Most of us love having a nice, strong cup of coffee to start off our day. Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing as long as you don’t go overboard on the amounts and you make sure you stop drinking it at some point in the day, so that it doesn’t disrupt your sleep pattern. Now, coffee can do so much more for your health then simply help you wake up every morning. Here are some great benefits of coffee you might not have known about.
Aids in fighting off inflammation
You might think this has to do with muscle inflammation that you get after an intense workout, but actually it is helpful with all kinds of inflammations and can aid in warding off diseases. When we drink coffee it blocks certain receptors in our brain, thus helping us stay awake. It does the same thing with inflammation. Caffeine blocks pathways that produce inflammatory molecules. It can especially be helpful with age related inflammations. So, don’t cut it out from your diet as you get older.
Lowers your risk of heart disease
A recent study concluded that people who consume at least three cups of coffee a day tend to develop less calcification in their coronary arteries. Of course a healthy diet can go a long way as well, but still coffee plays an important factor. Just ask the Australians, who are the champions of a healthy lifestyle. A cup or two of the strongest coffee in Australia and you are good to go. Keeping your arteries and heart functions in good shape will help you reach old age a lot more easily. So enjoy!
Helps you stay sharp
Even with the help of modern science it is not that easy to prevent mental decline as we get older. But we can, at least try to slow it down, and this is where coffee comes into play. A research produced results showing that participants who drank 3 to 5 cups of coffee daily had around a 65% decreased chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia later on in life. This is a great number and something not to be overlooked. After all we all want our brain to stay in great shape as we get older.
Gives your physical performance a boost
Of course, it helps get our energy up, this is a given, and is one of the main reasons we drink coffee on the daily basis. But more importantly, at the same time coffee is helping your brain signal the fat cells to break down body fat. It can also boost your metabolic rate up to 11%, and increase the adrenaline levels in your blood. This helps prepare your body for exercise and exertion. All of these combined can do wonders for your pre-exercise prep. So next time, before you start your fitness routine try having a cup of coffee and see the results. And on the plus side, caffeine also reduces post-workout pain, so there is a win-win situation when it come to drinking coffee.
Is known to help fight depression
Depression is something a lot of people struggle with, and it can be mild or even severe, and coffee is one of the things that can actually aid in the fight. Caffeine boosts dopamine levels in the bloodstream, and as you know dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for movement, memory and cognition. It is also one of the reasons we feel pleasure. So drinking a couple of cups a day can not only get us moving it can also increase our happiness levels, which can in return help us fight off depression.
So, there you have it top 5 health benefits of having a cup of coffee or several a day. It is still the best part of the morning, that smell of a fresh pot brewing.