5 Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee


5 health benefits of drinking coffee

The more you drink, the better you feel, so let’s have coffee with every meal! Ok, maybe for some of you coffee addicts out there, consuming multiple cups of java (daily) is not a problem. But, what about others who merely drink coffee casually? Could more coffee really be a bad thing? Does this liquid gold do more than just wake you up in the morning?

Here are 5 ways to benefit your health, simply by drinking coffee:

1. Protects Against Type 2 Diabetes

Various studies, including research gathered by Harvard School of Public Health, state that increased coffee consumption may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that people (in a study of over 7,200 participants) who increased their coffee intake by more than 1-2 cups a day (over a 4-year period) had an 11% lower type 2 diabetes risk.

Some studies, specifically those conducted by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have found that some serious coffee drinkers had a 23-50% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes! With type 2 diabetes accounting for 90-95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in adults, that extra cup of coffee could be a lifesaver.

2. Protect Against Heart Disease

It is often claimed that caffeine can increase blood pressure. To be honest, this is true…but the effect is minimal (3-4 mm/Hg) and usually goes away if you drink coffee regularly. That being said, studies conclude that coffee does NOT raise the risk of heart disease.

In fact, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard School of Public Health concluded that drinking coffee in moderation (two 8oz. cups per day) protects against heart failure. People who drank two 8oz. cups on a daily basis had an 11% lower risk of heart failure, compared to those who did not. Studies have also shown that coffee drinkers have a 20% lower risk of stroke!

3. Helps You Burn Fat

Did you know that caffeine is found in almost every commercial fat burning supplement? Caffeine is one of the very few natural substances that have actually been proven to aid fat burning. Thank goodness one cup of coffee contains 95mg of caffeine!

Several studies show that caffeine can specifically increase the burning of fat, by as much as 10% in obese individuals and 29% in lean people. Just one cup of black coffee can boost calorie burning by 4% over the course of 2.5 hours. Not bad, for a casual morning ritual.

couple drinking coffee

4. Improve Memory, Mood & Energy Levels

It’s a no-brainer…drinking coffee makes you feel more energetic and endorses a positive mood, caused by the release of dopamine within your brain linked to caffeine. Caffeine also increases Epinephrine (Adrenaline) levels in the blood. This is the "fight or flight" hormone, designed to make our bodies ready for intense physical exertion. On average one cup of coffee can improve physical performance by 12%.

Coffee consumption also improves cognitive function, particularly alertness and vigilance, mood and perception of fatigue. Some studies have shown, that because of this coffee drinkers have up to a 65% lower risk of getting Alzheimer's disease.

5. Fight Depression

In a Harvard study published in 2011, women who drank 4 or more cups per day had a 20% lower risk of becoming depressed. Another study with over 208,000 individuals found that those who drank 4 or more cups per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide. 

Depression is a serious mental disorder that causes a significantly reduced quality of life. Depression affects approximately 14.8 million American adults or about 6.7% of the U.S. population ages 18 and older in a given year. If few cups of coffee can help fight off depression, sign us up!

If you'd like to benefit your health simply by drinking more coffee, look no further! All of your coffee needs can be found here.

Stay healthy, coffee lovers!

Sources: Medicalnewstoday.com, Healthline.com, Caffeineinformer.com

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