Many millions of us drink coffee, consuming, on average, between one to three cups a day. While we’re all aware of the benefits coffee has in giving us an energy boost when we need it, what is less well known is the surprising number of ways it can benefit our overall health.
As we’re always hearing how bad things are for us, let’s celebrate the benefits of coffee and take a look at some of the reasons why coffee is good for our health.
1: Coffee is High in Antioxidants
Scientists have discovered that coffee is high in antioxidants, which are important for health and longevity.
Antioxidants are essential to help the body repair itself and fight infection by removing free radicals— the chemical compounds that damage cells and cause disease. Additionally, antioxidants fight inflammation which is the body’s response to infection and an underlying cause of many chronic conditions, including arthritis.
2: Coffee Burns Fat and Can Help You Lose Weight
Yes—coffee has fat-burning properties and can help you to lose weight. Scientists have discovered that drinking a strong cup of coffee half an hour before exercising increases fat burning. They also found that it is more beneficial to perform your exercise in the afternoon when the effects are more marked than in the morning. Losing weight is hard, so make it easy on yourself and keep drinking your daily Joe to help your efforts.
3: Coffee Can Dampen Depression
Coffee may be a preventative measure against depression. Although researchers are not exactly sure how coffee curbs depression, it is possible that caffeine stimulates neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, that control mood. Researchers have found that drinking coffee can lower risk factors for depression with some experts claiming that a regular cup can reduce the risk of depression by 30%.
4: Coffee Can Enhance Exercise Performance
Coffee has been shown to improve athletic performance and enhance endurance in both the short-term and long-term. The caffeine in coffee can help increase physical performance by increasing alertness, focus, and muscle recruitment. Coffee also decreases perceived exertion during exercise. It only takes a small amount of caffeine to begin seeing its benefits, which is about the amount found in a single cup of coffee.
5: Coffee May Reduce the Risk of Developing Type II Diabetes
Chlorogenic acids have been shown in test tube studies to slow the breakdown of a carbohydrate called starch. This slowing of the breakdown process is thought to lower the amount of glucose that is released from the digestion of starch into the bloodstream. Chlorogenic acid has also been shown to reduce the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream by reducing the activity of an intestinal enzyme called alpha-glucosidase.
Chlorogenic acids are a family of chemical compounds notably found in coffee that have been linked to the prevention of diseases like diabetes, as well as other health issues.
6: Coffee May Reduce the Risk of Cancer
We may not know everything about coffee yet, but we know it contains polyphenols—a group of organic compounds that have demonstrated anti-cancer properties.
Polyphenols are incredibly powerful. They help cleanse your liver of toxins, and can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.
7: Coffee is Good For Your Heart
Coffee contains several antioxidants called chlorogenic acids. These antioxidants reduce the risk of heart disease by improving cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and preventing blood clots from forming, which can potentially lead to a heart attack or stroke.
8: Coffee Boosts Short-Term Memory
Coffee is not only a delicious drink, but it also provides health benefits that help you to be more productive. Coffee contains a stimulant called caffeine, which acts as a short-term memory booster and increases alertness.
9: Coffee May Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease
A study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity has found that caffeine intake is associated with lower levels of inflammatory cytokines, which are involved in Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, the research showed that consuming caffeine at moderate levels (about 3 cups of coffee per day) was associated with a 25% decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
10: Your Liver Loves Coffee
Coffee consumption has been linked to a lower incidence of alcoholic liver cirrhosis and has been shown to decrease the risk of liver cancer. Elevated liver enzymes are typically a reflection of damage to the liver. Subjects that drank more coffee had lower levels of enzymes. Researchers also found a 20% reduction in the risk of cirrhosis for each cup of coffee consumed per day (up to 4 cups).
The Bottom Line
Coffee is no elixir or magic bullet that can cure all your ills and make you live forever, but there does seem to be plenty of evidence that it can benefit our health in numerous ways. And isn’t it great that something we all enjoy drinking is proven to be actually good for us, rather than bad? That’s certainly worth celebrating with a cup of your favourite brew.
