selectvenue Whether you’re cradling a travel mug on your way to work or dashing out after spin class to refuel with a skinny latte, it’s hard to imagine a day without it. The caffeine perks you up, and there’s something incredibly soothing about sipping a steaming cup of joe. But is drinking coffee good for you?
Coffee has been both praised and mocked for centuries. It has been blamed to cause impotence and madness, other times a cure for laziness or “gift from heaven”. Caffeine, the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, is the best known ingredient of coffee. Its beneficial effects on the human body has been researched quite well, but coffee as a whole is a complex beverage with a thousand different substances. Some studies argue that decaf and caffeinated coffee may have the same health effects and suggest that it’s not the caffeine that is responsible for most of coffee’s health benefits.
Coffee contains about a thousand different botanical compounds. Scientists haven’t studied all of them well, but the news so far gets two thumbs up. Coffee comes from beans and is a source of nutrients, including B vitamins, potassium and riboflavin. The beans are also rich in antioxidants, compounds that protect cells against damage. Here are some points which shows how drinking coffee is healthy for the people.
Coffee contains Antioxidants
Coffee beans are actually the seeds inside a small bright red or yellow fruit. Both the seeds and fruit are rich in antioxidants. In fact, one study found coffee to be the single greatest contributor to total antioxidant intake.
This is likely because 65% of American adults say they drink coffee, while only one in 10 eat the minimum recommended five daily servings of fruits and veggies. In other words, coffee becomes the top source of antioxidants by default.
Nonetheless, the antioxidants in coffee have been linked to health protection. Chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol abundant in coffee, has been shown to reduce inflammation, and it may play a key role in protection against chronic diseases, including obesity.
And just in case you’re wondering about the coffee fruit, it can be turned into compost, or dried and brewed as tea. It’s also being used in products like energy drinks, since the fruit also contains caffeine.
Coffee decrease risk of Alzheimer’s
Almost two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease are women. But the caffeine in two cups of coffee may provide significant protection against developing the condition. In fact, researchers found that women age 65 and older who drank two to three cups of coffee a day were less likely to develop dementia in general.
Coffee reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
A 2018 meta-analysis of 30 previously published studies concluded that coffee consumption is inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that chance of developing the disease decreased by 6% for each cup per day increase in coffee consumption. Scientists say the possible reasons for the link include coffee’s antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, ability to boost calorie burning, and impact on the content and diversity of health-protective gut microbes.
Coffee supports happiness
One study from a few years back confirmed what many of us intuitively believe: coffee is happy juice. Researchers found that drinking coffee is linked to positive emotions, including pleasure, kindness, affection, satisfaction, friendship, calm, and yes, happiness. The findings also noted that no negative emotions were tied to coffee consumption. Another Harvard study of over 50,000 women found that depression risk decreased as caffeinated coffee consumption increased.
Coffee give your workout a Boost
Several studies have shown that in moderation, caffeine enhances athletic performance. The effects include improved circulation, increases in muscular strength, endurance, and power, plus reduced pain. That may help you push just a little bit harder during workouts, resulting in better improvements in muscle strength and/or endurance.
A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that muscle carbohydrate stores are replenished more rapidly when athletes consume both carbs and caffeine following exhaustive exercise. Compared to carbohydrates alone, the combo resulted in a 66% increase in muscle glycogen (the storage form of carbs) four hours after intense exercise. This surge in energy reserves ups your ability to exercise harder and/or longer the next time you’re ready to get your heart rate up.
