Coffee is Healthy!? Health Benefits of Coffee

Personally, I’m more of a green tea or lemon juice drinker. I’m not a big fan of caffeine. While green tea is generally seen as the healthier option, coffee has some health benefits of its own.

Caffeine Informer lists over 20 reasons why coffee is actually good for you. Coffee can help reduce post-workout pain and inflammation by up to 48% and give your body up to 1.8 grams of fiber per cup. It can also help protect against diseases like liver cirrhosis, type two diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

That’s not bad, considering that it’s been called the most used psycho-active drug in the world. Researchers say that Caffeine affects the same parts of the brain as cocaine – meaning that it lights up our pleasure sensors and makes us want more, not that we’ll land in rehab if we don’t stop drinking it.

So what is it about the Western World’s favorite morning time beverage that could be beneficial to our health? Coffee has some powerful antioxidants and healthy nutrients that our bodies need to function properly. Here are a few ways that coffee could make you healthier:

Caffeine improves energy levels

Wow! Who knew!?

But seriously, increased energy levels increases metabolism and the rate at which fat is burned within the body. Since most people have too much fat mass, decreasing fat levels will inevitably contribute to a more balanced body composition. Too much fat mass is linked to a variety of diseases like heart and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, bone and joint diseases and breathing problems like sleep apnea. By decreasing fat mass, or (in caffeine’s case), increasing the rate at which fat is burned by the body, the risk of contracting these diseases is lowered.

Improved energy levels can also lead to increased output during exercise sessions and encourage people to move around more. And, as many of us know, physical movement is extremely beneficial to overall health.

Caffeine contains vitamins, minerals and other really good nutrients

According to Nutrition Data, one average cup of brewed coffee (without milk or sugar) contains Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Choline (these are all vitamins, in case you weren’t sure), Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Manganese, Fluoride (these ones are the minerals) and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Vitamins, minerals and fatty acids aren’t the only nutrients found in coffee. According One Medical, there are around 1 000 known antioxidants in raw coffee beans. Hundreds of additional antioxidants develop during the roasting process. They also say that many studies tell us that coffee is the main (and in some cases, ONLY) source of regular dietary antioxidants for many of its drinkers.

Why are antioxidants so important?

Antioxidants are so important because they basically fight against the wear and tear that our bodies go through on a daily basis. Almost all super foods have their health benefits attributed to their antioxidant content. Antioxidants generally come from fruit and vegetable food sources.

The super food garlic, for example, has many of its health benefits attributed to its unique antioxidant: allicin. Chicken soup is said to speed up the recovery of those struck with the horrid flu or cold because of its antioxidant content. Blue berries, another super food, are so beneficial because of its extremely high antioxidant content.

The antioxidants in coffee, therefore, will help your body to stay healthier for longer. The antioxidant value of decaffeinated coffee seems to be almost equal to that of regular coffee.

We still have to watch out for the caffeine content

Coffee might have some beneficial health benefits, but the fact remains that too much caffeine can have a negative effect on your body. It is recommended not to consume caffeine before or near bed time because it can disrupt your sleep cycle.

Some people believe that they can drink coffee and fall asleep without being affected. While you may be able to fall asleep just the same, caffeine can still decrease your quality of sleep. This means that while you can still sleep; your body needs more sleep to recover properly.

Too much caffeine can also lead to dependency, anxiety, impaired central nervous system function and difficulty concentrating. As with basically everything, don’t overdo it and enjoy responsibly.

I really hope you enjoyed this article. Feel free to like, comment on, share or reblog this post. Have a great day, Saguren.