There’s a good chance that you are already drinking a cup of coffee every single morning as a way to wake up faster. It’s estimated that more than 80 percent of people in the United States drink coffee, with an average of three cups per day. That’s a lot of coffee to be prepared every morning, and it’s almost unanimous that people drink coffee purely for the caffeine. With it being so hard to wake up early in the morning and get going, it’s no surprise why coffee is so popular.
Unfortunately, the way that many of us drink coffee is by adding sugar or cream to make it taste better. While that’s not going to do you any favors, there are certainly ways that drinking coffee is going to be beneficial for your health. After all, coffee has been around for thousands of years and has been prepared in a lot of different ways. So how can coffee actually benefit your overall health? Here are some examples of the great health benefits you can get from a cup of coffee.
Nutrition in Coffee
You probably don’t think of coffee having a lot of nutrients since the ingredients are typically just water and ground coffee beans. However, there are some important vitamins and minerals that you can get. For starters, one cup of coffee contains 11 percent of your daily recommended intake of riboflavin. Riboflavin helps you produce energy, all while helping to boost your metabolism.
The other vitamins that you can find in coffee include thiamin, niacin, folate and pantothenic acid. Coffee contains minerals, as well, with magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and manganese all inside. While these minerals aren’t very abundant, every little bit helps your body overall in many different ways. There is even a little splash of protein and omega-6 fatty acids.
Weight Loss
When you think of coffee, you typically think of the type that is packed with sugar and cream like iced coffee that people drink in the office. If you’re drinking three cups of that type of coffee and every day and sitting at an office desk, you’re probably going to find yourself gaining weight pretty rapidly. Drinking coffee without all of the additives, though, can help you lose weight effectively.
The caffeine contents in coffee have been shown to help you burn more fat by boosting your metabolism. This is especially true if you rarely drink coffee (or other caffeine) and are currently overweight. The effects on your metabolism lessen with the more caffeine you drink, so try to not make several cups of coffee a daily routine if you are trying to trim your waistline.
Hold the Sugar
If you have diabetes or are looking to control your blood sugar, drinking black coffee is a big benefit. Studies have shown that people who drink a daily cup of black coffee can reduce their risk of diabetes by nearly 10 percent, while decaf also has a minor benefit. The studies have also shown that drinking several cups will continue to lower your risk of diabetes, but you might want to take it easy on the coffee.
That lack of sugar is also going to help your liver. There is a lot of sugar to be found in alcohol, so those that are looking to recover from an alcohol addiction should be drinking plenty of black coffee. It helps to rebuild the liver by lowering enzyme levels, which is why you see so many people that had too much fun the night before go immediately to the coffee mug.
Brain Power
You get almost an immediate jolt from the caffeine in coffee that makes you more alert and awake, but there are more long-term benefits for your brain from drinking coffee. Studies have shown that drinking coffee regularly will actually reduce your chances of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease later in life by more than 60 percent. There is also a reduction in chances of Parkinson’s disease by nearly 50 percent.
For more short-term brain effects, you can actually prevent depression by drinking more coffee. One study that lasted for a decade showed that women who drink more coffee cut their chances of depression by 20 percent. Suicide rates are much lower in coffee drinkers, and there has been a shown increase in quality of life. Next time you hear someone say that their day doesn’t start until they’ve had their coffee, that might actually be true.
Antioxidant Drink
More than anything else, a cup of coffee will get you more antioxidants. Even the healthiest foods out there don’t contain as many antioxidants according to studies, which will help your body in a multitude of ways. Preventing diseases such as osteoporosis, the common cold or even cancer are all aided by drinking more coffee.
Studies behind the antioxidant properties of coffee have shown a major reduction in your risk of suffering a stroke by nearly 20 percent. Your risk of getting certain types of cancer can drop by up to 40 percent, and you can even prevent eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Without having a significant amount of vitamin C, that’s all pretty impressive.
Performance Boost
It probably goes without saying that drinking coffee will give you an energy boost that you need to start your day. It’s not just caffeine that is helping you get energy, but you are also boosting your adrenaline levels by drinking more coffee. Before exercising, drinking a cup of coffee will help you increase your performance by more than 10 percent.
Even after a workout, a cup of coffee is going to be helpful. It has been shown that drinking coffee after exercising cuts down on the pain or soreness that you feel. While it might seem odd to be drinking coffee instead of a sports drink, it seems to be just as effective.
Summing it Up
Now you know that there is a wide range of benefits when drinking coffee that you probably didn’t know before. You can use these facts at the office in the morning when everyone’s grabbing their mug. The daily recommendation of coffee is between three and five cups per day, though you have to be careful not to drink too much.
Excess coffee intake can lead to digestive problems such as heartburn, diarrhea or indigestion. Also, too much caffeine at once can lead to a rapid heart rate that could be damaging. As long as you are able to contain yourself in the morning and throughout the day, you will see great benefits from coffee. Just remember to make sure that you don’t throw in a ton of sugar or cream, and you’ll be on your way to a lower weight, healthier heart and much more.