How Can You Benefit from Drinking Coffee?

Are you fond of drinking coffee? If so, did you know that there are many health benefits of coffee?

Coffee is the world’s most popular beverage and it is a drink which is liked by all people, irrespective of their age or geographical location.

The word coffee entered English world way back in 1598 from the Italian word “caffa” via the Turkish word “kahveh” and the Arabic word “qahwa”.

Today, it is grown in many countries and comes in endless flavors, strengths, and varieties. It is also remarkable that one out of every five cups of coffee worldwide is consumed in the United States. Meetings are held, proposals are discussed, marriages are proposed, deals are finalized, and a lot more happens over a magical cup of coffee or java.

While many would have you believe that drinking coffee is bad for you, the research shows otherwise. Coffee, in moderation, can actually be very beneficial to your body, skin, and brain.

6 Benefits of Coffee

Here are six of the many reasons you should start every day with a cup of coffee.

 

Most people get more antioxidants from coffee than they do from the food they eat. According to a 2005 study, nothing even comes close to providing the amount of antioxidants found in coffee.

Other researchers claim that coffee, especially if it’s freshly roasted and ground, is full of antioxidants, and therefore good for us.  Most doctors say that drinking one or two cups of coffee a day is probably not harmful.

Yes, fruits and vegetables have a ton of really wonderful antioxidants. However, according to the study, your body absorbs the most antioxidants from coffee. So drink up!

The great thing about coffee is you don’t even have to drink it to benefit from it. According to researchers at the Seoul National University, just smelling the coffee is enough to help relieve stress. Please know this study was not related to stress itself. Instead, it was related to stress brought on by sleep deprivation.

Therefore, when you need a quick pick me up at work as fatigue from lack of sleep hits; drink a cup of coffee to get you going.

 

If you drink alcohol this is for you. In 2006, a study was done on 125,000 individuals over the age of 22. In the study, those who consumed just one cup of coffee a day were less likely to develop cirrhosis of the liver. Liver cirrhosis is an autoimmune disease caused by drinking alcohol in excess.

Coffee has protective benefits that can help guard against alcoholic cirrhosis. Those who consume more coffee are less likely to end up hospitalized, or dying, from liver cirrhosis brought on by drinking too much alcohol. Other studies have also shown nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can be preventing by drinking coffee.

 

Want to keep your brain healthier for a longer period of time? Try drinking a cup, or two, of coffee a day. A study done by researchers at the University of Miami and the University of South Florida found that high levels of caffeine could actually delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 4 years. This was based on higher blood levels of caffeine found in individuals over the age of 65.

Please know this is not to say coffee consumption can prevent you from developing Alzheimer’s disease. However, based on the study, drinking a moderate amount of coffee on a regular basis can reduce one’s risk of developing this debilitating disease.

 

Feeling a little down and in the dumps? If so, a cup of coffee may be just what you need. The National Institute of Health performed a study on this very issue several years ago. During the study, doctors and researchers found individuals who drink a minimum of 4 cups of coffee a day were less likely to be depressed than those who avoided drinking coffee.

While most would think this is due to the “high” you get from drinking a cup of coffee, research shows that is not the case. You see, you can get the same exact “high” from drinking a can of soda. The difference, however, is that certain sodas are actually linked to depression.

Honglei Chen, MD, Ph.D., the doctor who authored this study, told Prevention.com that the reason researchers believe coffee makes you happy is due to the many antioxidants it contains. Soda, on the other hand, contains no antioxidants at all.

 

Yes, you read that right. Drinking coffee can actually make you smarter. Generally speaking, people will drink a cup of coffee when they are feeling sluggish and sleep deprived. Doing so will often times give you that much-needed jolt that will help you stay alert for few hours.

In some older people, coffee or tea can improve memory and alertness enough to partly offset the effects of aging.

According to some reports, coffee does much more than give you an energy boost. It can also make you more intelligent. According to CNN, drinking coffee causes your brain to work more efficiently.

Experts agree that when you drink caffeine your attention span, reaction time, logical reasoning, and vigilance will all improve. All four of these components are associated with overall intelligence, which is why it is believed coffee can make you smarter.

More Benefits with Organic Coffee

Coffee drinkers everywhere now have the option of forgoing their ordinary cup of coffee and going “organic”.  Coffee made from organic coffee beans has advantages and is healthier for you than its traditional counterpart.

Organic coffee is created using beans that have been cultivated and harvested without the use of chemical or synthetic pesticides or herbicides, which can be harmful to both growers and consumers.  Because the yield of organic coffee is less than with traditional coffee, this type of coffee tends to be more expensive than regular coffee.

In growing organic coffee, the emphasis is placed on recycling, fair trade purchasing, composting, soil health, and a healthy environment.

Coffee is certified organic using a third party certification organization; most commonly, organic growers use the Organic Crop Improvement Association.

There is a cost involved, cutting into the profits of the small producers that often make this type of coffee.  In addition, organic coffee is “shade grown,”  which reduces yield and also adds to the cost of this type of coffee.

Most organic coffee is also considered “fair trade coffee,” and a special certification is required for that status.  Fair trade coffee is traded in such a way as to bypass the coffee trader, allowing better profits for the producer, in general.

The third party certification organization that certifies fair trade coffee is called TransFair USA. Organic coffee traded using fair trade methods involves an agreement by coffee importers and small farmers that says the importers will purchase their organic coffee from smaller farmers listed in the International Fair Trade Coffee Register.

Organic growers are guaranteed a minimum “fair trade price” for their coffee, and importers provide a certain amount of credit to growers against future sales, keeping farmers out of debt.  The middle man is cut out of this process.

It is also important in organic coffee farming that the farming is sustainable.  While the definition of “sustainable” varies, it basically means that the growth of organic coffee is healthy for the environment and the people who grow and buy it.  Sustainable organic farming doesn’t destroy the land the product is grown on and uses very little external energy in the production of the organic product.

Sustainable organic farming doesn’t destroy the land the product is grown on and uses very little external energy in the production of the organic product.

Sustainable organic coffee growing takes steps to avoid excess energy being added to the system.  For example, a solar coffee drying system is used instead of commercial coffee bean dryers.  Water consumption is minimized in sustainable organic coffee growing, and the water used is kept clean.  Because of this, water from the coffee fermentation tanks is never dumped in rivers or lakes but is filtered naturally through the earth before being used for irrigation.

Water consumption is minimized in sustainable organic coffee growing, and the water used is kept clean.  Water from the coffee fermentation tanks is never dumped in rivers or lakes but is filtered naturally through the earth before being used for irrigation.

Sustainable organic farms will spread organic fertilizer, like composted coffee pulp, under and between the coffee trees. Yields are increased and the mineral content in the soil is maximized.  All in all, organic coffee farming is safe, healthy and good for the environment.  Consumers can buy these products in cooperatives, health food stores, and some supermarkets.

All in all, organic coffee farming is safe, healthy and good for the environment.  Consumers can buy these products in cooperatives, health food stores, and some supermarkets.

Drinking Coffee Reminders

Coffee is the second-most-traded commodity in the world, next to petroleum. The popularity of coffee can also be judged by the rising number of coffee pubs and cafes all over the world.

People of all age groups can be found hanging out in such cafes, enjoying their cup of coffee. In the morning, in the afternoon or at night, the coffee house business does not stop.

Not every person reacts to caffeine in the same way.  Some people experience greater mental clarity, alertness, and productivity after a cup of coffee.  Other people become jittery, anxious, or depressed when they drink coffee.  Although caffeine will keep most of us awake if taken at night, it does not have this effect for everyone.

Other people become jittery, anxious, or depressed when they drink coffee.  Although caffeine will keep most of us awake if taken at night, it does not have this effect for everyone.

It is true that caffeine is mildly addicting for most people.  Some people can quit using caffeine with absolutely no withdrawal symptoms, while others will feel headaches, fatigue, and experience cravings for caffeine for weeks.

The most noticeable adverse effect of caffeine is that it can interfere with sleep.  In most people, drinking coffee, tea or cola in the late afternoon or evening will cause insomnia.

If you are particularly affected by caffeine, you will find that the quantity and quality of your sleep will be greatly reduced.  This can set off a vicious cycle, where you feel so tired all the next day that you drink a lot more coffee just to try to feel awake.

If this is happening to you, cut back on the amount of coffee you consume each day.  You may experience fewer withdrawal symptoms if you cut down gradually.

Substitute green tea for some of your cups of coffee.  Green tea has some caffeine, but not as much as coffee.

Better yet, consider substituting exercise for some of those cups of coffee.  If you can’t leave your workplace, at least get up from your chair periodically.

Do a few stretches, walk around a bit, and jump up and down a few times.  Take some deep breaths.  A little exercise break can revitalize your brain without giving you caffeine jitters.

Remember that your brain won’t really benefit from more than one or two cups of coffee in a day.

But how much coffee should you drink?

Too much caffeine can lead to anxiety, jitters, and insomnia. Portion control is important to reap the benefits of coffee without its negative effects.

The Mayo Clinic says that adults can safely enjoy up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine daily. This amounts to about four cups of your average brew.

However, keep in mind that caffeine content varies, for example, a 6-ounce coffee from Starbucks can have 200 mg more caffeine than that served at Dunkin Donuts.

In the end, coffee is still hot to drink! Whether it is cold, iced, flavored, or simply a cup of coffee for you to enjoy,.

 

Download a free PDF copy of the health benefits of drinking coffee.

 

Listen to the text to speech audio of this article.

 

Images: pixabay.com

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