been found that allows us to forget fear and anxiety!

 A new study confirms that a working connection between the two brain regions is necessary to do away with fear.

The brain is extraordinarily good at alerting us to threats. Loud noises, noxious smells, approaching predators: they all send electrical impulses buzzing down our sensory neurons, pinging our brain’s fear circuitry and, in some cases, causing us to fight or flee. The brain is also adept at knowing when an initially threatening or startling stimulus turns out to be harmless or resolved. But sometimes this system fails and unpleasant associations stick around, a malfunction thought to be at the root of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). New research has identified a neuronal circuit responsible for the brain’s ability to purge bad memories, findings that could have implications for treating PTSD and other anxiety disorders.

Like most emotions, fear is neurologically complicated. But previous work has consistently implicated two specific areas of the brain as contributing to and regulating fear responses. The amygdala, two small arcs of brain tissue deep beneath our temples, is involved in emotional reactions, and it flares with activity when we are scared. If a particular threat turns out to be harmless, a brain region behind the forehead called the prefrontal cortex steps in and the fright subsides. Our ability to extinguish painful memories is known to involve some sort of coordinated effort between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. The new study, led by Andrew Holmes at the National Institutes of Health, however, confirms that a working connection between the two brain regions is necessary to do away with fear.

Normally mice that repeatedly listen to a sound previously associated with a mild foot shock will learn that on its own the tone is harmless, and they will stop being afraid. Using optogenetic stimulation technology, or controlling specific neurons and animal behavior using light, the authors found that disrupting the amygdala–prefrontal cortex connection prevents mice from overcoming the negative association with the benign tone. In neurobiology speak, memory “extinction” fails to occur. They also found that the opposite is true—that stimulating the circuit results in increased extinction of fearful memories.

Until now investigators were unsure whether the amygdala–prefrontal cortex communication pathway could on its own control fear extinction; both structures interact with many other brain regions, and so isolating their effects of on behavior was a challenge. Optogenetics made the discovery possible, allowing the NIH group to precisely assess only the connection between the two brain regions in real time, providing a more accurate correlation between neuronal activity and behavior.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-brain-purges-bad-memories/