Having a cup of coffee in the morning may be doing more for your health than just giving you a little lift in the morning. Coffee health benefits and drawbacks have long been debated, with defenders highlighting its antioxidant activity and brain-boosting properties and critics citing negatives such as sleeplessness, indigestion, and elevated heart rate and blood pressure. There’s good news for coffee drinkers in the newest scientific findings. Coffee may be healthy, and here are some reasons why.
Antioxidants found in coffee are very beneficial to one’s health. (Coffee health benefits)
Green tea and cocoa, two more antioxidant powerhouses, are outdone by coffee in terms of antioxidant activity. Coffee beans contain up to 1,000 antioxidants. Roasting coffee beans create hundreds of more antioxidants. Several studies have shown that coffee is a significant source of antioxidants in the diets of its participants.
Inflammation causes chronic illnesses like arthritis, atherosclerosis, and cancers. Antioxidants can combat this inflammation. Metabolism is an essential life process that ends in the formation of free radicals. These may create oxidative stress, which in turn might result in long-term illness. In other words, antioxidants protect our cells from oxidative stress, which may lead to disease. Finally, the antioxidant chlorogenic acid, present nearly solely in coffee, may also aid in preventing heart disease and high blood pressure.
Caffeine has a short-term memory-enhancing effect.
In an Austrian study, when participants got 100 milligrams of caffeine, their brain activity surged around the amount in a cup of coffee. At the same time, they conducted a memory test, as assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The researchers found that compared to the control group, which took a placebo and exhibited no increase in brain activity, the caffeinated volunteers demonstrated superior memory and response speeds.
Short-term memory seems to be boosted by caffeine, which appears to alter brain regions associated with memory and focus. It’s unclear how long this effect lasts or how it differs from person to person.
Drinking coffee might slow the aging process.
Regular coffee use may help prevent cognitive decline linked with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia by boosting brain activity and memory. According to a promising Finnish study, consuming three to five cups of coffee daily in middle age revealed a 65% lower risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia in later life. As a side note, independent research showed no link between tea consumption and cognitive impairment.
Several hypotheses explain how coffee may assist delay or even reversing the onset of cognitive deterioration. As a possible cause of Alzheimer’s disease, one notion is that coffee suppresses the formation of beta-amyloid plaque for better Coffee health benefits. Even though type 2 diabetes is a known risk factor for dementia, researchers believe that coffee consumption may reduce the likelihood of acquiring the disease.
A cup of coffee a day keeps the doctor away from your heart.
In significant Dutch research, moderate coffee consumers (those who drank between two and four cups a day) show a 20% reduced risk of heart disease compared to strong or light coffee drinkers and non-drinkers. Coffee protects against inflammation-induced artery damage, which may contribute to heart health.
Some malignancies may be slowed or even prevented by drinking coffee.
Coffee-drinking men may have a decreased chance of acquiring aggressive prostate cancer than men who don’t drink coffee. A Public Health study shows that women who consume four or more cups of coffee daily are 30 percent less likely to get endometrial cancer than those who don’t drink coffee. According to the latest findings, habitual coffee drinkers are less likely to get malignancies such as those affecting their bodies’ liver, colon, breast, and rectal regions.
Several studies have shown that the anticarcinogenic polyphenols in coffee may help decrease inflammation, which is responsible for developing various malignancies.
Drinking coffee slows Type 2 diabetes.
Daily coffee consumption results in a low risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A 2009 research indicated that each daily cup of coffee reduced the chance of acquiring diabetes by 7%. According to an epidemiological study, heavy coffee consumers (those who routinely consume four or more cups daily) have a 50% reduced chance of developing Coffee health benefits diabetes than light or non-drinkers.
There are several ways that coffee may help prevent diabetes, according to researchers:
(1) by aiding the body’s use of insulin and protecting insulin-producing cells, which allows for adequate blood sugar regulation;
(2) by preventing tissue damage; and
(3) combating inflammation increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
People with type 2 diabetes have an aberrant protein buildup known as amyloid fibrils. Caffeic acid, which is a component of coffee, reduces amyloid fibrils. Some believe that decaffeinated coffee is even better for you than regular coffee. According to some research, coffee may disrupt sugar metabolism and elevate blood sugar levels because it may reduce muscle cell insulin sensitivity. However, the importance of this discovery is not yet apparent.
Coffee is a favorite of your liver.
Coffee drinking decreases cirrhosis, particularly alcoholic cirrhosis, and a lower risk of liver cancer. Archives of Internal Medicine published research that found a 20 percent decrease in the incidence of cirrhosis for each cup of coffee taken (up to four cups).
Coffee reduces feelings of sadness and melancholy.
Numerous studies show that men and women who consume coffee have reduced incidences of depression (Coffee health benefits). Many studies have shown a correlation between excessive coffee intake and depression, with heavy coffee users having the lowest risk (up to 20%). Caffeine stimulates mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
