People
have been drinking coffee since time immemorial, and there have been
debates about whether it is good or bad. Many studies have shown the
health benefits of coffee, so you should not have to feel guilty
about having a cup or two a day.
Coffee
perks you up.
Caffeine
is an essential component of coffee that has stimulating effect on
the central nervous system. This is why people like to drink coffee
in the morning. It wakes them up. Caffeine raises the amount of
norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain, thus raising your
alertness, energy, mood, and cognitive function.
It
burns fat.
There
are only few naturally-occurring compounds that are known to burn
fat, and caffeine is one of them. Caffeine enhances metabolism, and
faster metabolism means more calories burned. There is another
mechanism that makes coffee a fat burner. Upon ingestion of caffeine,
it stimulates the CNS to fire signals that cause the breakdown of fat
cells.
It
makes you more active.
There
are many ways coffee raises your activity level. One is by improving
your mood. Obviously, you move more when you are in good mood. Also,
it raises epinephrine in the body. This chemical is responsible for
preparing your body for physical exertion. As mentioned above,
caffeine breaks down fat cells. When that happens, fatty acids are
released into the bloodstream as a source of energy. Watch your
workout performance improve after a cup of coffee.
Coffee
has nutrients.
It does more than keep you always caffeinated. You
didn’t know coffee has Vitamin B2, B5, B3 (niacin), manganese,
potassium, and magnesium.
It
lowers the risk of diabetes.
Diabetes
is an epidemic. It’s not an infectious disease, but it affects
millions of people around the world. Diet is one of the major
culprits of diabetes. Diet can fix it. One of the things you can add
to your diet to prevent diabetes is coffee. Studies have shown that
people who drink coffee have up to 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
However, how coffee keeps diabetes at bay remains mysterious.
It
helps prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
People
who drink coffee have 65% lower chances of developing Alzheimer’s
disease. Neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer’s largely
affects people 65 years old and above. There are many ways to lower
your risk, including healthy eating and exercise. Studies have shown
that drinking coffee is an effective means to prevent
neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and
Parkinson’s disease.
It
fends off depression.
Four
in every one hundred Americans battle depression, a condition that
reduces someone’s quality of life. There are many ways to deal with
it, and research shows that drinking coffee can lower the risk of
depression and even lower the risk of committing suicide in
depression patients.
Coffee
has antioxidants.
Antioxidants
help prevent free radical damage and fight the damaging effects of
aging. There are more antioxidants in coffee than in fruits and
vegetables.
So bring out the cool portable travel coffee makers and start sipping.
