Coffee is for many of us more than just another drink option on the menu at breakfast time. It’s our lifeblood. The first thing we go to when we wake up, our favorite treat in the middle of the day and something we just can’t go without, so don’t even ask us to give it up. Luckily, there’s a lot of support for keeping coffee in your diet and there are many healthy benefits to drinking coffee. Here are 5 to help you in your next debate against a coffee hater.
As someone who is health conscious, coffee is and has been and probably will be for a while an area of hot debate. Is coffee healthy, or not? Let’s see what some experts have to say about the matter.
- Longer life expectancy
The Annals of Internal Medicine published a 15 year study that included over one hundred thousands participants in US and Europe with different ethnicities and lifestyles. The conclusion was: “Coffee drinkers had a lower mortality rate than non-coffee drinkers, and those who had a substantial amount of coffee per day (three or more cups) also had a lower risk of conditions like stroke, heart disease, and digestive issues”.
2. Coffee can boost your brain function
Coffee is a drink most of us go-t0 to make and keep us awake and alert. As we know, coffee does this for us by containing caffeine which is a stimulant. According to Healthline.com, “Caffeine’s primary mechanism in the brain is blocking the effects of an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine [which] actually increases neuronal firing in the brain and the release of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine”.
3. Coffee can prevent Alzheimer’s
Whenever we consistently consume something, there are bound to be long term effects that compound over time. Accordingg to Alzheimers.net, Coffee drinkers are less likely to get Alzheimers than non-coffee drinkers, and caffeine improves both mood and brain function. “A study led by Dr. Abhishek Mohan at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, has concluded that coffee can reduce the levels of beta amyloid, a destructive protein commonly found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, by as much as 50%.Many controlled trials have examined the effects of caffeine on the brain, demonstrating that caffeine can improve mood, reaction time, memory, vigilance and general cognitive function (3)”.
4. Coffee can lower your risk of type 2 Diabetes
There’s a difference between a sugar drinker and a coffee drinker. If you’re going to Starbucks, ordered a venti caramel mocha frappuccino with 6 pumps of flavor, whip cream and extra drizzle, you’re consuming more sugar than coffee. The debate around coffee argues that consuming coffee increases your sugar intake, which is terrible for your case against diabetes, weightloss and over all health. However, when looking at coffee alone, there’s evidence to support that the coffee itself can decrease your risk of diabetes. In a study conducted by Dr. Frank Hu from Harvard university From the Archives of Internal Medicine , “the risk of type 2 diabetes decreases by 9% for each daily cup of coffee consumed. Decaf coffee decreased risk by 6% per cup.” In conclusion, coffee is good for you, all the sugar you pair it with… not so much.
What do you think?