Nutrition

Top 5 Health Benefits Of Coffee

30th May 2017

By Harriet Mallinson | Published on May 30, 2017


After a long and hectic weekend of burning the candle at both ends (despite initial intentions to kick back) returning to the working week can be tough and caffeine seems to be our closest friend.

For many, a day just hasn’t started until the first cup of coffee has been drunk: it’s warm, comforting and gives you a much-needed energy boost.

However, there’s so much more to it than that. For instance, did you know it can help prevent depression or fight disease?

Konstantnos Konstantinopolos is the CEO at Coffee Island, which claims to be the only specialty coffee shop in London that allows you to customise your own blend and brewing method according to taste.  “It has become the drink of choice for so many Londoners and coffee lovers around the world because of its many qualities and because it tastes so good too!” says Konstantnos. “But coffee can be more than just coffee if you know where to find it, and that’s what we are here for”.

Here are just five exciting health benefits a mug of java can offer.

 

Coffee kick-starts your energy levels

This one’s a no brainer as a cup of joe is the perfect answer when you feel yourself flagging because caffeine is a stimulant. When you drink coffee, caffeine that’s absorbed into your bloodstream travels to the brain where it blocks the neurotransmitter adenosine.

By blocking adenosine, caffeine increases brain activity and releases other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine. These neurotransmitters reduce fatigue and make us feel more alert.

Numerous studies also show that caffeine can lead to a short-term boost in brain function as well as an improved mood, reaction time and general cognitive function.

 

Coffee helps you lose weight

Coffee seems to be one of the few things that tastes great as well as being able to help you lose weight; what’s not to love? This is because when sipped in moderation, coffee leads to a short-term rise in your body’s metabolic rate.

This means the caffeine in coffee jumpstarts the process of lipolysis, which occurs when your body breaks down your fat stores to convert it into energy. In other words, drinking coffee helps you burn fat.

 

Coffee may curb depression

It’s not rare for some people to refer to coffee as their drug of choice but actually it turns out the beverage may have more medicinal properties than we thought in helping to fight depression.

In a ten-year cohort study by Harvard University of more than 50,000 older women, investigators found that those who drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 15% decreased risk for depression compared to those who drank one cup or less per week.

Similarly, those who drank four cups or more per day had a 20% decreased risk of depression.

 

– RELATED: What Is The Healthiest Coffee To Order? –

 

Coffee fights against diseases

Coffee’s role as a cure doesn’t stop there, however. Believe it or not, coffee can help fight many different diseases. Considered by many as a superfood, coffee is loaded with antioxidants that help cleanse disease-causing toxins from our bodies.

In particular, coffee consumption can fight against type 2 diabetes, delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, lower the risk cardiovascular disease and protect against cancer.

One study from Keio University in Tokyo found that coffee induces a breast-cancer-resistant protein in cancer cell lines. According to a Swedish study, post-menopausal women who drank coffee had a lowered risk of non-hormone responsive breast cancer. Additional research has found ties between coffee and lower rates of colon, breast and rectal cancer.

 

Coffee can boost your athletic performance

The caffeinated stuff isn’t just for getting through a day in the office or for passing time with friends in a café, it can also be the perfect fuel for athletes. Coffee has been shown to increase concentration, muscle power, reaction time and endurance while decreasing muscle fatigue.

The New York Times reports: “Scientists and many athletes have known for years, of course, that a cup of coffee before a workout jolts athletic performance, especially in endurance sports like distance running and cycling.”