Drink This for Better Health, Longer Life, and Improved Memory

Coffee is good for you; coffee is bad for you- different scientific studies seem to conflict with one another when it comes to coffee. According to older research, coffee can be quite bad for you. However, newer studies have shown that drinking coffee regularly can actually benefit the body in many ways.

So, is coffee healthy or not? Studies have shown that coffee contains beneficial ingredients like antioxidants, magnesium, and other brain-stimulating and mood-boosting ingredients that can help you fight disease. According to these studies, coffee is extremely beneficial to the body in the following ways:

Coffee Makes You Smarter

Everyone knows that coffee contains caffeine, which is why so many people drink it. Caffeine can stimulate your brain and give you more energy when you are feeling tired or worn. In the brain, caffeine can block the inhibitory neurotransmitter Adenosine, which helps increase dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain. This increases the firing of neurons in your brain. When your brain works faster and better, you get smarter.

Studies On Brain Function

In 1987, a study published in the journal “Psychopharmacology” found that when given doses of caffeine even less than that found in a cup of coffee, participants had significantly improved scores on auditory vigilance and visual reaction time. A study from 2002 published in the journal “Psychopharmacology” looked at how realistic coffee consumption could impact mental performance and clarity. Participants were given small doses of caffeine to simulate how a person would drink coffee over time.

The researchers found that when given coffee in these doses, coffee-drinkers were better at mental clarity, alertness, multitasking, focus, and sustained tasks. A 2008 study published in Nutrition Bulletin examined 41 previous caffeine studies. The study found that when participants drank up to 400 mg of coffee per day, they had improved scores on mental function, reaction time, multitasking, and memory with no side effects.

Conclusion: If you want to stay alert and have top mental performance, coffee can help with minimal side effects.

Coffee Burns Fat

Can coffee really help burn fat? Caffeine is a stimulant, which improves the energy in your body. However, there has been some dissension in scientific circles about how effective coffee actually is for burning fat and maintaining a healthy weight. Strangely enough, caffeine is actually one of the only proven ingredients to help speed the rate at which someone burns fat.

According to studies, coffee and caffeine can both boost the overall metabolic rate of healthy individuals and also increase the rate at which fat is burned specifically. It does this by stimulating the nervous system to send signals to the rest of the body to break down fat.

Studies on Fat Burning

In a study from 2004 published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that consuming about 200 mg of caffeine per day was able to improve the metabolic rate in healthy young men by up to 11 percent. Another study published in the American Journal of Physiology in 1995 found that consuming about 200 mg of caffeine daily was able to boost the fat-burning rate of lean women by up to 30 percent, and the fat-burning rate of obese women by about 10 percent.

Conclusion: Caffeine and coffee can help you burn fat faster.

Coffee Makes You Stronger

According to some studies, coffee may be able to make you stronger. This can happen because caffeine increases the epinephrine hormones in the body, which triggers the “fight or flight” response. This makes the body break down body fat, which can then be converted into fuel. Because of this effect, studies have shown that drinking coffee before a workout can make your workout more effective by burning more fat and giving you more energy.

Studies on Strength

A 2005 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports looked at the role of caffeine on exercise and exertion. According to the study, coffee was able to reduce perceived exertion scores by about 6 percent and was able to improve physical performance by up to 30 percent (11 percent was the average rate of improvement).

Conclusion: Drinking coffee before a workout can make you work harder and longer without it seeming as difficult and can improve your fat-burning efforts.

Coffee Improves Nutritional Health

Coffee beans affect the flavor of your beverage, but did you also know that the beans contain beneficial nutrients as well?

Additionally, coffee contains massive amounts of antioxidants that can protect you against cancer and other deadly diseases.

Studies on Antioxidants

A 2004 study conducted by the University of Oslo in Norway looked at the number of antioxidants in the standard Western diet. The researchers found that more people obtain their largest source of antioxidants from coffee than they do from fruits and vegetables combined. Because of this, coffee is linked to a reduction in prostate cancer, gout, and other forms of cancer.

Conclusion: You can get a wide variety of minerals and vitamins from coffee, particularly if you drink several cups a day. Coffee is a huge source of cancer-fighting antioxidants in the American diet.

Coffee Prevents Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes afflicts up to 300 million people around the world. Type 2 diabetes is caused by elevated blood sugars leading to insulin resistance. However, studies have shown that coffee drinkers are less likely to get type 2 diabetes- possibly up to 67 percent less likely.

Diabetes Studies

In 2002, researchers from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment found that men who drank about 7 cups of coffee daily had a 50 percent less chance of developing type 2 diabetes. A study from 2011 conducted by the University of Oklahoma found that women who drank about 120 cups of coffee a day were 67 percent less likely to have diabetes.

In a 2009 review of 18 other studies on coffee and type 2 diabetes, it was found that each cup of coffee consumed daily accounted for about a 7 percent reduction in diabetes.

Conclusion: If you want to avoid diabetes, drink coffee daily.

Coffee Protects Mental Clarity

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the world today. There is no known cure for either of these devastating diseases. However, studies have shown that certain steps taken earlier in life can help protect your brain. One of these protective steps is drinking coffee.

Studies on Alzheimer’s and Dementia

A 2002 study published in the European Journal of Neurology examined the coffee consumption of elderly participants with and without dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers found that individuals with AD had an average caffeine consumption of less than 100 mg daily, while individuals without AD had an average caffeine consumption of around 200 mg per day.

In 2010, researchers from the University of Eastern Finland looked at the role of coffee and Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers reviewed several past studies and found that drinking between 3-5 cups of coffee per day was able to lower a person’s risk of getting dementia or Alzheimer’s disease by about 65 percent.

Conclusion: Researchers are not sure why, but caffeine consumption and coffee consumption are linked to a reduced risk for cognitive decline.

Coffee Fights Depression

Depression afflicts about 4 percent of all adults in the United States at one time. Depression is something that can be difficult to control and heal. However, studies have indicated that coffee may actually improve mood and fight depression without any other aids.

Studies on Depression

In 1996, a study published in the “Archives of Internal Medicine” found that women who drank 4 or more cups of coffee per day were about 53 percent less likely to commit suicide. Harvard University looked at the role of coffee in depression in a study from 2011. In the study, about 50,000 women were followed for 10 years. The women kept track of how much coffee they consumed each day. At the end of the study, about 2600 cases of depression were diagnosed. The researchers used that data to determine the role of caffeine and coffee in depression. The researchers found that drinking 4 or more cups of coffee a day could reduce a woman’s chances of getting depressed by 20 percent.

Conclusion: Drinking coffee helps you avoid depression and prevent suicidal thoughts.

Drinking Coffee Extends Life

Coffee is associated with many health benefits, so it makes sense that drinking coffee could extend your life. However, a few studies have found that even without any other factors, coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death. This is probably the most surprising fact about coffee consumption of all.

Studies on Coffee and Death

A large study conducted in 2008 looked at over 40,000 men and 80,000 women with no previous record of cancer or CVD. Study participants were followed for 20 years to assess their risk of death. The study researchers found that drinking coffee was associated with about a 20 percent lower death rate in men and about a 26 percent lower death rate in women.

Conclusion: Regular coffee consumption is tied to a reduced rate of premature death.

How Much Coffee Should I Drink?

According to the above studies, regular coffee consumption started benefiting study participants when they consumed about 200 mg of caffeine a day. This is about the same amount of caffeine in 2 cups of coffee. Maximum health benefits without side effects occurred in most studies when participants drank between 3 and 7 cups of coffee daily (one cup equals 8 ounces).

Many coffee “cups” hold a lot more than 8 ounces, so it is important to monitor your intake so you don’t overdo it on caffeine consumption.

Should You Ever Stop Drinking Coffee?

Although there are many benefits to drinking caffeine and coffee regularly, in some cases, the risks may outweigh the benefits. Additionally, there are conflicting studies on coffee and whether or not the reported benefits are actually helpful. Below is a list of risk factors that you should consider before upping your caffeine intake:

Coffee Raises Blood Pressure

Some studies have reported that coffee can raise your blood pressure. Ordinarily, the blood pressure spike is temporary and can dissipate within a couple of hours. Over time, coffee-drinkers will no longer see spikes in blood pressure. However, if you already suffer from high blood pressure, you may want to put the brakes on caffeine until you have your blood pressure under control.

Coffee Upsets the Stomach

Many people find that drinking coffee upsets the stomach mildly. In individuals with sensitive stomachs, and issues like Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome, coffee could create painful side effects in the stomach that are not healthy. If you have a sensitive stomach, coffee may not be the best beverage for you. Adding milk or cream, and drinking darker roasts will sometimes eliminate any associated stomach problems with coffee, however.

Coffee Contributes to Stress

Because of the way that coffee works, by blocking Adenosine, the body reacts by forcing itself into a stressed state. If you are already under high stress, caffeine may cause your body to produce unwanted stress hormones that can reduce the effectiveness of the immune system and cause your body to hang on to excess fat. However, as long as you give your body time to relax and reset at the end of the day, drinking coffee in the morning should not result in long-term stress.

Coffee May Cause Heart Palpitations

In large amounts, caffeine can lead to heart palpitations due to a racing heartbeat. Drinking enough caffeine to reach this point is not healthy, particularly in individuals with elevated heart rates and other heart problems.

Improve Your Mental Clarity With Coffee

Coffee and caffeine are surprisingly beneficial for the brain. Although there will always be controversy on these stimulating substances, the research clearly shows that regular coffee drinking is linked to improved mental clarity, better mental performance, reduced risk of death, and a reduction in diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. One simple way to protect your mind is by drinking coffee daily.

Choose coffee from organic, free-trade sources to prevent the consumption of dangerous pesticides and chemicals and the support of slave-labor. For best results, combine your coffee drinking with other brain-boosting activities to keep your mind sharp until the day you die.