A cup of coffee can help us stay alert and focused. There is a lot of misinformation out there about coffee. What effect does it have on our well-being? Is it actually good for you?
We can understand why we drink it so much after learning about the impact it has on our bodies. Many people prefer to add cream or a few teaspoons of sugar to their coffee, but it's important to remember that you can only benefit from drinking pure, unsweetened coffee.
Also, you need to choose organic coffee, without any added artificial flavors.
What happens with your body if you drink coffee every day?
1. It will increase your metabolism
This is one of the main reasons why people drink coffee regularly. All of us have been in a situation when we wake up in the morning, totally unprepared for the day ahead, and then take a cup of coffee. After the drink, we feel energized.
This is not an energy that will last for a long period of time, but it certainly helps us kick-start our day. According to the various researches on this subject, coffee can increase your metabolism after working out.
A study that was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, endurance athletes that took a cup of coffee after their workout, had 66 percent increase in muscle glycogen. This helped them to replace the energy after working out, in a very short period of time.
2. Coffee can increase the brain health
Where should we start with all the brain benefits? Well, some studies have found that drinking 3-5 cups of coffee per day can decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia by as much as 65% in middle-aged men and women. Other studies have found that a daily cup of joe can decrease the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by as much as 32-60%.
Also, drinking coffee can inhibit a type of nucleoside in the brain known as adenosine. Adenosine decreases the firing of neurons and the release of beneficial neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine within the brain. Because caffeine blocks adenosine, it therefore increases the “feel-good” chemicals within the brain.
Finally, other studies have found that coffee increases cognitive performance, mood, reaction time, memory, and alertness.
3. It makes you feel good
Researchers at the Harvard Public School of Health carried out a study that showed adult women and men that consumed 2-4 cups of caffeinated coffee on a daily basis experienced a 50 percent reduced possibility of suicide than participants that did not drink coffee at all.
Additionally, coffee possesses various antioxidants and nutrients, including manganese, potassium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, and vitamin B5. In fact, the comfort and nutrients you get from consuming a couple of cups of coffee on a daily basis can make you feel happier.
4. It reduces your skin cancer risk
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a study that showed that older adults that drank 4 or more cups of coffee daily experienced a 20 percent decreased likelihood of developing the deadliest type of skin cancer, known as malignant melanoma. Experts think that coffee helps decrease the likelihood of developing skin cancer due to its high amount of phytochemicals and antioxidants.
5. Reduces the risk of liver cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the sixth on the scale of most commonly diagnosed cancer types. Some experts believe that it is the 3rd leading cause of deaths that are related to cancer. Just one cup of coffee during the day can reduce the risk of this disease by 20 percent, two cups by 35 and four cups by 50 percent. The people from FDA warn, however, that you should not ingest more than 400 mg. of coffee in a single day.
6. It can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
According to a study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, people who had one more cup of coffee per day than their normal amount over the course of four years had an 11% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared with those who drank the same amount of coffee as normal. What’s more, the study discovered that those who decreased their coffee consumption by more than one cup per day increased their risk of Type 2 diabetes by 17%.
