For many people around the world, there are a few things more ritualistic and sacred than a morning cup of coffee. The motivation to down a cup of coffee daily varies for most people: it could be because it is delicious or its smell is relaxing, or it’s just the beverage that wakes them up and gets them going in the morning.
Ever wondered what happens when you take your daily cup of coffee? The health benefits of coffee have been a controversial topic for decades due to the misconceptions about its properties, but all of that is changing now. Study after study proves that you get more from your favorite morning beverage than you thought.
This graph shows the reduced risk of death in a graph for men and women who drank 6+ cups of coffee over 12 – 13 years. You can find the full study here, Association of Coffee Drinking with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality.
Here are the top 10 reasons you should drink coffee every day. You might want to memorize this list so you can pull out the benefits the next time someone tries to talk to you out of this healthful beverage.
| 10 reasons to drink coffee daily |
|---|
| You will feel happier |
| You will experience higher energy levels |
| You will become smarter |
| You will lose weight |
| Your liver health will improve |
| Your heart health will improve |
| You will decrease your risk of diabetes |
| Your odds of getting gout will decrease |
| Your risk of developing certain cancers goes down |
1. You may feel happier
Coffee is more than just a pick-me-up; it can help improve your overall mood.
The reason is that it contains a stimulant called caffeine, which is regarded as one of the most consumed psychoactive substances in the world. Caffeine has long been associated with positive actions in the brain, and several studies have helped shed light on how it works.
When you drink coffee, it is absorbed into your bloodstream, and then it travels to your brain, where it interacts with your nervous system. It helps you feel better by triggering the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
The resultant effect is that you will have an improved mood, which in turn cuts down suicide risk. According to a study by Harvard’s School of Public Health, drinking coffee can reduce the risk of depression by as much as 45 percent.
2. You may experience higher energy levels
Perhaps, you have been told that coffee can dehydrate you and that it’s a terrible drink to take before and working out. That’s not true as recent research has shown that coffee can help you a lot with sports and physical performance.
When you drink coffee before your workouts, it helps increase the adrenaline levels of your blood, which is the hormone that prepares your body for intense physical, intense exertion.
It also spikes the signal the fat cells to break down fat, thereby increasing the number of fatty acids in your bloodstream to be used as fuel. It also aids to combat fatigue, enabling you to exercise longer.
So if you have a lot on your desk for the day and you fear you might be unable to finish the tasks, a cup of coffee can go a long way in improving your performance and endurance booster.
3. You may become smarter
Another reason to drink coffee daily is that it can help boost your brain health. This is largely due to its caffeine content, which takes about 40 minutes to reach your brain after it gets into your bloodstream.
The substance inhibits the neurotransmitter, adenosine, which is known to slow down neural activity. It then encourages the release of another neurotransmitter called norepinephrine, leading to enhanced firing of neurons.
The outcome of these hormonal activities is that you will experience improved reaction time, enhanced memory retention, and other cognitive functions.
Similarly, it can help protect against cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. In a nutshell, coffee helps your brain to work in a much more efficient and smarter way.
4. Coffee will help you lose weight
Looking for an easy way to shed some pounds? Drinking a cup of coffee can make it easier for you to lose weight in several ways.
For starters, coffee contains caffeine and a naturally occurring compound called chlorogenic acid, both of which helps to slow down the absorption of carbs in the body.
Another explanation is that it increases your body temperature, which translates to a higher metabolism rate. In other words, your body will burn more calories than it usually does.
Going further, many people report that coffee helps suppress their appetite, which is good news for those who are looking to cut down on the number of calories they consume.
So if you cradle a travel mug on your way to work, the chances are good that you’d steer clear of snacks until it’s time for lunch.
5. Your liver loves coffee
Your liver is an incredible organ that performs several critical functions, and drinking coffee may help stave off a wide range of diseases that may affect your liver, including hepatitis, fatty liver disease.
If you drink alcohol, you might want to take note of this benefit as drinking three or more cups of coffee can also protect you against these diseases, which typically lead to liver cirrhosis.
Studies show that there’s a correlation between coffee drinking and blood levels of liver enzymes. High levels of liver enzymes typically reflect inflammation and damage to the liver.
The conclusion is that the more cups of coffee you drink daily, the lower your levels of enzymes.
6. You’re less likely to develop heart failure
It’s been said that drinking coffee can increase blood pressure, but a wealth of evidence has found that this is only likely to happen if you consume a high amount of coffee, around 20 cups upward.
Even at that, researchers say the increase is temporary and will result in no negative effects in the long run.
The surprise here is that drinking coffee daily can help keep your heart in great shape. How does this work? Studies indicate that coffee protects against aerial damage caused by inflammation and that those who drink three or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to show the beginning signs of heart disease.
7. You may lessen your risk of developing diabetes
Coffee could reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, a health problem that is characterized by high amounts of sugar. It is caused by the body’s ability to produce sufficient insulin or due to insulin resistance.
Several observational studies involving over 1 million people showed that those who consume diabetes daily are less likely to develop diabetes.
Scientists believe that the potency of coffee against diabetes can be traced to a polyphenol called chlorogenic acid that helps the body use insulin, protect insulin-producing cells, and regulate sugar in the body. The outcome is low sugar concentrations in the blood and faster absorption in the blood.
Nonetheless, it is recommended that you keep an eye on your sugar intake as excess consumption might cancel out the benefit in no time.
8. Your odds of getting gout will go way down
Drinking coffee every day reduces the risk of gout, a form of arthritis that is characterized by severe pain, redness, and tenderness in joints.
Gout is caused by elevated levels of uric acid in the bloodstream.
After crunching the numbers of about 90,000 female nurses relating to health habits, researchers in the Nurses’ Health Study found out a link between long-term coffee consumption and a decreased risk for gout.
Experts believe that chlorogenic acid is the major component responsible for the lowered risk gout and that drinking a moderate amount of coffee daily can help keep your uric levels within an acceptable range.
9. You may decrease your risk of developing certain cancers
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death across the globe, involving the uncontrolled, abnormal cells anywhere in the body.
While research suggests that drinking coffee may help curb a wide range of cancers, including prostate cancer in men and endometrial cancer in women, it appears to be more protective against two types of cancers: liver and colorectal cancers.
Unlike the myth that coffee is a carcinogenic, studies reveal that coffee actually contains anti-carcinogenic substances called polyphenols. These naturally occurring chemical compounds help reduce the inflammation responsible for tumors.
By drinking coffee daily, you will be able to cut your risk of developing liver cancer in half.
10. You will live longer
When it comes to living a longer and healthier life, there are tons of lists about what we should avoid, but did you know your favorite hot beverage can make you live longer?
Coffee is chockfull of good substances that could help extend your life. Drinking coffee every day can help lower the risk of several leading diseases, thus increasing your life expectancy.
Recent studies show that coffee can keep drowsiness at bay while you’re behind the wheels, thus helping to prevent accidents.
In a similar vein, coffee acts as a wonder drug by lowering the risk of dying from diseases like stroke, kidney disease, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer.
The caveat of drinking too much coffee
There may be side effects from drinking too much coffee as well. While coffee is necessary for people during their daily life too much of a good thing is never good.
This is because there is caffeine in the coffee and this chemical can cause side effects when ingested in high amounts. Some of these symptoms are high blood pressure, dizziness, shakiness, headaches, anxiety, agitation, and an abnormal heartbeat.
These effects can also happen to those who are quitting coffee. People who stop drinking coffee suffer from withdrawal effects and can cause adverse effects. Effects of caffeine withdrawal can vary from person to person, however, symptoms can appear within 12 – 24 hours of quitting and last for as long as 2 weeks.
How to brew healthier coffee
If you are drinking coffee every day you may want to brew the healthiest coffee you can. This is to prevent any health problems that may arise from drinking too much coffee.
What you need to know is filtered coffee is MUCH healthier than unfiltered coffee. So if you are planning on drinking coffee over the long run, make sure to filter it. You can read this article to learn why filtered coffee is healthier and other tips to brew healthier coffee.
Conclusion
Who could have thought that coffee has all these benefits and more? It contains tons of health-promoting properties that can help you live healthier, happier, and longer.
Now that you know that drinking coffee offers lots of health benefits, you should consider making it a part of your daily lifestyle.
Thanks for sharing this blog. Keep writing.