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Is coffee really good for you? Today we’re diving into all the benefits of drinking coffee. We’ll look at the facts, and see how coffee benefits your skin, helps prevent many illnesses, and should be part of your healthy living choices. There are a few infographics and ideas to spice up your coffee too.
Rumor has it that goats were the first to enjoy the benefits of caffeine from the coffee plant – eating the fruit made them spritely and dance energetically in the fields. Of course, one cannot just ignore a tribe of dancing goats, so a nearby monk heard the news and decided to make a drink from the fruit to see what all the fuss was about. It did give him insomnia, but that didn’t stop coffee from growing into the $100 billion+ industry it is today.
We love our coffee. If you love it too, make sure you grab the free bundle of pretty printable coffee signs by clicking on the image below:
No matter if you take your coffee black, cold brew or bulletproof, from a sidewalk coffee cafe or in bed, one can’t deny the many health benefits of drinking coffee. In truth it’s had a tough time coming out as one of the good guys, but stick around to see some of the facts about coffee and that it can actually be a very healthy drink for your body, mind, skin, and more.
Is coffee good for you?
Studies show that coffee has many benefits for most of us. Stick to 3-4 cups a day to get the most health benefits. Choose organic as often as possible, and don’t add sugars or syrups to your coffee, to keep it as healthy as possible.
Is coffee bad for you?
The risks of drinking coffee seem to far outweigh the benefits. As we all react differently to this stimulant, manage your intake and don’t go overboard. If you are pregnant, have osteoporosis, or suffer from anxiety, it’s probably better to stay away from coffee and get advice from a trained medical professional.
We all react differently to that cup of brew, which is called our tolerance. Some people with anxiety lose all symptoms when they drink it, others get more anxious. Know your tolerance levels and how coffee affects you, then manage how much you do or don’t drink for your health.
How much caffeine is there in coffee?
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average cup of coffee has 95mg of caffeine in it. Of course, this number changes depending on the type of coffee, serving size and how it’s prepared.
Here are some popular types of coffee and their average caffeine content in a cup (8 oz):
Decaf: 2.4mg
Instant coffee: 60mg
Brewed Coffee (fast food & home brewed): 95mg
Espresso (3.5 oz cup): 212mg
If you’re trying to avoid caffeine completely, you might want to stay away from decaf too. Decaffeinated coffee still has some caffeine in it, with some decaf coffees serving up to 12mg of caffeine.
Coffee benefits for health
1. Coffee can help you burn fat and recover quicker from exercise
Drinking a cup of coffee or two before working out can increase your metabolism by up to 11%. And drinking coffee during the day increases metabolites so you burn more calories overall, even when you’re not running around.
You will probably also notice a difference in your physical performance and energy during your workout if you drink coffee beforehand. This is because coffee increases adrenaline, your fight-or-flight hormone, which your body makes to improve physical performance.
Another study found that 2 cups of coffee before a workout can reduce post-workout muscular pain. In fact, a few cups a day can decrease inflammation and increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind).
2. Coffee could help you to not overeat
The caffeine in coffee has been shown to reduce hunger for a short period of time. This reduced-hunger effect seems to last anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours.
If you need to drink a cup of coffee to carry you to your next meal be sure to stay away from sugared and sweetened specialty drinks, which are not healthy options.
Some people drink black or bulletproof coffee during intermittent fasts, which are very popular on ketogenic eating plans to get your body into fat-burning ketosis. Cold brew coffees are also becoming extremely popular as a healthy drink in hotter weather.
3. Coffee improves your mood and social connections
Coffee makes you happier. How? It releases dopamine in your brain – your ‘feel-good’ hormone.
Drinking too much coffee can have an addictive effect where you keep on looking for that ‘fix’ or boost, but in moderation you can still enjoy the mood and many health benefits of drinking coffee.
In fact, Harvard researchers have released findings that drinking 2-4 cups a day can half the risk of suicide and acts as a mild antidepressant:
[Caffeine] may act as a mild antidepressant by boosting production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline…
Source: Harvard Gazette
A recent study found that coffee can help you get along better with coworkers and enhance your social connection with others. The lead researcher on the study reports that:
Caffeine seems to focus [people’s] discussion on the topic, make people participate more than they would without caffeine and leave them feeling better about their own participation and others’ participation.
Source: CNBC
4. Coffee provides amazing antioxidants and nutritional benefits
Coffee is full of antioxidants, with coffee and tea providing a significant portion of our daily dose.
Coffee also offers several important vitamins and minerals. Check out these coffee nutrition facts per cup of brewed coffee (8 oz):
Calcium: 4.74mg
Magnesium: 7.11mg
Phosphorous: 7.11mg
Potassium: 116mg
Along with many others.
More good news is that coffee does not cause dehydration, at least not up to 4 cups a day. Coffee can be a diuretic, but drinking coffee doesn’t change fluid distribution in your body or total body water so it doesn’t cause dehydration.
5. Coffee enhances and protects your brain function
When it comes to your brain, coffee offers many benefits too! It stimulates your brain with higher arousal and alertness, which can bring about faster perceptions, a better mood, higher energy levels and better memory.
Long term, coffee has been linked to a reduced risk in developing Alzheimer’s, which half of people develop after the age of 85. In fact, women over 65 who drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day are 36% less likely to develop dementia in the next decade.
6. Coffee may protect your mouth
Coffee has antibacterial properties and may prevent tooth decay, cavities and tooth loss from gum disease. Just brush your teeth with baking soda a couple of times a month to remove any coffee stains on your teeth.
7. Coffee makes your DNA stronger and protects your organs
Coffee may make your DNA stronger, resulting in less DNA damage (called oxidative damage) and an improved ability to repair DNA.
Coffee has also been shown to protect the liver against cirrhosis and fibrosis. It also slows down the progression of liver disease in some patients.
8. Coffee protects your heart
Coffee may be linked to a reduced risk of heart failure and heart attacks. Drinking 2 cups of coffee a day after a heart attack gives you a better chance of not dying from the heart attack.
Drinking 4 or more cups of coffee a day can prevent strokes. Why? Scientists think it is because of the phenolic compounds in caffeine, which have many health benefits such as being antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.
9. Coffee lowers your risk of developing several major illnesses
Studies have linked coffee to increased protection from Parkinson’s, though they still aren’t sure why or how. Research is being done on coffee components to better understand this.
Drinking many cups of coffee a day, think 4-6 cups here, has been shown to reduce your risk of developing multiple sclerosis.
The more coffee you drink, the less chance you have of developing Type 2 diabetes according this Harvard School of Public Health research. Increasing daily coffee consumption by 1 cup dropped risk by 17% in test subjects.
10. Coffee is thought to help prevent cancer
A study of over 90 000 Norwegian women who drink a lot of coffee found that “coffee consumption was associated with a modest reduced risk of cancer at any site.”
Other research shows a relationship between coffee consumption and the prevention of liver cancer.
Coffee was found not to cause breast cancer and offered a modest decreased risk in postmenopausal women.
In one study, coffee was found to lower the odds of developing colorectal cancer by 26%, though more research needs to be done. Some people swear by caffeine enemas, where the colon is cleansed with caffeinated water. It’s thought to boost immunity and energy, and relieve constipation.
Coffee is also associated with reducing the risk for cutaneous melanoma, a common type of skin cancer.
11. Coffee benefits for skin
Your skin is your largest organ and gets nutrients to thrive from your bloodstream. It’s also porous, which means it will absorb what you put on it from the outside.
Did you know that coffee is good for your skin, too?
The antioxidants in coffee feed your skin from the inside. Here are 3 more coffee benefits for your skin:
Coffee can protect your skin from the sun and prevent skin cancer
Studies have shown that caffeine protects us from skin cancers.
Scientists believe that caffeine on the skin would prevent UV light from damaging our cells and causing skin cancer. More research is needed, but just drinking coffee regularly can help protect you against skin and many other cancers.
Coffee can reduce the appearance of cellulite
We spoke earlier about how coffee can help you exercise better, recover quicker and eat less. It’s also thought that coffee can reduce the appearance of cellulite.
The caffeine in coffee is said to enlarge blood vessels, smoothing out dimples in the skin and making the skin tighter. Bigger blood vessels mean more blood can flow through the area, so more nutrients arrive and it’s easier for the skin to get rid of toxins and thrive.
Coffee can remove dead skin cells to make the skin glow
Coffee makes a wonderful skin scrub. It can be used to gently exfoliate the skin, which removes dead skin cells and leaves the skin smooth and glowing. Many believe that such coffee scrubs reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, too.
Does coffee affect your blood pressure?
This seems to be a gray area for scientists and studies give variable results. Harvard Health Publishing and PubMed agree that there is no solid evidence proving that coffee increases the risk of hypertension.
Ideas on what to add to your coffee
Here are a few things I love adding to my own coffee to make it even yummier, all of which are great for a ketogenic diet if you’re on one: butter, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, collagen or gelatin.
FAQs about coffee benefits
What are the benefits of drinking coffee?
There are so many health benefits for drinking coffee. Coffee can improve your exercise sessions and fitness levels, shorten recovery time, help you regulate eating, prevent cancers, improve moods, protect your brain, make your skin smoother, and the list goes on!
Is it good to drink coffee everyday?
Yes, there are many benefits to drinking coffee everyday. Each person has a different tolerance level, so stay within your personal limits to get all the health benefits of drinking coffee. Coffee is not recommended for pregnant women, those with osteoporosis and should be kept to a minimum if it increases your anxiety levels.
Can coffee help you lose weight?
Yes, coffee can help you lose weight in several ways. It can help you exercise better and increase your fitness levels, have more energy, recover quicker and not overeat at mealtimes. It also makes you happier, so you’re more likely to stay motivated. Putting coffee on your skin can make it smoother and reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Is drinking black coffee good for you?
Black coffee has all the same health benefits as white coffee, such as reduced risk of many illnesses, cancers and Type 2 diabetes. Black coffee is very good to drink during intermittent fasts and on a keto diet. Try adding butter, coconut oil, or cinnamon for a bulletproof keto coffee choice.
Conclusion
Coffee has so many benefits for your health that drinking coffee should be part of your healthy living. It can help you with weight loss and fitness, prevent cancer at any site, boost your mood, prevent many diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, and protect your brain.
Beauty benefits include ample antioxidants, a firmer skin, better circulation and sun protection.
Drink coffee in moderation and you should be good. If you’re abusing coffee to deal with too much stress, then find out about the symptoms and recovery from burnout.
And if it’s time to take time off, then think about starting with this detox bath for the ultimate evening in relaxation and recuperation.
