5 Wonderful Health Benefits of Coffee
When you think of coffee, you think of the wonderful smell of the beverage when you wake up in the morning. You think of energy, the thing that gets you going before a busy day. However, did you know that coffee has some health benefits? Curious what the health benefits of quality coffee are? Find out in our overview of coffee health benefits below!
1. Muscle Pain Reduction
One of the health benefits you would not immediately associate with coffee is a reduction in muscle pain. However, coffee can reduce muscle pain; this has been published in numerous medical and scientific journals!
The compound inside coffee responsible for muscle pain reduction is caffeine; this is not a big surprise, especially when you consider that this compound is often used in pain management medication such as Excedrin and Anacin.
There has been quite some research into the muscle pain reducing qualities of coffee and caffeine specifically. One of the studies executed into the health benefits of coffee took place at the University of Georgia. The study proved that a moderate dose of caffeine (approximately 2 cups of coffee) could reduce the muscle pain experienced after training up to 48!
Another study, published in The Journal of Pain, also proved that caffeine could be used to reduce muscle pain during moderate intensity exercise. To test the theory, several test subjects were given large doses of caffeine before a cycling exercise, while other did not. The result? The group receiving caffeine before their training experienced far less muscle pain!
2. Reduced Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, indicated that those consuming 6 or more cups a day have a 22% reduced change of type 2 diabetes! This is a wonderful benefit, so coffee drinkers should not despair if they believe they are drinking too much of it!
Another study that has been executed to discover the diabetes prevention power of coffee took place at Harvard. Several researchers at the Harvard University followed 100,000 people over a long period of 20 years. During the study, they discovered that people who increased their coffee intake by just one cup of coffee a day already had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes with 11%.
However, there is a flipside to this benefit of coffee, because the study also showed that reducing the intake of coffee with one cup could increase the risk of developing diabetes with 17%. Many researchers believe that caffeine is the compound responsible for the link between coffee and diabetes, but more research needs to happen to determine why coffee consumption could reduce the chance of diabetes.
3. Reduced Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
When you check several information websites about Alzheimer’s disease, you will undoubtedly come across the following health benefit of coffee, because it is claimed that regular coffee consumption could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Several studies have shown that the use of coffee can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s; this includes people who already suffer from a form of dementia. The compound that provides these benefits is once again caffeine, because the caffeine could block inflammation in the brain; this is the cause of problems with the brain.
Neuroscientist Chuanhai Cao also said the following about the study: “These intriguing results suggest that older adults with mild memory impairment who drink moderate levels of coffee – about three cups a day – will not convert to Alzheimer’s disease or at least will experience a substantial delay before converting to Alzheimer’s.”
Studies have also shown that coffee has a positive influence on the key protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease – the tau protein. When scanning the brain of the Alzheimer’s patient, a build-up of the tau protein is noticed. Researchers currently believe that the tangles of the tau protein are responsible for the decline of brain cells.
During the studies, researchers found that caffeine is an actual adenosine receptor antagonist; this means that caffeine will block some brain receptors and subsequently reduce the build-up of the tau protein.
Lastly, caffeine has also proven to enhance brain functioning. A study executed at the University of California proved that adults consuming 200 milligrams of caffeine just before a memory test could obtain much better scores than adults who do not. Could this explain the popularity of coffee and caffeinated beverages during the exam period?
4. Reduced Risk of Depression
Coffee could also be good for mental health, at least according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Many researchers believe that coffee could reduce your chances of depression and state that regular consumption of coffee could reduce the overall risk of depression by a whopping 22%.
The claim that coffee could reduce your chances of depression was also publish in the UK newspaper The Daily Mail. Even though there is still much controversy where numbers and percentages are concerned, most studies and medical publications tend to agree on the fact that coffee does reduce the risk of depression; this could be good news for people prone to chronic depression and similar health problems.
Still, health professionals warn that patients should not self-medicate with coffee and always contact a doctor when they experience the symptoms of depression. Even though coffee could reduce the risk of developing depression, it is certainly no guarantee that the condition won’t occur. Therefore, coffee is never a replacement for proper medical and psychological help.
5. Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
Coffee consumption could also influence heart health, because Korean researchers discover that test subjects drinking an additional 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day are less likely to develop heart disease. However, the trick here lies with a balanced coffee consumption, because too much coffee could place unneeded pressure on the heart.
An article in Live Science stated that drinking a moderate amount of coffee could reduce your risk of heart-related problems such as clogged arteries. Since clogged arteries eventually lead to heart attacks, coffee consumption has a direct influence on your heart health.
Of course, you do not have to drink five cups of coffee a day to benefit, since U.S. researchers claim that the benefit can already be obtained from drinking one cup of coffee a day; this claim is backed up by 36 different studies that proved moderate coffee consumption was directly linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
Conclusion
Coffee certainly has some benefits you would not necessarily associate with coffee consumptions. So, if you feel guilty for drinking too much coffee, now you can pull up some health benefits associated with your coffee drinking!
Of course, coffee should always be consumed in moderation. As you have seen from our described benefits above, most of the benefits are associated with moderate coffee consumption. Therefore, don’t feel bad for drinking the occasional cup of coffee, but don’t drink too much of it either if you wish to benefit!
In conclusion, coffee is getting a better reputation with each passing year. If you are a coffee lover; this in undoubtedly the best news you ever heard! So sit back, relax, and poor yourself another cup of your favourite brew!
About The Author
Shannon Dunn is a content coordinator for Coffee In My Veins. Fueled by healthy amounts of coffee, she is a master wordsmith and a coffee connoisseur.
