PROFILE | WHAT IS COFFEE? | HISTORY OF COFFEE | TYPES OF COFFEE | BENEFITS OF DRINKING COFFEE |
Health Benefits of Coffee
Coffee is actually
very healthy. It is loaded with antioxidants and beneficial nutrients that can
improve your health.
Coffee Can Improve Energy Levels and Make You Smarter
Coffee can help people
feel less tired and increase energy levels .This is because it contains a stimulant called caffeine, which is actually the most commonly consumed
psychoactive substance in the world.After you drink coffee, the caffeine is
absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, it travels into the brain.In the
brain, caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine.When
that happens, the amount of other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and
dopamine actually increases, leading to enhanced firing of neurons.Many
controlled trials in humans show that coffee improves various aspects of brain
function. This includes memory, mood, vigilance, energy levels, reaction times
and general cognitive function.
Coffee Can Help You Burn Fat
Did you know that caffeine is found in almost every
commercial fat burning
supplement? There's a good reason for
that... caffeine is one of the very few natural substances
that have actually been proven to aid fat burning. Several studies show that
caffeine can boost the
metabolic rate by 3-11%. Other
studies show that caffeine can specifically increase the burning of fat, by as
much as 10% in obese individuals and 29% in lean people. However, it is
possible that these effects will diminish in long-term coffee drinkers.
The Caffeine Can Drastically Improve Physical Performance
Caffeine stimulates the
nervous system, causing it to send signals to the fat cells to break down body
fat. But caffeine also increases Epinephrine (Adrenaline) levels in the blood.
This is the "fight or flight" hormone, designed to make our bodies
ready for intense physical exertion. Caffeine makes the fat cells break down
body fat, releasing them into the blood as free fatty acids and making them
available as fuel. Given these effects, it is not surprising to see that
caffeine can improve
physical performance by 11-12%, on
average. Because of this, it makes sense to have a strong cup of coffee about a
half an hour before you head to the gym.
Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Type II Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a
gigantic health problem, currently afflicting about 300 million people
worldwide. It is characterized by elevated blood sugars in the context of
insulin resistance or an inability to secrete insulin. For some reason, coffee
drinkers have a significantly reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The studies show
that people who drink the most coffee have a 23-50% lower risk of getting this
disease, one 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 2 diabetes.
Coffee Appears to Have Protective Effects on The Liver
The liver is an amazing
organ that carries out hundreds of important functions in the body. Several
common diseases primarily affect the liver, including hepatitis, fatty liver
disease and others. Many of these diseases can lead to a condition called
cirrhosis, in which the liver has been largely replaced by scar tissue. It
turns out that coffee may protect against cirrhosis. People who drink 4 or more cups per day have up to an 80% lower risk.