Everyone who knows me, knows that coffee is my drink of choice. Not just for the great “pick-me-up” it gives me in the morning, but for the taste, the aroma, the colour, the texture… I love everything about coffee. The problem is that coffee gets a bad rap a lot of the time meanwhile there are quite a few health benefits to drinking coffee daily. So for your enjoyment and to give all my fellow coffee drinkers ammunition the next time you hear someone say “coffee is bad for you” here are 5 rebuttals!
1. Coffee is a great source of antioxidants
Unknown to many, coffee is a potent source of disease-fighting antioxidants. Antioxidants are the body’s cleaners and help free us from free radicals free to form harmless substances that can then be flushed out of the bloodstream and body, naturally. Antioxidants also fight inflammation which is a common cause of chronic conditions, including arthritis, atherosclerosis and many types of cancer. While berries do provide us with a higher source of antioxidants than coffee, very few people will eat large amounts of berries per day. Thus drinking a few cups of java daily will provide you with 450–600 ml/day (for 2-4 cups of coffee/day).
2. Coffee makes for a happy, healthy liver
Chronic liver disease is the twelfth leading cause of death worldwide. With a statistic like that we definitely want to keep our livers happy and healthy. Thankfully coffee helps us to do just that. A study conducted in Netherlands found that drinking at least three cups of coffee daily was “significantly associated” with less scarring of the liver. Drinking coffee daily can greatly reduce your risk of cirrhosis, especially alcoholic cirrhosis.
3. Coffee may decrease the risk of depression
Many studies have linked drinking coffee with a lower rate of depression in both men and women. A study from Harvard School of Public Health showed that drinking at least 2 cups of coffee per day lowered the risk of suicide in men and women by 50%. That is a significant decrease and a definite encouragement to continue enjoying your daily cup of coffee.
4. Coffee boosts your short-term and long-term memory
Researchers at John Hopkins University have found that caffeine has a positive effect on our long-term and short-term memory. Drinking at least one cup of coffee appeared help retain information for at least a day after it is consumed. Caffeine appears to affect the particular areas of our brain that’s responsible for memory and concentration, which is what provides that boost to our short-term memory.
5. Coffee may make you live longer
With so many health benefits to drinking coffee, it’s logical to make the conclusion that drinking coffee may just prolong your life. There are a number of additional health benefits from drinking cofee not mentioned in this list, such as a lowered risk of Type 2 Diabetes, lowered the risk of stroke, lower risks of certain types of cancer and protect your from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Studies have shown a 20% lower risk of death in men and 26% lower risk of death in women.
So in conclusion, go ahead and enjoy your daily cup of coffee, however you choose to take it. Simply enjoy! I know I will.
