10 HEALTH BENEFITS OF COFFEE
Need an excuse for your morning coffee? Well I have ten for you. We all enjoy that warm cup of comfort to greet us in the morning and give us the energy to move forward with our day. For some, it has become a fact of life and for others it has become a way of life. Either way, you have probably been unknowingly creating a healthy habit.
1. Antioxidants: Coffee contains the largest dose of antioxidants in the average Western diet. But why do they matter? Essentially, antioxidants prevent damage to our cells by naturally occurring oxidants in our system. Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants as well, but not in the same high proportions as coffee. Since we've shifted away from eating raw fruits and veggies every day, the number of oxidants sometimes outnumber the antioxidants we produce and consume. So your daily cup(s) of joe help keep you in balance!
2. Better Energy and Mood: Most of us drink coffee for the energy boost from the caffeine which is already well-advertised. But why is this? Coffee acts to suppress the chemical adenosine (which makes you tired) and increases your natural production of nor-epinephrine and epinephrine (which give you energy). As an added bonus, the caffeine also stimilates your natural production of dopamine (which makes you happier), thus ameliorating your mood. However, there is a catch to this scenario. The body naturally produces cortisol (which wakes you up) at peak levels between 8 and 9 am regardless of your coffee intake. Drinking coffee within this window of time can inhibit your body's natural ability to wake itself up, and you may find yourself "addicted" to coffee to get through your day. Simply drinking your coffee before 8 or after 9 will give you the best of both worlds.
3. Increase Metabolism: The caffeine contained in coffee acts to speed up your metabolism. This means that you use more calories than you otherwise would. The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you will burn! Although there are many other considerations to healthy weight loss, burning more calories than you consume is a principle rule.
4. Better Cognitive Function: The caffeine found in coffee also acts to increase your memory and overall cognitive function. Your brain will actually be able to send signals faster with the epinephrine and nor-epinephrine in your system, which allows you to think faster. Although no direct link has been definitively proven, many studies have shown that consuming coffee allows you to remember more and improves mental capabilities.
5. Better Exercise: Because the caffeine triggers your body's production of "fight or flight" hormones (epinephrine and nor-epinephrine), your body is better prepared for physical exertion. Those who consume caffeinated coffee roughly half an hour before exercise burned more fat than those who did not consume coffee. It is unknown exactly why this interaction happens, but it is thought that the nature of the "fight or flight" hormones tells your body to use all the necessary energy reserves (fat) to "fight" or to "fly" instead of saving them for later.
6. Increase Insulin Efficiency: Coffee both caffeinated and decaffeinated contains high levels of Magnesium and Chromium. These elements, when consumed, assist the body in utilizing insulin. Insulin is important because it controls the blood sugar levels in your bloodstream. When the body becomes desensitized to insulin, blood sugar levels remain high, inducing a condition known as hyperglycemia. This condition elevates the risk for many diseases and may cause damage to blood vessels. In essence, the minerals found in coffee help your body regulate its blood sugar within healthy levels!
7. Decrease Risk of Type II Diabetes: Because coffee helps the body regulate blood sugar through insulin, it has been strongly linked with a decreased risk of type II diabetes. The relationship has not been directly proved, but many studies encompassing gender, genetics, and geographic location show a consistent depreciation in the rate of diagnosis in coffee drinkers.
8. Decrease Risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's: Additionally, for reasons that are not well understood, caffeinated coffee decreases your risk for neurodegenerative diseases . Parkinson's disease involves a degradation of the dopamine receptors in the brain, and since coffee boosts dopamine production, it is believed this may be the link. Alzheimer's is caused by slow, progressive brain cell death. The current hypothesis is that the epinephrine and nor-epinephrine reactions catalyzed by the caffeine found in coffee "exercise" the brain cells, keeping them more active and preventing them from atrophying much like a muscle would.
9. Decreased Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke: This connection remains a mystery to scientists for the time being. However, many studies preferentially link coffee-drinking males to a decreased risk of heart disease. Coffee drinking females, on the other hand, are preferentially linked to a decreased risk of stroke.
10. Decreased Risk of Cancer: Coffee drinkers are less prone to cancer diagnoses, especially of the liver and colorectal varieties. Again, medical professionals have not found a definitive mechanism for these statistics, but it may be linked to the high antioxidant nature of coffee.
As with anything in life, moderation is key. Drinking too much coffee can cause anxiety, caffeine addiction, high blood pressure, and dehydration. But how much is too much? This varies between individuals and depends on what you've eaten so far as well as how much time has passed since your last cup. Generally, 1-2 cups per day is average, 3-4 cups is the limit to reap the healthy benefits, and more than 6 cups is unhealthy. Also beware the time of day. Caffeine can stay in your system for up to twelve hours which can interfere with natural sleep cycles, so drink accordingly. If you still want a comforting cup of coffee in the late afternoon or evening, just reach for a decaf which still has many benefits!