Coffee is very good for your health. It contains antioxidants and vital nutrients that can improve your health. Research shows that drinking coffee have much lower risk of several serious diseases. Here are top evidence based health benefits of drinking coffee, which have been confirmed in real human studies.
Coffee improves energy level and makes you smarter
Coffee helps people feel active as it increases energy levels. It helps increase in energy level because it contains a stimulant which is called “caffeine”. Caffeine is absorbed in your bloodstream after you drink coffee and from here it travels through your brain. In your brain, caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter known as “Adenosine”. As a result the amount of other neurotransmitters such as “norepinephrine” and “dopamine” also increase, which leads to enhanced firing of neurons.
Coffee improves various functions of human brain such as memory, vigilance, reaction time and general cognitive functions. So the bottom line is Caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which leads to a stimulant effect. This improves energy levels, mood and other aspects of brain function.
Coffee protect against Alzheimer’s
According to research from the University of South Florida and the University of Miami found that adults who drink an average of three cups of coffee every day were less likely prone to develop Alzheimer’s. Dr. Chuanhai Cao, a neuroscientist at the USF and co-author of the study, said, “We are not saying that moderate coffee consumption will completely protect people from Alzheimer’s disease. However, we firmly believe that moderate coffee consumption can appreciably reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s or delay its onset.”
Coffee can burn fat fast
You must be surprised to know that caffeine can be found in almost every commercial fat burning supplement. That’s right caffeine is a natural substance that have been proved to help burn fat in human body. Several other studies show us that caffeine can increase the fat burning process by much as 10% in obese individuals and about 29% in lean persons.
Caffeine drastically improves physical performance
Caffeine has the ability to stimulate our nerve system; as a result it sends signals to the fat cells to literally break down body fat. It also increases Epinephrine (Adrenaline) levels in the blood. This is like a “fight to fight” hormone which is basically designed to make our body ready for intense physical exertion. Also surprisingly caffeine improves physical performance on average by 11 to 12%. So it makes sense to have a strong cup of coffee about half an hour before work out.
Essential nutrients in coffee
It is more than just black water drink. Several nutrients in the coffee beans make it into final black. A single cup of coffee contains following essential nutrients:
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA.
- Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.
- Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA.
- Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA.
Although this may not seem like a big deal, people are drinking more than one cup per day. If you drink 3-4, then these amounts can add up quickly.
Coffee lowers risk of type II diabetes
Type II is a huge gigantic problem, which currently afflicting approx 300 million people around the world. Due to elevated blood sugars in insulin resistance or inability to secrete insulin. For some reasons, people who drink coffee have a significantly reduced risk of developing type II diabetes. Research shows that people who drink the most coffee have about 23-50% lower risk of getting the disease, other study showing a reduction as high as 67% !
According to a massive review that looked at data from 18 studies with a total of 457,922 individuals, each daily cup of coffee was associated with a 7% reduced risk of developing type II diabetes.