What Are the Benefits of Drinking Coffee?
Scientific research has uncovered some facts about drinking coffee. It is true that coffee has its good and bad points but overall as the studies show, the positive aspects surpass the negatives of drinking coffee.
Although coffee originates in Ethiopia and the Arabian peninsula, it is one of the favorite drinks of the Western world and its consumption is widespread in Europe and America.
Its main component, caffeine, is a psychoactive drug with important effects on our nervous system and, in recent times, it has been the subject of numerous scientific studies.
Coffee is not only a powerful stimulant (something good for some things, bad for others), it also has a preventive effect in the onset of diseases such as diabetes or some types of cancer.
These are the top ten reasons why coffee is beneficial to the health.
Table of Contents - Click To Jump Ahead
- 1 Keeps us alert
- 2 It helps us burn fat
- 3 Improve our physical performance
- 4 Contains essential nutrients
- 5 Decreases the risk of diabetes
- 6 Reduces the possibility of suffering from neurodegenerative diseases
- 7 Protects the liver from cirrhosis
- 8 Fights Depression
- 9 Reduces the risk of certain types of cancer
- 10 May reduce the risk of a heart attack
Keeps us alert
Caffeine is the most important component of coffee and the most consumed psychoactive in the world.
Many human studies show that coffee helps to improve a number of aspects of the brain such as our energy levels, our mood and memory. It is also known to help our reaction time.
In exchange for these advantages, over consumption of coffee can keep us awake at nights, which can lead to sleep disorders. That’s why most experts recommend not drinking more than three or four cups a day.
It helps us burn fat
Caffeine is present in most dietary supplements that are supposed to help us lose weight. It is one of the few natural substances that help to burn fat. The only bad news is that these positive effects of caffeine decrease if you drink excessive amount of coffee.
Improve our physical performance
Many athletes drink several cups of coffee before competing because caffeine raises adrenaline levels. This hormone prepares our body for exceptional physical exertion. Personally, I know a lot of people that drink coffee just before starting any gym activity.
It causes fat cells to break down body fat, releasing it as free fatty acids, which we use as fuel when we exercise.
Contains essential nutrients
We usually think of coffee as a simple mixture of water and caffeine, but the infusion has many other essential nutrients for our body.
A cup of coffee contains vitamin B2, vitamin B5, manganese, niacin, magnesium and potassium.
Coffee is also the largest source of antioxidants in the western diet as it contains more than most fruits and vegetables.
Decreases the risk of diabetes
Type 2 diabetes, the most common one, can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle, maintaining a correct weight and exercising. But caffeine also seems to play a role in the equation.
Studies have shown that people who consume coffee have less risk of diabetes. Why this happens is not very clear, but there is enough research to support that coffee seems to prevent the onset of this disease.
Reduces the possibility of suffering from neurodegenerative diseases
So far, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s, these two major neurodegenerative diseases which are becoming more common due to the progressive aging of the population.
Several studies show that coffee drinkers may be 65% less likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and 32% to 60% less likely to suffer from Parkinson’s disease (the percentage varies due to various studies.)
It seems that caffeine is primarily responsible for this, since decaffeinated drinkers do not show the same results in the studies.
Protects the liver from cirrhosis
The liver is the most voluminous and functional visceral organ in our body. One of the most common diseases in this is cirrhosis due to alcoholism and hepatitis.
Combining spirits with coffees will not prevent you from suffering this ailment and it’s important that you drink in moderation, but it seems that people who drink 4 cups of coffee a day have 80% less chances of suffering from this ailment
According to a Harvard University study, the risk of depression decreases when we increase coffee consumption, at least in women, with whom the study was conducted.
Again, caffeine is responsible for this reduction since the women who consumed decaf did not show any improvement.
In addition, moderate coffee consumption can significantly reduce the chances of committing suicide.
According to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, those who drink coffee on a daily basis commit suicide by up to 50% less than people who do not consume this beverage at all or who drink decaffeinated coffee.
The right amount is between two and four cups of coffee a day.
Reduces the risk of certain types of cancer
Researchers at the American Society for Nutrition found that drinking coffee in high amounts reduces the risk of colon cancer.
The study was carried out on more than half a million people and discarded the benefits of decaffeination.
Finally, a Swedish study that came to light last year also linked the high consumption of caffeine (five or more cups daily) to a reduction in breast cancer.
May reduce the risk of a heart attack
It is known that caffeine increases blood pressure, but it does not increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, quite the opposite, it seems to prevent heart attacks.
Several studies carried out during the last decade precisely relate consumption of coffee in moderate amounts with a reduction in the risk of suffering heart failure.
In conclusion, drinking coffee has many benefits for our health, which can make us love this great beverage even more.