Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Thanks to its high levels of antioxidants and beneficial nutrients, it also appears to be healthy. Studies show that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop many serious diseases.
Benefits of coffee
There are good reasons to drink coffee and there are several reasons not to drink it. This article is for those who are looking for reasons to continue drinking it.
1. It can improve energy levels and make you smarter
Coffee can help people feel tired and increase energy levels (s, s). This is because it contains a stimulant called caffeine - the most common psychoactive substance in the world (s).
After drinking coffee, the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream. From there it travels to your brain (s). In the brain, caffeine blocks the inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine.
When this happens, the amount of other neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine increases, resulting in enhanced firing of neurons (s, s).
2. It can protect you from diabetes 2
In 2014, researchers who collected data on more than 48,000 people found that those who increased their coffee consumption by at least one cup per day over 4 years had an 11% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who did not increase their coffee intake (s).
A meta-analysis from 2017 concluded that people who drink four to six cups of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee each day appear to be less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, including type 2 diabetes (s).
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3. It can enhance your physical performance
Drink a cup of coffee about an hour before your workout and your performance can improve by 11-12%.
Caffeine increases the levels of adrenaline in the blood. Adrenaline is a hormone in your body that helps you prepare for physical exertion (s, s).
4. It can help you burn fat
Caffeine is found in nearly every commercial fat-burning supplement — and for good reason. It is one of the few natural substances that have been shown to help burn fat.
Several studies show that caffeine can increase the metabolic rate by 3-11% (s, s). Other studies show that caffeine can specifically increase fat burning by up to 10% in obese individuals and 29% in thin people (s).
However, long-term coffee drinkers may have less of these effects.
5. It can protect you from Parkinson's disease
One team concluded that men who drink more than four cups of coffee per day may have a five times lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease than those who don't (s).
Additionally, the caffeine in coffee may help control the movement of people with Parkinson's disease, according to a 2012 study (s).
The results of the 2017 analysis indicated a link between coffee consumption and a lower risk of Parkinson's disease, even among people who smoke.
This team also found that coffee drinkers may be less likely to develop depression and cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
However, there was not enough evidence to prove that drinking decaffeinated coffee would help prevent Parkinson's disease (s).
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6. Coffee can help you focus and stay alert
Moderate caffeine intake, 1-6 cups per day, helps focus and improve mental alertness (s).
7. Contains essential nutrients
Many of the nutrients in coffee beans make their way into the final brewed coffee. One cup of coffee contains (s):
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDI.
- Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.
- Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDI.
- Magnesium and Niacin (Vitamin B3): 2% of the RDA.
Although this may not seem like a big deal, most people enjoy several cups a day - allowing those amounts to build up quickly.
8. It can protect you from liver cancer
Italian researchers found that coffee consumption reduces the risk of developing liver cancer (s) by about 40%. Some findings suggest that people who drink three cups a day may have a 50% lower risk.
Also, a 2019 review of the literature concluded that “coffee intake may reduce the risk of liver cancer” (s).
9. It can protect you from other liver diseases
A meta-analysis from 2017 concluded that drinking any type of coffee appears to reduce the risk of liver cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis (s).
Also, a 2014 study suggested a link between coffee consumption and a lower risk of death from cirrhosis associated with nonviral hepatitis.
The researchers suggested that drinking two or more cups of coffee per day may reduce the risk by 66% (s).
10. It can reduce the risk of death
Studies have shown that coffee drinkers have a 25% lower risk of early death than those who do not drink coffee (s).
11. It can protect you from Alzheimer's disease and dementia
There are many things you can do to prevent the disease from happening.
This includes the usual suspects such as healthy eating and exercise, but drinking coffee can also be incredibly effective.
Several studies suggest that coffee drinkers have up to a 65% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (s, s).
12. It can protect you from the risk of cancer
One study showed that coffee may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men by 20%, and endometrial cancer in women by 25% (s).
People in the test group drank four cups of coffee per day.
Caffeine may also prevent the development of basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer (s).
13. Coffee can reduce the risk of stroke
Reasonable consumption of coffee (2-4 cups per day) is linked to a lower risk of stroke (s).
14. It can improve heart health
One 2012 study concluded that drinking coffee in moderation, or eating two 8 servings daily, may protect against heart failure (s).
People who drank moderate amounts of coffee each day had an 11% lower risk of developing heart failure than those who did not.
A 2017 meta-analysis found that caffeine consumption may have at least a small benefit for cardiovascular health, including blood pressure (s).
15. It can protect your body
Coffee contains a lot of antioxidants that act as little warriors that fight and protect the body from free radicals (s).
16. It can protect your brain
High levels of caffeine in the blood reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. It also reduces the risk of dementia (s).