A cup of coffee a day keeps the doctor away? For those of you who can’t part with your morning cup of joe, take heart: Turns out a daily dose of java comes with a number of surprising health perks. Once considered a toxic vice, coffee is now being touted as one of the healthiest beverages on the planet, when consumed in moderation.
Coffee is loaded with antioxidants and beneficial nutrients that can improve your health.
The studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of several serious diseases.
Nutrients in Coffee
Coffee is more than just black water. Many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink.
A single cup of coffee contains:
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA.
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.
Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA.
Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA.
Here are few amazing health benefits of coffee
Increase Energy Levels and Make You Smarter
Coffee contains a stimulant called caffeine, which is actually the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world. The caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream and it travels into the brain, which blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine in brain. When that happens, the amount of other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine actually increases, leading to enhanced firing of neurons.
Many controlled trials in humans show that coffee improves various aspects of brain function. This includes memory, mood, vigilance, energy levels, reaction times and general cognitive function.
Coffee Can Help You Burn Fat
Did you know that caffeine is found in almost every commercial fat burning supplement?
There’s a good reason for that caffeine is one of the very few natural substances that have actually been proven to aid fat burning.
Several studies show that caffeine can boost the metabolic rate by 3-11%. Other studies show that caffeine can specifically increase the burning of fat, by as much as 10% in obese individuals and 29% in lean people.
However, it is possible that these effects will diminish in long-term coffee drinkers.
Improve Physical Performance
Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, causing it to send signals to the fat cells to break down body fat and releasing them into the blood as free fatty acids and making them available as fuel.
But caffeine also increases Epinephrine (Adrenaline) levels in the blood. This is the “fight or flight” hormone, designed to make our bodies ready for intense physical exertion.
Given these effects, it is not surprising to see that caffeine can improve physical performance by 11-12%, on average.
Because of this, it makes sense to have a strong cup of coffee about a half an hour before you head to the gym.
Reduce Risk of Type II Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a gigantic health problem, currently afflicting about 300 million people worldwide. It is characterized by elevated blood sugars in the context of insulin resistance or an inability to secrete insulin.
For some reason, coffee drinkers have a significantly reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The studies show that people who drink the most coffee have a 23-50% lower risk of getting this disease, one study showing a reduction as high as 67%. According to a massive review that looked at data from 18 studies with a total of 457,922 individuals, each daily cup of coffee was associated with a 7% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
May Protect From Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease and the leading cause of dementia worldwide. This disease usually affects people over 65 years of age.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s. However, there are several things you can do to prevent the disease from showing up in the first place. This includes the usual suspects like eating healthy and exercising, but drinking coffee may be incredibly effective as well.
Several studies show that coffee drinkers have up to a 65% lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease
Coffee could lessen the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, right after Alzheimer’s. It is caused by death of dopamine-generating neurons in the brain.
Same as with Alzheimer’s, there is no known cure, which makes it that much more important to focus on prevention. In studies, coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, with a reduction in risk ranging from 32-60%.
In this case, it appears to be the caffeine itself that is causing the effect. People who drink decaf don’t have a lower risk of Parkinson’s.
Coffee can aid with migraine relief
Although caffeine can trigger migraines in some people, sipping coffee may provide instant pain relief when migraines strike. Coffee constricts swollen blood vessels in the brain, which can decrease throbbing pain. In fact, caffeine is so effective as a migraine-fighter that it is used as a main ingredient in many popular over-the-counter migraine medications.
Coffee is great for your liver (especially if you drink alcohol)
The liver is an amazing organ that carries out hundreds of important functions in the body. Several common diseases primarily affect the liver, including hepatitis, fatty liver disease and others. Many of these diseases can lead to a condition called cirrhosis, in which the liver has been largely replaced by scar tissue.
It turns out that coffee may protect against cirrhosis. People who drink 4 or more cups per day have up to an 80% lower risk.
Fight Depression and Makes Happier
Depression is a serious mental disorder that causes a significantly reduced quality of life.
In a study shows that, women who drank 4 or more cups per day had a 20% lower risk of becoming depressed. Another study with 208,424 individuals found that those who drank 4 or more cups per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide.
Coffee Drinkers Have a Lower Risk of Some Types of Cancer
Cancer is one of the world’s leading causes of death and is characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the body.
Coffee appears to be protective against two types of cancer, liver cancer and colorectal cancer. Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the world, while colorectal cancer ranks fourth.
Studies show that coffee drinkers have up to a 40% lower risk of liver cancer. One study of 489,706 individuals found that those who drank 4-5 cups of coffee per day had a 15% lower risk of colorectal cancer.
Coffee Does Not Cause Heart Disease and May Lower The Risk of Stroke
It is often claimed that caffeine can increase blood pressure. This is true, but the effect is small (3-4 mm/Hg) and usually goes away if you drink coffee regularly.
However, the effect may persist in some people, so keep that in mind if you have elevated blood pressure. That being said, the studies do NOT support the myth that coffee raises the risk of heart disease.
In fact, there is some evidence that women who drink coffee have a reduced risk of heart disease. Some studies also show that coffee drinkers have a 20% lower risk of stroke.
Coffee May Help You Live Longer
Given that coffee drinkers are less likely to get many diseases, it makes sense that coffee could help you live longer. There are actually several observational studies showing that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death. In two very large studies, drinking coffee was associated with a 20% lower risk of death in men and a 26% lower risk of death in women, over a period of 18-24 years.
This effect appears to be particularly strong in type II diabetics. In one study, diabetics who drank coffee had a 30% lower risk of death during a 20 year study period .
Coffee is The Biggest Source of Antioxidants
Coffee may actually be the healthiest aspect of the diet. That’s because coffee contains a massive amount of antioxidants.
In fact, studies show that most people get more antioxidants from coffee than both fruits and vegetables combined. Coffee is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet.
Precautions:
—Drinking more than four cups a day has been associated with a 56% higher risk of death.
—Drinking five cups a day of unfiltered coffee may raise cholesterol by 6 to 8 percent
—Drinking four cups a day has been linked with a 2 to 4 percent decrease in bone density.
—Acute ingestion of caffeine, equivalent to the amount found in 2-3 cups of coffee, results in a short-term stimulation of urine output.
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