Did you know that the cup of coffee you drink every day has many health benefits? Examples include lowering the risk of diabetes, preventing cardiovascular disease, and improving mood. Today, I will introduce 5 health benefits of a cup of coffee.
Coffee lowers risk of type 2 diabetes
The first benefit of coffee is that it lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. It is especially beneficial for people with pre-diabetes. A study in Nutrition Reviews found that drinking one cup of coffee a day reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 6%. This is presumed to be thanks to phytochemicals such as various antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients in coffee and ingredients that increase sensitivity to insulin. The effect of reducing the risk of diabetes was also found in those who enjoyed decaffeinated coffee as well as regular coffee with caffeine.
Coffee makes the heart healthy
A second benefit of coffee is that it supports heart health. A paper recently published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure showed that drinking at least one cup of caffeinated coffee per day can reduce the risk of heart failure by 60%. The same benefits were not confirmed for those who enjoyed decaffeinated coffee. At the recent annual meeting of the European Heart Association, a study showed that coffee could be beneficial even for people who have not been diagnosed with heart disease. Those who drank up to three cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of death from stroke, cardiovascular disease, and death from any cause. This is the result of a study with more than 30,000 participants. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown that people who drink coffee every day have a healthier and better functioning heart than people who don’t drink coffee regularly.
Coffee improves brain health
The third effect is to promote brain health. There are pros and cons to whether drinking coffee can lower the risk of dementia. In some studies, regular caffeine intake protected the brain. A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s disease found that people aged 65 to 84 who drank one or two cups of coffee daily had a lower rate of mild cognitive impairment than those who drank little or no coffee at all. Another study found that coffee can help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
Coffee makes you feel good
The fourth effect is that you feel better. A study by Harvard University of Medicine found that drinking coffee cuts the risk of depression by nearly one-third. The antidepressant effect is known to be related to the anti-inflammatory properties of coffee. Some of the antidepressant properties in coffee can help relieve depression by lowering the level of inflammation in the body. Coffee also contains phytochemicals that are food for beneficial bacteria in the gut. The beneficial bacteria in your gut can work on your brain to produce other compounds that make you feel good.
Coffee boosts athletic performance
The fifth effect is to increase exercise capacity. In the 2019 ‘Sports Medicine’, a paper was published that drinking coffee before exercise improves blood circulation, endurance, and muscle strength, and reduces pain. Another study found that drinking coffee 30 minutes before exercise can promote fat burning in particular.
On the other hand, despite these advantages of coffee, there are cases where coffee is not suitable for some people. People who have severe heartburn when drinking coffee, have a pounding heart because of the arousal effect, or can’t sleep should not drink coffee.
