9 AMAZING Health Benefits of Coffee You May Not Know Of
Are you a coffee lover?
Coffee is actually one of the most popular and beloved drinks on the planet.
It’s also one of the most traded commodity in the world.
So when and how was coffee discovered?
According to a legend, the discovery of coffee happened in 700 AD. when an Ethiopian goat herder called Kaldi stumbled on his goats acting quite strange, and they had so much energy. He noticed that the goats had been eating some berries from a tree. Kaldi brought some berries form this tree to an abbot of the local monastery. He told the abbot about what had happened to his goats and the abbot then came up with the idea of drying and boiling the berries to make a beverage.
And so was the world’s first cup of coffee made.
Coffee houses soon became very popular in west Africa and in the Middle East. Coffee arrived to Europe around 1570, to Venice, Italy. It was first met with suspicion and religious prejudice, but after being approved by the Pope Clement VIII it became quickly quite popular. It then spread throughout Europe and Asia, and reached the Americas in the 1700:s.
Does this hot and popular drink offer any health benefits?
Some people won’t believe this, but this beverage offers LOTS of health benefits and can fight off some diseases!
9 AMAZING health benefits of coffee you may not know of:
- Coffee is full of antioxidants and contains over 1,000 active biological compounds
- Coffee effectively prevents skin, prostate, and oral cancers
- Coffee is also an effective anti-depressant. A shot of caffeine kicks off a set of reactions in the body that ultimately causes the brain to release a blast of dopamine. That’s a natural “feel-good-chemical”.
- Research also show that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease and as well of Alzheimer’s – if you drink a few cups of good quality caffeinated coffee a day.
- Drinking just five ounces (approx. 150 ml) coffee each day can greatly increase blood circulation and make the inner linings of the blood vessels to work better, according to a study in Japan.
- Drinking coffee is also associated with a lowered risk of type 2 diabetes. Total consumption of at least three cups of coffee (or tea) per day may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes 23-50%.
- Thanks to the caffeine in coffee, it can reduce tiredness and make you feel more alert.
- Additionally caffeine may boost your metabolism by 3-11% and exercise performance by 11-12%. These effects however are likely to be short-term, if you drink coffee every day you’ll build up a tolerance and these effects will be less powerful.
- Coffee is anti-aging and coffee drinkers live longer! Coffee can reduce the chances of inflammation, thanks to its metabolites, like eg. theophylline, also found in tea, and theobromine, found in chocolate. Its anti-inflammatory properties can also have a favorable effect on aging.
In an observational study in Spain, involving close to 20,000 individuals, people who consumed at least four cups of coffee daily had a 64% lower risk of early death compared to those never or rarely consumed coffee. So the conclusion was that drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people.
Now we know without any doubts that coffee offers LOTS of health benefits! But does is have any negative effects?
Negative health effects of coffee
Coffee contains caffeine, and some people are sensitive to it.
Caffeine can cause sleep problems, and too much caffeine can in some people lead to jitteriness, anxiety and heart palpitations.
So if you’re sensitive to caffeine, you’d better avoid coffee or at least limit your consumption of it to approx. 1 cup per day. And preferably drink your coffee in the morning – not late in the day.
Caffeine can also have diuretic and blood pressure raising effects, but these usually dissipates with regular use.
Another issue with caffeine is that it can lead to addiction. Some people experience headaches, brain fog and irritability if they don’t get their regular cup of coffee.
So should you drink coffee or not?
As critics point out, too much coffee can have a negative impact on your health. This can include sleep problems and increases in blood pressure and heart palpitations.
If you drink coffee and notice any of the negative effects – test and see what happens if you drink only 1/2 – 1 cup per day – and also try decaf.
If you still notice any negative effects, it’s probably better for you NOT to drink coffee. Some studies say that if you have any heart conditions, you should limit your coffee and caffeine consumption, the same goes for pregnant women.
On the other hand, in moderation regular coffee can be extremely beneficial to your health – and it has anti-aging effects. So if you’re a person who LOVES your coffee and it makes you feel great – enjoy your daily cup (or cups) of Joe!
The benefits of coffee seem to outweigh the negative ones. How many cups of coffee depends on your sensitivity to caffeine, but if you drink more than 4-6 cups daily that may be the upper limit to be on the “healthy side”. It also depends on the SIZE of your cups…!
Here are some tips how you can maximize the health benefits of your daily dose of coffee:
Drink coffee with minimal roasting and processing to get the most out of your morning mug
So which coffee is the healthiest?
I’ve read several articles about it, some say decaf is equally healthy as coffee with caffeine… some say it’s not. Several say light roasted coffee is higher in antioxidants, whereas some say there’s not so strong evidence to prove that…. And this article on Reader’s Digest suggests that cold brewed coffee is the healthiest…. (although I prefer my coffee hot!!!)
However, here are 5 tips I’ve found in several articles and studies, how to maximize the health benefits:
- Don’t add lots of sugar or sweeteners to your coffee – sugar and sweeteners are NO good for you. If you want it a bit sweeter, try organic Stevia.
- Brew your coffee with a paper filter – that reduces the amount of cafestol in your coffee. Cafestol is a substance that can increase cholesterol.
- Avoid freeze dried coffee as well as coffee that boast high levels of caffeine. These coffees can cause you to skip over the health benefits of a cup of coffee and go head-on to the jitters.
- Avoid fancy coffee drinks – black coffee without lots of sugar, milk, cream and other fancy ingredients is the healthiest option. If you want to add some flavor to it, try to add a healthy ingredients, such as a small amount of coconut butter or some cacao or cinnamon.
- Choose a quality brand of light roasted coffee and preferably organic. The quality of coffee can vary greatly depending on how the coffee beans were grown, the processing method and the roasting of the beans.
So if you’re a fan of coffee, this article is great news.!!! And if you don’t drink coffee, why not give it a try!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and if you’re a coffee lover I’d love to know how you prefer to have your favorite cup of coffee: espresso, American coffee, decaf, cappuccino….??!!
If you ask me, I love to have a cup of black coffee (brewed) in the morning – or one or two espressos are also awesome….!
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Ps. There is coffee, and there is coffee…. If you love coffee and want to drink a super healthy coffee, a coffee with additional health and anti-aging boosting ingredients, then you might beinterested in this coffee:
=> The Best Tasting And Healthiest Coffee There Is
References:
institutefornaturalhealing.com/2013/12/increase-blood-circulation-by-30-percent-with-five-ounces-of-this-morning-beverage/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coffee-and-health/AN01354
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coffee-good-or-bad
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-side-effects
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-ways-to-make-your-coffee-super-healthy
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00125-009-1516-3
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2013/11/20/coffee-heart-disease/3646265/
homegrounds.co/history-of-coffee/
rd.com/health/wellness/healthiest-coffee-you-can-drink/
https://www.wikihow.com/Choose-Coffee-for-Health-Benefits
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2017/01/caffeine-may-counter-age-related-inflammation-study-finds.html
