Is Coffee Good For Your Health?
Be it kickstarting a long day or staying up late to go the extra mile, coffee is your go-to drink of all times. It is hard to imagine a day without your daily dose of caffeine. However, some of us are worried about what coffee is doing to our bodies. True, caffeine addiction is a real thing, and drinking too much has side effects.
But taken in moderate amounts, coffee is good for your physical and mental health. Apart from caffeine, coffee contains antioxidants and other active compounds, and these substances have several health benefits. Let us look at some of them.
Boosts Energy
Let’s start with the thing coffee is most widely known for, energizing you when you are tired. Caffeine is a stimulant that acts on your brain. It makes your brain release chemicals that speed up the firing of neurons. The result is enhanced memory, alertness, mood, and activity level. Moreover, it improves blood circulation and muscle strength. Consuming caffeine before a workout is great for your stamina.
Protects the liver
Coffee maintains a healthy range of liver enzymes in the body. Moreover, it protects the liver from diseases. Liver diseases like hepatitis and fatty liver disease can escalate into cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is a condition wherein the liver is replaced by scar tissue. People who drink four or more cups of coffee every day stand a lower risk of cirrhosis.
Improves metabolism
Coffee reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome. People who have metabolic syndrome are at risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. More specifically, studies have found that coffee reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. The credit goes to antioxidants in coffee that rids the body of toxic products like free radicals.
Prevents Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Alzheimer’s disease, often accompanied by dementia, weakens memory, thinking, and other processes after the age of sixty-five. Coffee reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 65%.
Prevents Parkinson’s disease
Diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s have no cure, which makes prevention all the more important. Caffeine reduces the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 32% to 60%. The key players in this process are caffeine and the fatty acid ETH. They prevent dopamine loss in the brain, which leads to Parkinson’s in the first place.
Helps with depression
The effect of coffee on depression is still being researched. Coffee might reduce the risk of depression and suicide. If you are battling depression, coffee might reduce the frequency of depressive episodes.
Some people experience stomach upset, anxiety, and rebound fatigue after drinking coffee. This is because coffee works in different ways for different people. Some people are slower to metabolize caffeine than others.
It is wise to avoid coffee if you are pregnant or have an overactive bladder. It is best to steer clear of caffeine when you are going through sleep problems or struggling with anxiety. Otherwise, three to five cups of coffee, adding up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, is absolutely harmless. Taken in moderation, coffee is an amazing comfort drink with long-term health benefits.
