Once upon a time, coffee used to get a bad rap. The consumption of coffee was associated with an increased risk for heart disease, heightened stress responses, and other negatives.
However, coffee is now getting its due.
It turns out that a person’s daily cup of deliciousness has many surprising health benefits.
Here are 10 of the most surprising health benefits of drinking coffee.
Coffee is filled with antioxidants.
Quick! From which berry do most Americans get their antioxidants?
Those who guessed coffee berries, or more commonly known as coffee beans, would be right.
According to Medical News Today, no other source of antioxidants can even touch coffee in this respect.
Additionally, it doesn’t matter if a person drinks decaf or regular coffee.
Both versions of this delicious brown beverage pack the same antioxidant punch.
The disease-fighting antioxidants in coffee, called quinines, take on extra potency once they have been roasted.
And because Americans drink so much coffee, they get extra doses of antioxidants due to the sheer volume of coffee they choose to drink.
Coffee helps to prevent diabetes.
The data from 15 separate studies on coffee show some pretty solid evidence that drinking this popular beverage can prevent diabetes, according to WebMD.
Frank Hu, an epidemiology and nutrition professor at Harvard, has commented on the findings of nine different studies on the relationship between type 2 diabetes and coffee.
The studies tracked almost 200,000 people who admitted to drinking six or more cups of coffee every day.
The results show that these people were 35% less likely to develop/ have type 2 diabetes than those people who drink less coffee per day.
The results were consistent across the board, regardless of the person’s geographic location (in Europe and the United States), weight, gender, and other factors.
Additional research conducted in Australia suggests that for each cup of coffee a person drinks per day, his/ her risk for type 2 diabetes goes down by 7%. (Similar results were found in people who drank tea or even those who drank decaf java.)
Coffee is a cup of happiness!
Healthline.com reports that people who consumed more than four cups of coffee daily experienced depression at decreased rates compared to those who don’t.
Four-cups-a-day coffee drinkers cut their risk for depression by 20%.
Additionally, another study, which tracked over 200,000 people, who said that they drink four or more cups of coffee a day, were less likely to die by suicide by as much as 53%.
This is very good news for those who make a whole pot of coffee and drink it up every day.
Drinking coffee helps to protect your liver.
Speaking of people who drink four cups of coffee a day or more… These folks also show a reduced risk for liver disease.
A study that followed alcohol drinkers who consumed coffee found that coffee drinkers cut their risk of cirrhosis by 22%.
It is assumed that coffee must have an ingredient that shields the liver against liver disease, including the cirrhosis that arises from the consumption of alcohol.
Further, the results of a study, which was published in the journal Hematology, showed that even drinking decaf coffee can lower the enzyme levels in the liver.
This leads researchers to conclude that the liver health benefits found in coffee are not related to its caffeine content.
People who want to reduce their risk of developing liver disease can drink two or more cups of coffee a day to reduce their risk of liver disease by almost 70%.
Coffee helps your liver in more than one way!
As if reduced risk for liver disease weren’t good enough news, researchers in Italy have concluded that some coffee drinkers are at reduced risk of getting liver cancer.
Those who drink three cups of Joe a day or more can reduce their liver cancer risk by 50% or more.
Coffee is a great source of vitamins.
Some people detest taking vitamins every day: The number of tablets that a person needs to take to remain healthy can really add up.
However, coffee drinkers get a little extra nutrition via their daily cup of coffee.
A single cup contains the following nutrients:
- Vitamin B5 – 6% RDA
- Vitamin B2 – 11% RDA
- B3 and B1 – 2% RDA
- Manganese and potassium – 3% RDA
- Niacin and magnesium – 2% RDA
Coffee gives you higher exercise performance.
Many would not think of downing a cup of java before heading to the gym or out for a run. That’s too bad.
On average, exercisers who consumed caffeine before a workout showed a 11% to 12% increase in performance.
Drinking coffee helps to increased fat loss.
Related to how caffeinated coffee can increase exercise performance is its ability to help the body burn fat.
Drinking coffee can increase the body’s adrenaline levels. It also provides a stimulant to the nervous system, which gives the body a signal to burn fat.
Once the body breaks down these excess fats, it can use them as fuel.
Coffee makes you smarter?
For those who want to boost their brain’s powers, the source of super genius may just be in their morning cup of coffee.
The caffeine in coffee blocks adenosine, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
This, in turn, increases the release of norepinephrine and dopamine, which are powerful neurotransmitters.
To put simply, this winds up increasing the brain’s firing power.
Coffee can help you live a longer life!
Who doesn’t want to live longer? According to a report on the Harvard University website, drinking coffee in moderation – that is between three and four cups a day – has been shown to increase the lifespan by as much as 15%.
The largest reductions in risk of death appeared in those who drank more rather than less coffee.
Final Thoughts on Drinking Coffee for Health:
Coffee is not just one of the most popular drinks in the world, it packs a really healthy punch.
From helping to reduce the risk of diseases, like type 2 diabetes and liver cancer to increasing the body’s ability to lose weight, its benefits are numerous.
Those who drink four or more cups of coffee a day have been shown to reap the most health benefits, making it not only acceptable but even smart to drink copious amounts of coffee each day.
A person’s health depends on it.
