Millions of people reach for a steaming cup of coffee every morning to jump-start their day. However, drinking coffee in the morning offers more than just an extra boost of energy. Coffee provides numerous health benefits, ranging from disease prevention to mental agility improvement.
Here are some of the top reasons why you should drink coffee every morning.
It helps prevent chronic diseases
Unprocessed coffee contains approximately 1,000 antioxidants. During the roasting process, a few hundred more develop. This is why coffee is considered as one of the primary dietary sources of antioxidants, even more so than fruits and vegetables combined.
Antioxidants are compounds that fight inflammation, which is often the underlying cause of a lot of chronic conditions. Antioxidants keep you healthy by ensuring that your cells are protected from damage. Here are some of the many ways through which coffee prevents a variety of chronic diseases:
- Chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant that is predominantly found in coffee, is believed to help in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
- Coffee drinkers have a 23-50% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a major health problem that currently affects millions of people across the world.
- Coffee drinkers are 65% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease that still has no known cure.
- Coffee may help protect you against cirrhosis of the liver, a condition where your liver gets replaced by scar tissue.
- There is a positive link between drinking coffee and a decreased risk for gout, a disease that causes arthritis, particularly in the smaller bones of the feet, and acute pain.
It’s good for your mental health
Caffeine directly affects the areas of the brain that are responsible for concentration and memory. Coffee drinkers, thus, experience a temporary boost to brain activity and short-term memory, although effects do vary from person to person. Either way, a homemade Starbucks Frappucino does wonders for a person’s cognitive thinking during the morning.
Drinking coffee may also help prevent cognitive decline, which is generally associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers theorize that this is because of the inhibitory effect of caffeine on the buildup of beta-amyloid plaque, which is a significant contributor to the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Here are some of the other ways that drinking coffee can positively impact your mental health:
- Female coffee drinkers have a 20% lower risk of developing depression, a serious mental disorder that significantly affects one’s quality of life.
- Caffeine activates dopamine and serotonin, the neurotransmitters that are responsible for controlling mood.
- Drinking coffee is also linked with a healthier brain since caffeine triggers the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which transforms brain cells into new neurons.
As with most other types of beverage or food, the best way to make the most out of the health benefits being offered is to choose organic coffee. If you are unsure whether or not the coffee you are consuming is organic, use online resources such as www.homegrounds.co, which offer well-researched and comprehensive information about buying and brewing quality coffee.
It can help you lose weight
Caffeine is an ingredient in almost all commercial fat-burning supplements because it’s one of only a handful of natural substances that helps increase metabolic rate.
On top of fat-burning capabilities, caffeine also helps with converting fat to energy. Whether you are active or at rest, caffeine boosts energy use. It releases oxidative free fatty acid, or energy that has been converted from fat, into your bloodstream to ensure that they are available for energy conversion.
Coffee, in conjunction with proper diet and regular exercise, can help in the weight management efforts of both obese and lean individuals. Nonetheless, remember that this fat-burning effect tends to diminish for those who are long-term coffee drinkers.
It keeps your heart healthy
It might seem like an unverified myth, but there are numerous studies conducted over the past decade that prove that coffee drinkers have a 20 % lower risk of developing heart disease, a condition affecting the blood vessels that could lead to heart attacks.
Coffee drinkers are less likely to have calcium deposits in their arteries. Because of this, aside from heart disease, coffee can also help ward off heart ailments such as thrombosis and hypertension.
Drinking coffee daily offers a wealth of health benefits. However, moderation is key, especially since coffee affects everyone differently. One question that is constantly asked is coffee gluten free? This is a popular question we receive from our readers, and the simple answer is yes and no. If you’re looking to avoid foods with gluten, we suggest NOT drinking instant coffee since they are known to trigger gluten responses.
Consuming huge quantities of coffee daily will do you more harm than good. However, don’t be so concerned about these potential drawbacks. Just make sure that you limit yourself to four cups every day and try to do without sugar, creamers, and flavoring.
Click here to learn how to make great tasting coffee at home!
