You’ve probably come across articles praising the health benefits of coffee. It helps you focus! Boosts your energy! Improves your mood! These benefits are often attributed to caffeine, but the health benefits of coffee are actually largely due to chlorogenic acid.
What are chlorogenic acids?
Before we get too deep into the benefits of chlorogenic acids, let’s first define what they are.
Chlorogenic acids are biologically active compounds found primarily in plants like yerba mate, green coffee beans, and tea. They’re also found in many fruits and vegetables, including prunes, eggplants, pears, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, and potatoes.
As you can see, chlorogenic acids aren’t too difficult to incorporate into your daily diet. This is good news, because they have many health benefits.
1. Supports Healthy Blood Pressure
Studies have shown that chlorogenic acid can help maintain healthy blood pressure. So keep consuming those foods rich in chlorogenic acid!
2. Supports Healthy Brain Function
Have you ever had a day where you just couldn’t focus? Or maybe you’re preparing for an event that will require you to be at your best. Chlorogenic acid can help support healthy cognitive function. Munching on an apple beforehand may give you just the boost you need to stay alert and to help retain the information you need to remember for your big day.
3. Influences Mood and Sense of Well-Being
Chlorogenic acid does more than provide heightened mental stamina; it can have a positive effect on your mood, too. Just like exercise and good stress management, diet and nutrition play an important role in influencing your mood and supporting your overall sense of well-being. Keep your kitchen stocked with chlorogenic acid–rich foods and see how it affects your mood over the next 30 days.
4. Supports Healthy Glucose Levels
The modern diet is oversaturated with carbs and sugar. Chlorogenic acid has the potential to support healthy blood glucose levels through reducing intestinal glucose absorption as well as reducing glucose output by the liver. This also can help support healthy weight management, as you’ll see below.
5. Weight Management
Maintaining healthy glucose levels is an effective, healthy way to manage weight. When you allow your body to go into fat-burning mode—rather than constantly getting energy from glucose—weight loss can occur. Chlorogenic acids have been shown to influence both glucose and fat metabolism, which can support healthy weight loss over time.
As you can see, chlorogenic acid has many benefits that can positively contribute to overall health. So keep those chlorogenic acid–rich foods handy!