Coffee is a beverage loved by millions of people worldwide and in America, 50% of Americans drink coffee daily, equaling 150 million individuals nationwide. Annual coffee sales in the US total up to 5 Billion dollars. Drinking coffee comes with health benefits as well, and in this article, we will be exploring the numerous health benefits that come with your morning cup of joe.
Caffeine Boosts Brain Function.
The main reason everyone drinks coffee is to feel awake. Caffeine, the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world is absorbed in your bloodstream after consumption and travels to your brain. Once it has reached your brain, caffeine blocks the neurotransmitter called adenosine, which makes you sleepy. Since adenosine is blocked, the result is other neurotransmitters being fired in place of adenosine, such as dopamine and norepinephrine which can boost your mental cognition!
You can attribute caffeine to improved mood, reaction time, attention, and learning. One study showed that after drinking a cup of coffee, your short term memory and alertness are stronger.
Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Dementia.
Alzheimers and Parkinson’s are the two most common neurodegenerative diseases and are the leading causes of Dementia. There currently is no cure for these diseases, so prevention is more important than treatment. Studies have shown that caffeine can help slow down neurodegenerative diseases by keeping the brain alert and active.
Coffee is Packed with Antioxidants and Essential Nutrients that Reduces Your Risk of Cancer and Chronic Diseases. There have been numerous studies that study the relationship of cancer with drinking coffee. There is research supporting the fact that coffee has anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. Coffee also contains many antioxidants. These antioxidants can reduce your risk of mouth, colorectal, endometrial, prostate, and liver cancer by significant amounts.
Can Fight Depression and Make You Happier.
To understand the how and the why behind this, we need to understand what happens in your brain when you are depressed. When you are depressed, your brain releases a hormone called cortisol. Excessive amounts of cortisol can lead to an enlarged and hyperactive amygdala, otherwise known as inflammation. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid, which can reduce inflammation of brain cells. For people suffering from depression, coffee can help relieve discomfort and stress.
Great Benefits to Your Daily Workout. The fact that coffee gives you an energy boost for your workout is the obvious reason here. However, there are numerous other reasons that coffee is a great supplement to your workout! Studies have shown that drinking coffee mixed with carbohydrates after a workout can repair muscle tissue faster. Caffeine also relieves muscle pain after workouts. On top of all this, studies have proven that caffeine also boosts your basal metabolic rate by 3%-11%. Caffeine increases your body’s fat-burning rate as well.
