The Epidemiology

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks on earth, with around 95 million cups consumed every day in the UK alone. It should come as no surprise then that it's also one of the most studied, with 8,420 reports published in the last decade alone.

Most of these studies have been epidemiological or observational in nature, meaning they look for associations between drinking coffee and specific health outcomes. Some studies are huge, with over a million participants spanning multiple decades. The good news is that the overwhelming majority conclude that coffee is good for your health and associated with a reduced risk of contracting some of the world's worst diseases (1).

The Mechanisms

More recently, research has been undertaken examining the mechanisms behind the health benefits of coffee. Scientists have proven coffee drinkers have lower levels of Tumour Necrosis Factor - Alpha (2,3), lower levels of C-reactive protein (4), higher levels of adiponectin (5) and longer Telomeres (6,7).

They have found compounds in coffee that are 'potent' inhibitors of your Sirtuins (8) and others that 'significantly inhibit' DNA Methylation (9). Now, none of that may mean anything to you, but together with the epidemiological studies they present a convincing case to support our theory that coffee is the ultimate 'superfood'.

More of the good stuff

Of the 1,000+ compounds found in coffee, polyphenols are most often cited as being the most beneficial. These special phytochemicals are present in many fruits and veggies and chlorogenic acid is the most abundant form found in coffee.

It has antioxidant, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antiviral and antibacterial effects (10) to name a few!

However, its levels vary immensely from product to product(11). We're the only company in the world to source and roast coffee to both maximise the levels of polyphenols and measure their antioxidant power using independent laboratories across the UK and Europe.

Read more about how in the 'Our Process' page.

...and less of the bad

Over and above this we aim to offer a more complete package of health by only buying organically farmed coffee and then testing to make sure they're free from mycotoxins, pesticides, moulds, yeasts and heavy metals.

Read about how mycotoxins and moulds in coffee can affect your health and how to avoid them in our article 'The truth about mycotoxins'

While the government has set guidelines for the safe levels of these, we know some of our community already have a high body burden when it comes to environmental toxins and are seeking the 'cleanest' coffee possible so we want our coffee to be as pure as it is all natural.

Jitter-free, without the anxiety

Caffeine can cause anxiety in some, but chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol we optimise for in Exhale Coffee, can protect against anxiety and depression. It does so by reducing oxidative stress in the body. (42)

Many people who can't drink other coffees can enjoy a cup of Exhale, jitter-free! And for those who still can't, we also offer a delicious, water-processed decaf.

Antioxidants protect you from free radicals

Coffee is the single biggest source of antioxidants in the Western diet contributing up to 66% of your total dietary intake! As confirmed by multiple studies. (12-18).

And Exhale Coffee is sourced and roasted for especially high levels.

Live in a polluted city? Stressed at work? Not getting enough sleep? Overtraining for your next race? Partying too hard? Crushing it at the gym?

We all need antioxidants to help us recover from our increasingly hectic lifestyles. Our bodies produce some, but if you tick any of the above boxes you probably need more. Enter, Exhale.

Support your friendly gut microbes

We all need to look after our friendly gut microbes because a healthy gut is key to a healthy you.  

Fermented foods are all the rage, but you may be surprised to learn that coffee is the world's most consumed fermented food!

Coffee also promotes a greater diversity of microbes and the high levels of polyphenols in a coffee like Exhale benefit your gut through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

But the most surprising of all is that some research indicates coffee contains significant levels of fibre (43)! Although we haven't managed to repliacte that ourselves.

Boost your brain health

Memory, cognition, neuroprotection - coffee does it all (34).

Scientific research shows that polyphenol rich foods are a natural way to support a healthy brain (35).

They also inhibit neuroinflammation, (36), support neuroplasticity (37), and enhance the circulation of pro-cognitive neurotrophic factors (38). Who wouldn't want more of those?

Did we mention Exhale Coffee is bursting with super high levels of polyphenols?

Read more in our article on coffee and brain health.

Enhance physical performance

Caffeine is one of the few proven ergogenic aids to athletic performance (19-23). Meaning if you have a cup of coffee before sport you're likely to kick ass.

However, polyphenols (as found in high levels in Exhale Coffee) have been shown to enhance performance giving you a double boost!

Polyphenols also help reduce the oxidative stress caused by exercising, helping you recover faster (24,25).

Read more in our article on antioxidants for athletes.

Support your longevity

Your DNA is important. But more important to your longevity is the epigenetic expression of your DNA, i.e. which of your genes are turned on or off.

Well there's something called DNA methylation which controls this and it's a very accurate way of predicting when all your accumulated DNA damage will start taking its toll. (29,30,31).

Studies show that chlorogenic acid (the main polyphenol we optimise for in Exhale Coffee) significantly inhibits DNA Methylation in meaningful ways' (32,33).