Boost Your Focus and Health | The Surprising Benefits of Daily Coffee
For many of us, coffee is a morning ritual. In fact, according to a 2018 survey by the National Coffee Association, 64% of Americans will tell you that they definitely had a cup of coffee yesterday. And while there are side effects of drinking too much coffee like heartburn, an upset stomach, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, or fatigue, the good news is that this beloved drink, whether it’s espresso, drip coffee, or good old cold brew, is indeed healthy. So if you need an excuse to celebrate your daily pick me up, here are 6 health benefits of coffee.
What many of us intuitively believe in coffee turns out to be true. This drink can brighten your day. Researchers aren’t quite sure what’s behind coffee’s uncanny ability to make tackling the day easier, but the drink has been linked to the best of feelings like euphoria and happiness.
We’ve long suspected that coffee is happy juice, and there’s actually some research to support that. So what we know from the studies is that regular coffee consumption is linked to more positive emotions, including pleasure, kindness, affection, friendship, calm, and even greater happiness. And in that same research, there were no negative emotions associated with coffee consumption. There’s also some studies to show that in women, regular coffee intake is linked to a reduced risk of depression. So we don’t exactly know why coffee creates this happiness, but we do know that there is an association between coffee and positive mental health. When it comes to these feel good benefits, the more coffee the better, up to about 5 cups a day.
Coffee contains lots of antioxidants
Coffee beans are rich in antioxidants, which you can think of as the good guys that battle free radicals or unstable molecules that can damage your body cells. And if left unchecked, potentially lead to chronic health conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
One recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that coffee is the single greatest contributor to total antioxidant intake in American adults. One key antioxidant in coffee is called chlorogenic acid, a beneficial plant based compound that’s been shown to reduce inflammation, dial down blood pressure, and potentially play a role in protecting against chronic diseases.
Coffee may lower your risk of type 2 diabetes
Another plus, drinking coffee is inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes, which means that as your daily coffee drinking goes up, your chance of developing type 2 diabetes goes down by 6% for each additional cup of coffee to be exact according to a 2018 meta analysis of 30 previously published studies. Scientists say this may be thanks to coffee’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, its ability to help burn calories, and its impact on health protective gut microbes found in your GI tract.
Is tied to lower rates of many other diseases
Studies suggest that coffee consumption can also help protect you against certain cancers including breast, colorectal, endometrial, and prostate, as well as heart disease and Parkinson’s disease. Chances are you’re well aware of the short term brain benefits like increased alertness and improved memory that pop up within 24 hours of drinking coffee. But the bed could also help your mind stay sharp long term.
So the link between coffee consumption and cognitive health is likely due to the high antioxidant content of coffee, which has been shown to be anti-inflammatory. So reducing inflammation in the brain is linked to protecting cognitive function and lowering the risk of certain chronic diseases, including those associated with brain health.
Coffee could help you become a better athlete
Ever notice that you can lift heavier and run farther after a coffee fueled energy surge? Coffee might help you recover from a tough workout too. How? Coffee has been shown to improve athletic performance, including reducing pain and maybe allowing you to go a little bit harder, stronger, faster, so get a better quality workout. It’s also been shown to improve strength and endurance, and reduce muscle soreness.
Also, there’s been some interesting research to show that after an exhaustive workout, consuming coffee with a meal, especially carbohydrates, increases the ability to put back carbohydrate stores in the muscle called glycogen. And being able to significantly increase those stores can lead to a better workout the next day because you have more energy to power through that workout.
It’s not actually dehydrating if you're consistent
Coffee has been long known as a diuretic, meaning it causes you to lose water or can be dehydrating. However, some research shows that after about 4 days of regular consumption, your body adjusts. But in order for this to really work, you do have to be consistent. So for example, let’s say you normally start your day with a couple cups of coffee, and then one day you have 3 or 4 cups. Well, that deviation from your norm may cause you to experience that diuretic effect, which can also lead to a dip in energy and headaches and those side effects. So you want to be as consistent as possible.
And if you are, coffee can actually be hydrating rather than dehydrating. The bottom line? If you love coffee, go ahead and brew another cup. Just keep it consistent and don’t overdo it.
