Did you know that the smell of coffee is enough to wake you up? But coffee health benefits extend further than just keeping us awake. In fact, after green tea, coffee is one of the healthiest beverages you can consume on a daily basis. This is because coffee beans are packed with antioxidants and a large number of nutrients that can help the body function at its best. And this is not just a mere assumption, but it’s backed up by recent studies. It has been shown that people who drink black coffee on a daily basis have lower risks to develop certain diseases, so you might want to think twice before quitting drinking coffee.
1. Coffee can help burn fat
As long as you don’t order extra whipped cream, the caffeine in organic coffee will help your body burn fat. It has been proven that caffeine is among the few natural compounds that have the ability to help burn fat. More studies have proven that caffeine can, in fact, boost the metabolic rate of the body by 3 to 11 percent. Other experiments went even further and showed that caffeine can increase fat burning in obese patients by 10 percent and by 29 percent in slim people. However, this beneficial effect might not work at its full capacity for long-term drinkers.
2. Energy booster
Ever noticed how your mood becomes better as soon as you drink a cup of Turkish coffee? Studies have proven that it’s not just the placebo effect that makes us feel more energized and happy. In fact, coffee can decrease fatigue and boost energy levels. This is owed to caffeine, which is a stimulant that holds the title of the most popular psychoactive substance worldwide. As soon as you drink a cup of coffee, the bloodstream absorbs the caffeine and reached the brain. Here, it blocks Adenosine, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. When this process takes place, other neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, increase, and neurons enhancing begins. Some trials focused on proving how coffee improves certain brain functions. These have shown that caffeine that boost reaction times, memory, vigilance, mood and even general cognitive function. However, these benefits don’t apply to decaf.
3. Essential nutrients
There’s more to coffee than caffeine. A great number of the nutrients make it in your cup of black water. A single cup comprises 11% of the daily needed intake of B2, 6% Vitamin B6, 3% Potassium and Manganese and 2% Magnesium and Vitamin B3. These might not seem much at a first glance, but taking into consideration that some people will drink three to four cups per day, the numbers add up quickly.
4. Lowers risks of developing type II diabetes
An increasing health problem, type II diabetes affects more than 300 million people around the world. It involves either resistance to insulin or an incapability to secrete insulin. Cucumbers help maintain appropriate insulin levels, making them an excellent superfood, but coffee does an even better job. Studies have shown that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing the disease by 25-50%. A huge study reviewed information from eighteen separate studies and concluded that a daily cup of coffee is able to decrease the risk of getting type II diabetes by 7%.
5. Physical performance
Caffeine will not only give you more energy and help you feel more cheerful, it can also drastically improve your physical performance. Since it stimulates the nervous system, caffeine increases adrenaline levels in your blood. You might have heard of the “flight or fight” hormone that was created to ready the body for strenuous physical exertion. By breaking down body fat, caffeine is released in the blood flow as fatty acids, which are transformed into fuel. It is, therefore, not surprising that caffeine can drastically improve physical activities by 11-12%.
6. Protects against dementia and Alzheimer’s
Moderate consumption of coffee can help lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson’s. Rich in antioxidants, coffee can prevent brain cells damage, boosting the effects of some neurotransmitters that play a major role in cognitive function. There is even speculation suggesting that some compounds in coffee can trigger a certain DNA repairing protein within cells, which could lead to preventing DNA damage.
7. Fights off depression
Not only does coffee work as an incentive for people to get out of bed, it can also make drinkers happy, studies show. In 2011, a Harvard study showed that women who consumed at least four cups of coffee per day had 20% lower risks of developing depression. Widespread in the US and worldwide, clinical depression affects roughly 4.1% of the American population. Caffeine has been shown to increase the levels of dopamine and adrenaline in the body, which is a clear indicator why regular consumption of coffee can combat depression and make people happier.
8. Lowers the risk of developing cancer
DrWealth