The Health Benefits of Coffee

Coffee has gotten a bad reputation.  Doctors used to warn us of its adversity, such as high acidity and ulcers, jitters from Caffeine, and a plethora of other negative side effects.

Well, times have changed – and science has finally caught up.  We did our research to seek out current scientific findings, only using studies that included a wide survey of people who drink coffee regularly.  According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the National Cancer Institute, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation Heart Failure, coffee is proven to actually good for you.  The results were amazing – and extensive.  Here are some of the findings.

 

Disease Suppression and Reduction

Studies found that consuming two cups of coffee a day can have great health benefits:

• Due to its chlorogenic acid content (a chemical in coffee that reduces blood glucose levels, boosts insulin sensitivity, and decreases fat and carbohydrate storages), drinking as little as one cup of coffee a day reduces the risk of Diabetes by 13%.
• Decreases gall stones by 50%
• Cuts Cirrhosis of the liver by 80%
• Cuts Parkinson ’s symptoms by 80%; in fact, regular, moderate coffee drinkers are ½ as likely to get the disease due to coffee’s increase the amount of dopamine being produced by the body.
• Improves mood
• Stops headaches due to vasodilation from caffeine

Consumption Levels and Health

Even with heavy coffee consumption (four-six or more cups of coffee a day), there were significant health benefits.  

• Men’s risk of Type 2 Diabetes dropped by up to 54%; women’s risk dropped slightly less by 30%. 
• Men can be prevented from contracting the most dangerous kinds of prostate cancer up to 60% and are also protected by any form of prostate cancer to almost 20%. 
• Coffee helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: 4-5 cups of coffee a day can boost levels of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) which is one of the ways scientists believe of being able to fight off the disease. It also reduces the production and deposition of protein beta-amyloid which is widely thought to be the main cause of the disease.

Improved Athletic Endurance 

It has been widely accepted that certain natural stimulants improve athletic performance.  Power bars, athletic drinks, vitamin supplements – even sugary soft drinks – have all widely been prescribed by coaches and trainers to boost performance. Studies have proven that as little as 16 ounces of coffee improves athletic endurance and reduces muscle fatigue far better than a 64-ounce cola. 

 

Life Extension 

Based on an online article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, coffee can actually increase longevity.   

• Large amounts of coffee were found to be actually not harmful if you are already healthy.
• Women who drink 2-3 cups a day have an 18% reduction in death from all causes.  When drinking 4-5 cups a day, the reduction increases to 26%.
• Coffee is also a moderately effective anti-inflammatory (inflammation is a symptom long associated with all forms of life-shortening illnesses such as heart disease, autoimmune disease, and cancer).

Antioxidant 

Coffee, most people forget, is a plant with all of the phytogenic benefits of plant matter.  In fact, coffee contains more antioxidants that blueberries or broccoli – even higher than green tea.  Also, coffee contains the antioxidant Clorogenic Acid.  When coffee is brewed, the antioxidant levels are raised.

 

Antidepressant 

Coffee drinkers have a proven lower rate of suicide than non-coffee drinkers.  There is a chemical present in the aroma of coffee that is an antidepressant called Trigonomine, the same ingredient that makes coffee smell so very good (even if you don’t like the taste of coffee).  You don’t have to drink coffee for the antidepressant effects.  The aroma itself chemically increases and balances serotonin levels of the human brain. 

 

 

It is still unknown what the extensive chemical properties in coffee will do for reducing health risks.  And coffee’s not (yet) being recommended by physicians to cure or prevent disease despite the facts and studies that continue to pile up.  But use your common sense about coffee sourcing for positive health benefits.  If you are not drinking organic coffee, you are also drinking the chemical residues from herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides that may actually hinder healthful effects (and may even cause more health problems).  By all means, follow your doctor’s advice.  If they order you to not drink coffee, by all means, do what they recommend.  You might be doing them a favor by leaving this article with them and see if they might consider the health benefits of coffee beyond conventional wisdom.  Doctors are scientists, after all.