I love coffee.
There’s nothing
better to jump start the day than a warm, strong cup of quality coffee.
I don’t feel guilty
about it… because according to the evidence, coffee is highly beneficial for
health.
Many large studies
show that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of some serious
diseases.
1. Coffee May Lower The Risk of Type
II Diabetes
Type II diabetes
has reached epidemic proportions in the past few decades and now afflicts about
300 million people worldwide.
This disease is
characterized by elevated blood glucose levels caused by a resistance to the
effects of insulin, or an inability to produce insulin.
In observational
studies, coffee drinkers have a 23% to 67% lower risk of becoming
One massive study
with over 400 thousand participants revealed that each daily cup of coffee
lowered the risk of type II diabetes by 7%
2. Coffee Drinkers Have a Lower Risk
of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s Disease
is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and a leading cause
of dementia.
In America alone,
an estimated 5.4 million people had Alzheimer’s in the year 2012, most of them
above the age of 65
Daily coffee drinkers
are at a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Some studies show a reduction as high as 65%
3. Coffee May Protect Against Liver
Cancer
There is mounting
evidence that coffee can have protective effects on the liver, including a
drastically reduced risk of liver cancer.
A meta-analysis of
9 studies revealed that drinking 2 cups of coffee per day lowered the risk of
liver cancer by 31%. In individuals with a previous history of liver disease,
coffee decreased the risk by 44%
4. Coffee Lowers The Risk of
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is
another disorder of the liver, caused by chronic liver disease.
It is characterized
by replacement of liver tissue with scar tissue, leading to loss of liver
function.
Coffee may be
incredibly protective against cirrhosis. In one study, those who drank 4 cups
of coffee per day were 80% less likely to get cirrhosis
5. Coffee Drinkers Are Less Likely to
Get Parkinson’s
Parkinson’s Disease
is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, right after Alzheimer’s.
It currently
afflicts about 0.3% of people in Western nations and 1% of people over 60
A large
meta-analysis revealed that coffee drinkers were 31% less likely to get
Parkinson’s
In this case, the
effect was not seen for decaf coffee, indicating that the caffeine itself was
causing the lower risk of Parkinson’s
6. Coffee is Not Associated With
Increased Heart Disease
Heart disease is
the most common cause of death in Western nations, usually as a result of
impaired blood flow in the arteries supplying blood to the heart.
It is often claimed
that coffee is bad for the heart, but this has never been proven.
Some studies show
no effect on heart disease, others actually show a mild but statistically
significant reduction in risk
This may be
affected by the way coffee is prepared. Unfiltered coffee has substances called
diterpenes, which may raise blood cholesterol levels.
Brewing coffee with
a paper filter effectively removes all the diterpenes
7. Coffee May Lower The Risk of
Stroke
Stroke, also known
as a cerebrovascular accident, is caused by a disturbance of blood flow to the
brain, either due to a blood clot or bleeding.
In developed
nations, stroke is the second most common cause of death, right after heart
disease .
A massive review of
studies with a total of 479,689 participants revealed that coffee consumption
was associated with a mild but statistically significant decrease in the risk
of stroke
8. Coffee Reduces All-Cause Mortality
We all have to die
eventually, that is inevitable.
But observational
studies show that coffee drinkers are slightly less likely to die over a given
time period
This effect is
especially pronounced in type II diabetics, one study showing that the
diabetics who drank the most coffee were 30% less likely to die during the 20
year study period
9. Coffee Can Improve Brain Function
and Physical Performance
Coffee isn’t just
black liquid, it contains various bioactive chemicals.
The main active
ingredient is caffeine, which is the most commonly consumed psychoactive
substance in the world.
What caffeine does
in the brain, is to block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine.
By blocking
Adenosine, caffeine increases the activity of other neurotransmitters like
Noradrenaline and Dopamine.
Many studies have
tested the effects of caffeine on brain function and the results are clear…
caffeine can improve memory, vigilance, reaction time, mood and overall
functioning of the brain
Caffeine can also
drastically improve exercise performance, studies showing a performance boost
of 11-12%, on average
10. Coffee is The Largest Source of
Antioxidants in The Western Diet
Here is an interesting
fact that may explain some of the health benefits.
Coffee is actually
the single largest source of antioxidants in the modern diet…
outranking both fruits and vegetables, combined
I’d like to point
out that many of the studies above were so-called observational studies that
can not prove anything, only that coffee drinkers were less
likely to get these diseases.
But it does seem
pretty clear that coffee is, at the very least, not the devil it was made out
to be.
Of course, this
applies to moderate amounts of coffee. If you drink way too muchthen
it may cause harm.
There is also a
potential downside. Coffee can be addictive and can cause sleep problems and
anxiety issues in people who are caffeine sensitive. Pregnant women and
individuals with elevated blood pressure should also be careful with caffeine.
However, if you can
tolerate caffeine then there is no reason to feel guilty about enjoying coffee…
even multiple cups per day.
Loaded with
beneficial bioactive compounds and associated with a lower risk of all sorts of
diseases… coffee can truly be considered a “health drink.”
