There are several health benefits of coffee if you drink it in moderation. However, too much of it may cause some side effects too.
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. The daily consumption of coffee is about 2.3 billion cups all over the world.
There are some healthy nutrients and antioxidants present in the coffee which gives some good reasons to drink it. Here are the top 10 science-based health benefits of drinking coffee.
Health Benefits Of Coffee
1. Improves Focus And Energy Levels
Several studies show that coffee can help in increasing energy levels and improves the ability to focus. It also helps in reducing tiredness. This all makes possible due to the presence of a substance called caffeine in coffee (1).
Coffee is high in caffeine which is a powerful stimulant and acts as a neurotransmitter. When you drink coffee, caffeine instantly mixes in your bloodstream and from there it reaches your brain.
Caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine due to which the number of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine increase. It enhances the firing of neurons in your brain (2).
It improves various functions of your brain including focus, mood, memory, energy levels, etc. Due to these reasons, it benefits you to drink coffee before a workout or before office.
SUMMARY: Coffee contains caffeine which stimulates your brain and improves alertness, focus, and energy levels.
2. Boosts Physical And Athletic Performance
Caffeine present in coffee, not only stimulates your nervous system, but it also increases the adrenaline levels in your blood (3).
Adrenaline is a fight-or-flight hormone that helps your body to do physical work with more intensity. It also reduces fatigue during any physical activity.
Several studies show that coffee helps in improving athletic performance especially in high-intensity and endurance-based exercises (4). As compared to beginners, it is much more beneficial for advanced-level athletes (5)
However, there is not much conclusive evidence on the impact of coffee on strength and power.
Due to these benefits, it is advisable to have a cup of strong black coffee before a workout. It improves your athletic performance and helps in making a better mind-muscle during exercise.
SUMMARY: Caffeine increases adrenaline levels in your blood which helps in improving your physical performance.
3. Coffee Has Fat Burning Properties
This is one of the most wonderful health benefits of coffee. Due to the presence of caffeine and other stimulants, there are several fat burning effects of coffee. In fact, almost every fat loss supplement you see in the market contains caffeine as a major ingredient.
In addition, a high amount of caffeine present in coffee boosts your metabolism, which further helps in burning more calories throughout the day. Studies show that it can increase your metabolism by up to 10% (6).
It’s fat loss benefits becomes, even more, better when you drink coffee before a workout. Studies show that it can burn up to 30% more stored fat when consumed before exercise. Another study shows that in place of glycogen, it causes fat cells to be used as energy (7, 8).
SUMMARY: Several studies shows that it increases fat burning and boosts metabolism. Coffee becomes even more effective when consumed before a workout.
4. Reduces The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is a major health problem and millions of people are suffering from it all over the world. It is caused due to the elevated levels of blood sugar caused by insulin resistance or an inability to secrete insulin.
Several studies show that coffee can help in protecting against type 2 diabetes. According to a review of 18 studies, regular consumption of coffee reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 7% (9).
Another study done in 2017 found that people who drink four to six cups of coffee regularly show a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (10).
SUMMARY: Several studies show that regular coffee drinkers have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
5. Can Help In Fight Depression And Reduce Stress
In today’s hectic lifestyle, depression is a common mental problem worldwide and may lead to suicide.
A study conducted at Harvard Medical School shows that coffee is associated with a reduced risk of suicide (11).
Another study conducted at women found that women who drink 4 or more cups of coffee were 20% less likely to suffer from depression (12).
SUMMARY: Coffee is linked with a reduced risk of developing depression which leads to lower suicide risk.
6. Coffee Drinkers May Have A Lower Risk Of Heart Disease
This is one of the lesser-known health benefits of coffee. However, coffee is linked with an increase in blood pressure but the effects are small and disappear if you consume coffee regularly.
A 2017 study found that coffee consumption benefits you in cardiovascular health and in blood pressure also (13).
People who drink coffee in a moderate amount have a 10% less risk of heart failure than those who do not drink. One study done in 2012 found that moderate consumption of coffee i.e, two to three cups per day, may protect against heart failure (14).
SUMMARY: Studies show that moderate consumption of coffee benefits you in cardiovascular health and may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
7. Good For Your Liver
The liver is the largest organ in your body and responsible for hundreds of important functions. Coffee may benefit the health of your liver.
A 2017 study shows that drinking coffee is directly linked with reducing the risk of some common liver diseases. These include the risk of liver cancer and fatty liver disease (15).
Coffee can also protect you against cirrhosis. It’s a serious problem in which some portion of your liver is replaced by scar tissues. Studies show that people who drink 4 or more cups of coffee per day can have up to 80% less risk of this problem (16, 17).
SUMMARY: Drinking coffee benefits you in maintaining your liver health and may protect you from cirrhosis and some common liver diseases.
8. May Protect From Neurodegenerative Diseases
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are the two most common neurodegenerative diseases all over the world. Alzheimer’s is the topmost and leading cause of dementia whereas Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative problem.
These diseases are caused due to the death of dopamine generating neurons in the brain. There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s therefore, this is one of the most important health benefits of coffee.
A healthy diet and regular exercise help in preventing Alzheimer’s but drinking coffee are also effective. A meta-analysis of four studies shows that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 65% (18).
Coffee is also associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease. Studies show that regular coffee drinkers have about 50% less risk of Parkinson’s disease (19).
SUMMARY: Several studies show that coffee can reduce the risk of the 2 most common neurodegenerative diseases – Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
9. Rich Source of Antioxidants
Coffee is an amazing source of antioxidants. Having enough antioxidants in your diet is very important to reduce the risk of some major chronic degenerative diseases. Antioxidants also help in destroying free radicals in your body.
Among all the beverages, coffee account for a very high proportion of dietary antioxidants. In fact, coffee is one of the healthiest beverages on earth (20).
However, fruits and vegetables are the primary sources of antioxidants but for many people, it is not feasible to eat them enough. Studies show that people who are not into fruits and vegetables can get enough antioxidants from coffee alone (21).
SUMMARY: Coffee provides you very powerful antioxidants which makes it one of the healthiest beverages.
10. Coffee Contains Some Essential Nutrients
Along with enough antioxidants, coffee also contains some nutrients which are essential for good health. A regular cup of black coffee (without sugar, milk or cream) gives you only about two calories and contains the following nutrients (22):
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2): 0.2 mg – 11% of the RDI.
- Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5): 0.6 mg – 6% of the RDI.
- Niacin (vitamin B3): 0.5 mg – 2% of the RDI.
- Potassium: 116 mg – 3% of the RDI.
- Manganese: 0.1 mg – 3% of the RDI.
- Caffeine: 95 mg
You may be thinking that these amounts are very less as compared to your daily requirements, but many people drink several cups of coffee a day – which makes these amounts a good deal.
SUMMARY: Coffee contains several essential vitamins (B2, B3, and B5) and minerals (potassium and manganese).
Health Benefits Of Coffee – In A Nutshell
So these were the top 10 science-based health benefits of drinking coffee. Along with improving mood and alertness, coffee has some fat loss benefits too.
It is also good for your heart and liver and helps in some neurodegenerative diseases. I recommend you to drink only black coffee as sugar and cream reduces its health quotient.
One more thing to remember is that everything has its limits. So make sure to drink coffee in a moderate amount. It is high in caffeine and there are some harmful effects of high caffeine intake.
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