A French press is 1) an exercise that builds triceps strength - you lie on your back and raise and lower a barbell by straightening and bending your arms, and 2) a way to strengthen the flavor of brewed coffee by allowing more of the beans' oils to permeate the liquid.
Well, we don't recommend No. 1, because you can injure yourself too easily. Dr. Mike says instead you should try the shoulder matrix exercise, which he described on Sharecare.com: Holding a two-pound dumbbell in each hand, position the weights at your shoulders. Press them straight over your head. Bring them back down to your shoulders. On your next repetition, press them up and slightly to the left. Next time press to the right, then forward, then slightly backward. Repeat the cycle.
No. 2, French press coffee, turns out not to be a good idea either. A recent study looked at coffee brewing methods and the risk for heart attack and death, and it adds an exclamation point to what we've said for years: Unfiltered coffee ups the risk of cardio woes, and filtered coffee is safest - safer even than drinking no coffee at all.
The research, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, reveals that a cup of unfiltered coffee contains about 30 times the concentration of harmful lipid-raising substances compared with filtered coffee. So enjoy one to four cups a day of filtered coffee (no sugar, sugar substitutes or creamers) and try Dr. Mike's shoulder matrix exercise. It will do wonders for your heart.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
(c)2020 Michael Roizen, M.D.
and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
King Features Syndicate