You think you’ve got it tough? Consider Zeus.
Among the Greek gods, he was the top god, god of all the other gods. And they were a quite a cantankerous crew to keep tabs on with all those super powers and super egos constantly clashing. So, where did Zeus get the stamina to deal with it all? Maybe the answer lies in a simple cup of coffee—Greek coffee.
Your average Dunkin’ Donuts cup of java, Greek coffee is not. The Greeks on the island of Ikaria who consume it regularly live into their 90s at a rate 10 times that of their European counterparts. And, a recent study published in Vascular Medicine may reveal why.
To begin with, Greek coffee is boiled, not brewed. That means less caffeine, only 74 milligrams (mg) per 8-ounce serving, compared to 112 mg for filtered coffee or 135 mg for brewed coffee.
Because Greek coffee uses Arabica beans ground very finely, the coffee is concentrated and richer in antioxidants than a typical cup of joe.
Boiling coffee also extracts more nutrients from the coffee, including chlorogenic acid and polyphenols (both thought to prevent cancer), and lipid-soluble substances. These help reduce your risk of diabetes, boost your immune system, and protect your arteries from endothelial cell dysfunction, something especially harmful to women.
Greek coffee improves endothelial function by reducing inflammation in your blood vessels, allowing blood to flow freely and denying damaging plaque someplace to attach and build up.
You can find Greek coffee in Greek markets locally or online.
