Coffee, Coffee, Nice Cup of Coffee! The Top 10 Benefits of Coffee Consumption

Coffee, coffee, nice cup of coffee,
Guys who wants a cup?
Coffee, coffee, nice cup of coffee,
What makes people feel good about it?
You can live a very long time and stay healthy.

- Song By Rita Corita (Dutch Singer, 1958)

Ah, coffee! It's difficult to envision a day without it. It wakes you up, and drinking a steaming cup of coffee is extremely relaxing. But is coffee healthy?

Coffee was once listed on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) doping list and was thought to be a potential carcinogen by the World Health Organization. When it turned out that chess players would not pass the check beyond three units per hour, it caused a problem during a chess competition. The IOC ultimately took coffee off the list in 2004. The World Anti-Doping Code's requirements, which include that a chemical must be hazardous to health, were not met upon closer examination.

The case for coffee is stronger than ever, which is good news. Many studies suggest that your favorite morning coffee may be providing you with more benefits than you realize.

When you think of coffee, the first thing that springs to mind is caffeine. But, according to nutritionists from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, coffee also contains antioxidants and other potent compounds that may lessen internal inflammation and offer protection against disease.

What are the top 10 health advantages of coffee consumption?

Beyond only an energy boost, your beverage has other advantages. The following are the main ways that coffee can improve your health:

1. You might live a happy, healthy, longer life. According to recent studies, those who drink coffee have a lower risk of dying from some of the main causes of mortality in women, including coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and renal disease.

2. Coffee drinkers are up to 30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Your body might be better at processing sugar or glucose. According to studies, individuals who consume more coffee had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It has now been proven that drinking coffee every day is not only beneficial to your health but also safe.

Although caffeine can significantly raise blood pressure and heart rate, in most people, these effects are transient.

After reviewing a vast amount of scientific evidence, the World Health Organization (WHO) came to the conclusion that coffee has positive effects on the body. The impact on type 2 diabetes is most notable: coffee consumers had a 30% lower risk of developing the disease.

3. Heart failure is less likely to strike you. One to two cups of coffee a day can help prevent heart failure, which occurs when the heart is too weak to pump enough blood to the body.

4. Parkinson's disease is less likely to hit you. In addition to lowering the risk of acquiring Parkinson's disease, caffeine may also improve movement control in those who already have the disorder.

5. Your liver will love it. Regular and decaf coffee are both proven to protect your liver. According to research, coffee consumers are more likely than non-drinkers to have liver enzyme levels that are within a healthy range.

6. You'll have much more robust DNA. Dark roast coffee reduces DNA strand breaks, which happen naturally but can increase the risk of cancer or tumors if your cells don't repair them.

7. Your risks of developing colon cancer will significantly decrease. In 23 out of 100 women, colon cancer occurs. Decaf or regular coffee consumers, however, were shown to have a 26% lower risk of colorectal cancer.

8. Your likelihood of getting Alzheimer's disease could go down. Women make up over two-thirds of Alzheimer's patients in the United States. Two cups of coffee, however, may offer significant protection against the illness because of the caffeine they contain. In fact, studies have shown that women over 65 who consume two to three cups of coffee daily are less likely to get general dementia.

9. You have a lower risk of suffering a stroke. Women who consume at least one cup of coffee each day had a lower risk of developing stroke, which is the fourth largest cause of death for females.

10. Reduced risk of suicide because coffee promotes the production of 'happiness hormones' such as serotonin and dopamine.

How much coffee a day is safe for women to consume?

It's true. You can have too much of a good thing. Caffeinated coffee taken in excess might make you jittery and lead to:

• Increased heart rate
• Raised blood pressure
• Anxiety
• Difficulty falling asleep

So how much coffee should be consumed in order to get the benefits and prevent any undesirable side effects?

Because caffeine is a stimulant, some moderation is desirable. Three to five cups a day, is the advice. Of course it depends on how strong you brew the coffee.

Unfiltered coffee – such as espresso and coffee from cups – contains cafestol, which raises your LDL cholesterol.

Also good to know: it takes about five hours for half of the caffeine to disappear from your body. So if you're sensitive to it, even the late afternoon cup can give you another awake night. Then it can be a disadvantage… or not.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that most women can safely consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, or three to five cups, of coffee per day. (The amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee might vary based on the variety, but an 8-ounce cup typically has 95 mg.)

But the rules are different if you're expecting or nursing. Before introducing caffeine into your diet, consult with your obstetrician. Be careful not to overdo it if coffee makes you jittery. Everyone has a different threshold for caffeine. By consuming just one cup of coffee each day, even decaf, you can still reap some of its potential health benefits.

Keep in mind that the additions you make to your coffee can affect how nutritious it actually is. Use naturally sweet spices and flavorings and up to two tablespoons of milk, milk substitute, or half-and-half in place of heaping amounts of cream and sugar.

The Inspirer,
Dr. Lilian O. Ebuoma

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