The Health Benefits of Coffee

Are you “addicted” to coffee? You’re not alone. According to a study by the National Coffee Association, 64% of Americans drink coffee every day.


Interestingly, Finland is the country with the world’s most significant per-capita coffee consumption with a whopping 12 kg per year. Followed by other Northern European countries such as Norway (9.9), Iceland (9), and Denmark (8.7).

Also see :

5-Step Process On How To Level Ground For Pool: Improve Your Swiming Experience on Peachshark 


All these countries score high on the Country Happiness Index — a coincident? We’ll look into the correlation between coffee consumption and mood in a little bit.

Coffee has not always been considered a healthy beverage, but recent studies show that it can help your health in many different ways. Here the most important health benefits:

Coffee is packed with healthy nutrients such as

  • Riboflavin
  • Niacin
  • Folate
  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Potassium
  • Manganese
  • Antioxidants

Interestingly, espresso has an even higher concentration of magnesium, B vitamins, niacin, and riboflavin.

Coffee might help you to lose weight

A study published in the American Journal of Nutrition showed that the consumption of 100 mg caffeine increased the resting metabolic rate by 3–4% over the next 150 min.
The effect was even higher when the participants of the study consumed 100 mg of caffeine every 2 hours over a period of 12 hours and resulted in an increased energy expenditure of 79–150 calories.

Coffee can improve athletic performance

A study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism suggests that the consumption of coffee can increase the time-to-exhaustion significantly.
To benefit from this effect, you should drink your coffee 60–90 minutes before your workout. This is due to the fact that the neurotransmitters epinephrine and dopamine, which optimize athletic performance, peak between 1 to 4 hours after the consumption of caffeine.

Coffee can improve your mood and might prevent depression.

The mood-boosting effect of coffee is partly related to coffee’s impact on the neurotransmitter dopamine, which activates the pleasure center of the brain. Coffee slows down its reabsorption and thus keeps dopamine levels high.

Various studies coffee consumption to improved alertness and mood. A study conducted in 2011 even suggests that women decrease their chances of suffering from depression by 20% if they consume four or more cups of coffee daily.

Coffee can support cancer prevention

Recent studies show that coffee might also be beneficial in preventing breast cancer, colon cancer, and liver cancer.

Coffee might help you to prevent chronic diseases:

Research shows every additional cup of coffee or tea can decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 7%.
Another study suggests that regular coffee consumption can decrease your risk for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Coffee might support longevity.

A study conducted by researchers of Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests that regular coffee consumption can decrease mortality risks by up to 26%. Interestingly decaffeinated coffee had a much lower impact on the reduced mortality risk.

Another study from 2018 that examined the link between coffee consumption and mortality in 10 different European countries supports these findings.


Caffeine content

Most of the above health benefits are linked to caffeine, which content differs by the type of coffee consumed:

  • A cup (8 oz) of brewed coffee contains an average of 100 mg caffeine
  • A shot of espresso averages around 60 mg
  • Instant coffee provides you with 30–90 mg per cup

I hope that all the benefits mentioned above will help you to enjoy your next cup of coffee even more than its taste alone. However, the most overlooked health and happiness factor of this magic beverage might be its social component: coffee brings people together, gives us something to talk about, or creates a morning rituals that set you up for the day.

Comments

Post a Comment