By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
I don’t know about you, but I’ll use any excuse I can possibly find to justify my love of coffee. Luckily, this article is about to explain yet another benefit to regularly consuming coffee. Read on to learn more about how coffee could arguably be called a beauty product! 
Did you know that coffee has been shown to promote healthy skin and reduce signs of skin aging? That’s right! Your morning cup of joe helps to keep you looking young and fresh! So how can coffee do that? Dermatologist Hannah Kopelman says that coffee is chock full of polyphenols. These are plant compounds that have so many amazing health benefits. The polyphenols in coffee combat oxidative stress in the skin, improve skin elasticity, promote hydration, and delay wrinkles and other signs of aging.
While all coffee contains polyphenols, dermatologist Tyler Long says that these polyphenols are very heat-sensitive. This means that coffee beans that were roasted longer have less of a polyphenol content than beans that were exposed to less heat. So, your dark roasts aren’t as powerful as your lighter roasts. Kopelman says that espresso is probably your best bet for reaping the skin benefits of coffee, as espresso beans are a lighter roast, and the espresso shot is much more concentrated than drip coffee.
So, not only does it wake you up, but you can now consider your morning cup of coffee a part of your skin-care regimen!
For more articles on coffee, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!