Good news for coffee lovers around the world: in addition to helping you wake up in the morning, coffee has a number of health benefits and can even help prevent certain conditions. So let’s examine how coffee positively affects your well-being:
1. Coffee decreases your risk of depression
It doesn’t come as a surprise, does it? There is a Harvard study that linked coffee consumption in women with 20% decrease in their risk of depression. This is probably why some people like to call coffee “a morning cup of joy”!
2. Coffee can boost your cognitive performance
Coffee increases the production of certain neurotransmitters, including dopamine (which some people like to call “happiness hormone”) and epinephrine (also called adrenaline, ‘fight-or-flight’ hormone). Coffee increases your mental alertness (you sure already know it!)
Yes, coffee is delicious and beneficial by itself, but you can add some taste and value to your regular cup with some surprising additives. Have you ever considered outting salt in your coffee? Do you know why many people around the world do it? Find out the answer and other intersting facts in the video.
3. Coffee seems to help prevent neurodegenerative diseases
There are studies that show a connection between coffee consumption and reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. But to help you prevent Parkinson’s your coffee needs to be caffeinated – decaf coffee has no effect on the prevention of the disease.
4. Coffee plays a role in prevention of heart disease and stroke
Many people used to think the opposite. But recent studies suggest that coffee can actually help prevent heart diseases, stroke, and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat, which is linked to heart attacks and stroke). While people with low blood pressure don’t have to worry much about their caffeine intake, people with high blood pressure should be careful – that’s because coffee increases blood pressure even more.
5. Coffee helps decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes
When it comes to the prevention of type 2 diabetes, evidence in favor of coffee is overwhelming. The amount of coffee you consume is proportionate to the decrease in your risk of type 2 diabetes. But you still have to watch you coffee intake – too much of anything can be bad for you.
6. Coffee can help prevent the formation of gallstones
Caffeine is good for prevention of gallstones. For caffeine to be effective for this purpose, you’ll have to consume at least 400 mg of caffeine daily.
7. Your liver seems to love coffee
There’s sound evidence that coffee reduces the risk of liver problems, including liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. Again, the amount of coffee you consume is directly proportionate to the decrease in the risk of liver diseases.
8. Coffee may help reduce your risk of colorectal cancer
In addition to lowering the risk of liver cancer, coffee seems to help reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, which is the fourth deadliest type of cancer, liver cancer being the third.
But the way your coffee is prepared matters. Ground coffee is, of course, healthier than instant coffee. And it’s best to drink your coffee without additives, such as sugar, syrups, cream, and milk, if you want to keep your coffee low-calorie. In addition to that, it’s best to drink coffee in the first half of the day.
