Cup of coffee anyone? Just when you thought it couldn’t get better, research has once again proven that
your morning cup of coffee is much more than a widely held stimulant – it is also healthy for your body.
Here are some of the best health benefits of coffee.
1.It is a great source of potent antioxidants
Research has shown that coffee is way more powerful than cocoa and green tea (two legendary
antioxidants) when it comes to antioxidant activity. Unprocessed coffee beans contain about one thousand
known antioxidants, with hundreds more developing during the roasting process.
Antioxidants help to reduce inflammation, which is responsible for several chronic conditions such as
numerous types of cancer, atherosclerosis, and arthritis. They also work against free radicals born naturally
from everyday metabolic functions, which can lead to oxidative stress that can cause chronic disease. This
simply means antioxidants protect your cells from damage at the micro-level in order to keep you healthy.
Furthermore, chlorogenic acid, a key antioxidant that is unique to coffee, has been shown to reduce the
risk of cardiovascular disease.
2.It provides an instant memory boost
Measurements conducted by fMRI (or functional magnetic resonance imagery) have shown that consuming
approximately 100mg of caffeine (around one cup of coffee) can increase your brain activity when
performing a memory task.
It appears that caffeine has a direct impact on the parts of your brain responsible for concentration and
memory by providing an instant boost to your short term memory. Unfortunately, the period of this impact
is not yet conclusive, and it seems to vary from one person to the next.
3.Coffee can help reduce cognitive decline
Consuming coffee on a regular basis can also help prevent cognitive decline, which can lead to various types
of dementia, most notably Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, drinking 3 to 5 cups of coffee every day has been
associated with a reduced risk of dementia in later life by up to 65 percent!
Caffeine works by preventing the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque, which is partly responsible for the
onset and development of Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee also helps slow the progression of dementia by
lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, one of the risk factors for the condition.
4.Your Heart Loves Coffee
A certain landmark Dutch study found that drinking coffee on a moderate basis (basically 2-4 cups per day)
can reduce your risk for heart disease by 20 percent! Some evidence has linked coffee to supporting heart
health by preventing arterial damaged brought about by inflammation.
5.It can help contain certain cancers
For men, regular consumption of coffee can lower your chances of developing aggressive prostate cancer!
What’s more, women who take more than four cups of coffee have a lower risk (25% to be exact) of
developing endometrial cancer as compared to those who take one to no cups of coffee a day. Studies have
also linked regular coffee drinking to lower rates of rectal, breast, colon, and liver cancers.
Coffee is rich in anticarcinogenic properties in the form of polyphenols and antioxidant phytochemicals,
which are believed to ease the inflammation associated with certain tumors.
6.Coffee can help prevent type 2 diabetes
In fact, you can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 7% for every cup of coffee you
take on a daily basis. There are several ways in which coffee is believed to curb diabetes:
*Preventing tissue damage
*Helping your body utilize insulin and facilitating efficient blood sugar regulation by protecting insulin-
producing cells.
*Fighting inflammation, a proven risk factor for type II diabetes.
In particular, coffee contains a high concentration of a compound referred to as caffeic acid, which is very
useful at countering the toxic buildup of amyloid fibrils (abnormal protein deposits) found in those suffering
from type 2 diabetes.
7.Coffee is good for your liver
Apart from fighting the onset of liver cancer, coffee can also help prevent the development of alcoholic
cirrhosis by an astonishing 20% for every cup you take.
Coffee drinking has an inverse impact on blood levels of your liver enzymes. Increased liver enzyme levels in
your body are a sign of inflammation and damage to your liver.
8.It can boost your exercise performance
While it is widely believed that caffeine has a dehydrating effect on our body, recent studies suggest that
moderate consumption (typically 5 cups or 500mg per day) may not be dehydrating enough to interfere
with your workout. In fact, coffee helps fight fatigue and increase your endurance.
Caffeine is a proven endurance and performance booster, battling fatigue while strengthening muscle
contraction, increasing fatty acids in your blood, and reducing your perception of pain, all of which enhance
endurance.
9.Coffee eases depression
The fact that coffee drinking leads to reduced rates of depression is old news. Several studies have already
revealed an inverse relationship between depression and coffee intake. Caffeine works by stimulating
neurotransmitters that regulate mood, including serotonin and dopamine.
The effects of caffeine vary from one individual to the next. In case you experience any negative side
effects, you may want to cut back on your consumption. Once it is in your body, caffeine takes about 6
hours for its effects to wear off. It is, therefore, advisable to limit your intake to earlier in the day to avoid
interfering with your sleep or better yet, shift to decaf, which contains only about 2-12 milligrams of
caffeine for every eight ounces. On the other hand, go for a basic black coffee instead of the sugar-laden
coffee beverages. And if the worst comes to the worst, switch to unsweetened nut or soy milk or plain
whole milk!
