Why is coffee good for you? Here are 10 reasons
The benefits of coffee are now undeniable, even though they were questioned by the world until recently. Now scientists are actively studying coffee beans and coffee drinks. And we will share information from reliable sources — databases of the National Institutes of Health, sharing all the good reasons to drink coffee, and reap the well-known health benefits.
Coffee boosts energy levels
Heavy coffee drinkers can’t wake up without their favorite cup of coffee. It’s all about caffeine, a known central nervous system stimulant. The caffeine exposure effects on the body are well studied: the substance changes the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. Adenosine is blocked, and the amount of other neurotransmitters increases. A person experiences dopamine pleasure, which is why they feel like coffee gives them energy and helps cheer them up.
The benefits of morning coffee for people with active lifestyles have been well-researched by scientists.Research suggests that:
- caffeine, as an ergogenic agent, has a great effect on endurance during exercise;
- older people who drink coffee have better physical performance, which is reflected in higher walking speeds;
- coffee enhances an athlete’s performance and the exertion is perceived as less strenuous;
- there are special reasons to drink coffee for golfers and cyclists — it increases subjective energy levels and reduces fatigue.
Scientists have calculated how long caffeine lasts in the body. It’s eliminated from the body in 12 hours, with a half-life of 6 hours. This means that about 6 hours a person feels the effect of the substance. The benefits of coffee in the morning is unquestionable, but after 16:00 it is better to limit the consumption of caffeine.
Coffee keeps you hydrated
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And we continue to list the reasons why coffee is good for you. A new fact — coffee helps you stay hydrated. A 2005 study by the American Society for Nutrition broke the old myth about the diuretic effect of caffeinated drinks. If you drink coffee daily, there is no dehydration effect, and your favorite drink is indistinguishable from regular water. However, if a person abstains from caffeine for a long time and then starts drinking coffee, there is an increased risk of potassium and sodium excretion, increasing urine by 41%.
Here are some interesting coffee health facts to help figure out what coffee does to our bodies. A daily cup of cremoso coffee provides the same amount of moisture as water. You can drink up to 4 cups of coffee daily and not feel the effects of dehydration. But to do so, caffeine intake must become a habit.
Coffee helps you lose weight
One of the most common reasons why people drink coffee is to lose weight. Here are some coffee health facts in relation to weight loss:
- contains only 0.5 calories.
- coffee consumption reduces fat cell deposition in women and men;
- delicious coffee medicine supports intestinal health;
- coffee helps to lose weight through sports, because it helps with maintaining a high level of physical activity.
Drinking coffee helps you lose weight if you drink up to two cups of coffee a day. The importance of coffee for weight loss is discussed in a 2018 Luciana Torquati study.
Coffee support brain health
Coffee helps with reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and slows the progression of Parkinson’s disease. So, if you’re a fan of this drink, you might be also unknowingly reducing risk of developing dementia or any other type of cognitive impairment.
The important thing is to drink coffee in moderation and regularly. The pros of coffee drinking were analyzed by Qing-Ping Liu (2016), Philip Scheltens (2020), Yuan Zhang (2021).
Coffee helps relieve headaches
Coffee is good for headaches, which are caused by dilated blood vessels. Coffee and headaches are related through caffeine, which has a vasoconstrictor effect. The active ingredient also enhances the effects of analgesics, ibuprofen. You should also understand that excessive drinking of coffee can also cause migraine. As with everything else in life, moderation is key.
Coffee antioxidants can also neutralize free radicals. We recommend you to drink Scandinavian (light) roasting coffee without adding milk, so as to saturate yourself with trigonelline, which restores health of blood vessels and capillaries, and chlorogenic acid, which increases the elasticity of vascular tissues and normalizes blood pressure.
These health facts about coffee were revealed by a study by Elizabeth Mostofsky (2019). Her research discovered that people who drank less than one cup per day experienced headaches after 1—2 servings of the drink. If the regular coffee consumption was at least one cup, but no more than two, there were no problems with migraines. Triple servings and more again increased the risks.
Coffee improves blood circulation
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There is no single answer to the question of whether should I drink coffee. On the one hand, coffee consumption stimulates your heart rate. If your heart rate is above 90 beats per minute and you suffer from uncontrolled blood pressure, refrain from a cup of coffee to keep your heart healthy.
And at the same time, there is evidence from Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo (2018) that 3–5 cups a day provide a significantly lower risk of heart disease by 15%. Good things about coffee are also described by Chuan Shao: a 21% lower risk of stroke in coffee drinkers with a daily caffeine consumption of 3–4 cups.
Coffee good for your liver
A person who has coffee in the morning and throughout the day is less likely to die from chronic liver disease:
- 15% when consuming 1 cup;
- 71% with the consumption of 4 cups.
An early research by Sebastian Niezen (2022) showed that coffee reduces liver stiffness (fibrosis). And there’s also information that the active ingredients in the drink facilitate a lower risk of developing serious liver diseases like scarring and cancer. That’s another reason why is coffee healthy.
Coffee is great for skin
Do you like to take coffee in the morning? It’s a good habit for your skin: it reduces the incidence of melanoma, and the antioxidants in it also fight skin aging. However, if you drink too much coffee, you can end up being dehydrated and have more acne.
Coffee lowers stress
And it also has a positive effect on mental health. Coffee drinkers suffer less from depression and are less likely to commit suicide. The advantages of coffee have been described by scientists Longfei Wang (2016), Michel Lucas (2014). Their research shows that health benefits of coffee depend on the regularity and dosage of consumption, the closer to 4 cups, the better.
Coffee is full of essential nutrients
Why is coffee good for you? Primarily because of its toning and stimulating effect on various body systems. In addition, people who drink coffee have an accelerated metabolism, a better memory, and no problems with potency.
Coffee nutritional benefits (a standard cup without sugar):
- 2 kcal;
- 0.1 g carbohydrates;
- 0.2 g of proteins;
- 22.3 g dietary fiber;
- 5.7 mg of saturated fatty acids;
- 0.17 mg of vitamin B1;
- 2.7 mg of vitamin E;
- 19.7 mg of vitamin PP;
- 5.3 mg of iron.
How to drink coffee healthy: focus on 1–4 cups per day, if there are no contraindications like insomnia, hypertension, glaucoma, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease.