Does Coffee Have any Good Health Benefits?

Every morning for years I start off my day with a large cup of coffee - my apartment actually offers free coffee! I use to feel guilty for drinking coffee however, there are so many decent health benefits of coffee where it should become a staple of your morning routine. I use to drink a monster every morning but switched to coffee because I thought it would be a lot better for me and get me energized.Well maybe you should feel a little guilty is you just drank a grande Starbucks chocolate caramel coffee with extra whipped creams and chocolate drizzle... But other than that coffee itself has some incredible health benefits when consumed in moderation.Also important to note is coffee many studies in the past haven't focused on coffee but rather on the people who drink it. And many people who drink coffee also do other health adverse things such as smoking, bad eating habits and lack of exercise. I will focus on coffee, and i'm guessing since you are reading my health blog you are already health conscious. As much as I love coffee and it's health benefits I found something that makes it a million times better! Check out VitaCup if you aren't already hooked, it makes coffee healthier. So go ahead and brew a cup of joe and read on!

Lower Mortality Rate

Combining all of the great health benefits of coffee below (it's long) coffee drinkers have a lower risk of dying when compared to non coffee drinkers. Now this does not mean coffee will keep you from dying or you will be guaranteed to live a long time just by drinking coffee, however, coffee drinkers do have about a 10 to 15% lower mortality rate. This is due to many reasons, the most important of which is coffee is high in antioxidants and and has powerful anti inflammatory properties.

Coffee Boosts Your Energy

This is a benefit that everyone knows, it's the main reason people drink coffee in the first place! However boosting your energy and making you more alert has drastic benefits to your health. Being more alert makes you far less likely to run into an accident, such as falling asleep when driving to work or just not being aware of what's around you. You might not realize but everyday all around us things happen that can hurt or even kill us and the main thing stopping that is our alertness and ability to react and self preserve. Coffee and the chemical caffeine help aid us with this task.

Coffee Is High in Fiber

In today's society, sugar runs rampant. However fiber is pretty hard to come by for many people. Fiber is very important for our bodies. While coffee isn't huge in fiber it definitely will help to add more to our diets. Coffee has about 2 grams of fiber per 8oz cup, and we need around 30 grams daily.

Coffee can Help with Major Health Problems:

Coffee Can Possibly Help Against Alzheimer's

A study done between the link of caffeine and Alzheimer's disease found that caffeine can actually help lower the risk for the disease. Coffee is naturally loaded with caffeine so in moderation coffee could help give you some protection from that terrible mental degenerative disease. You can check out the study here.

Coffee Offers Some Protection against Parkison's Disease

My grandma is in a nursing home, and the lady in the room next to her has severe Parkison's Disease. This is something that looks truly awful! Avid coffee drinkers my be unknowingly adding protection from this disease!From the study: "An epidemiological study of Parkinson's patients from two counties in south east Sweden examined a combination of a previously known protective factor – caffeine – and the genetic variant in GRIN2A. The findings show that individuals with this combination run a significantly lower risk of developing the disease.Caffeine integrates with a dopamine receptor that regulates the flow of calcium into the cell. As dopamine is part of the human reward system, and the interaction of caffeine with it, it has been speculated that individuals with certain genetic variations are not "rewarded" to the same extent by a cup of coffee, and therefore would not enjoy the same protective effect as others. The newly published study shows that GRIN2A can be a part of such a genetic predisposition."This doesn't necessarily mean coffee alone though, there is a genetic condition which really aides the caffeine in adding a layer of protection against Parkison's.

Coffee is Full of Antioxidants

Because of coffee's dark natural color and tropical growth area, the coffee bean is loaded with antioxidants. One such antioxidant - chlorogenic acid can actually help defend your eyes from eye damage. Chlorogenic acid is actually one of the most powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants are super important for our health, studies have shown that high antioxidant intake can help you live longer and appear more youthful. This is because antioxidants block free radicals which cause extreme health hazards, free radicals are cause by metabolism of oxygen.

Coffee has Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Powers

Inflammation is an extreme cause of many illnesses. Many of the foods we eat which are known as "super foods" just have very powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Coffee is one of these, and while it's not classified as a super food - this is a fake term just to help market products - it's pretty darn super.

Coffee Seems to be Beneficial for your Brain

The caffeine in coffee might fire you up a bit for a few hours however, over a longer period coffee can have some great benefits. Not only does the caffeine help to add a layer of protection from Parkison's and Alzheimer's but can also help against dementia. As a segway, my grandma is currently terminally ill from dementia and let me tell you it's not pretty. After seeing this terrible disease I would do anything to try and add as much protection as I can from it.Some studies have linked higher caffeine consumption with a lower risk of dementia.

Coffee can be Beneficial for your Heart

Caffeine might make you jittery and make your heart beat faster for a bit after you've had some, but there are no confirmed links to say that it negatively affects your heart. In fact, a study at Harvard found that drinking 2 cups of coffee per day can lower the risk for heart disease; however I'll state again: moderation is key. That same study showed the more you drink and especially after 5 cups of coffee actually raises your risk for heart disease.Coffee also contains numerous phytochemicals many of which aid in reducing inflammation. Inflammation is a major cause of health problems. Reducing inflammation is going to make you a ton healthier overall and the coffee bean is a fantastic start.

Coffee can Boost Your Happiness Level

Coffee has been linked lower the feelings of depression - slightly. However coffee has been shown to lower the risk of suicide significantly.In fact, a recent Harvard School of Public Health study showed coffee appeared to cut the risk of suicide by 50% in both men and women.The reason for this may be due to the fact that coffee helps to boost your production of certain neurotransmitters in the our brain. Namely serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline. This does not mean coffee or caffeine should be used as a self treatment for depression or suicide. The study showed no difference between 2 cups a day and 4 or more, but then adverse health effects will start to show up. The point is coffee and caffeine can help. but it's not medicine.