Drinking a cup of coffee is a well-known way to boost your energy levels at the start of the day.
But the caffeinated concoction also has a variety of surprising health benefits.
It has been shown to be good for the heart and even reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to experts.
Here MailOnline reveals seven potential health benefits of drinking coffee.
Drinking coffee in moderation could be good for you, according to researchers. the caffeinated beverage has been linked to reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and liver disease. It can also help you stay slim, help you exercise, and reduce your risk of depression.
Lowers the risk of depression
In addition to getting you up in the morning, coffee might also make you feel happier, research suggests.
In fact, drinking at least four cups of coffee a day has been linked to a lower risk of depression, compared to just drinking one.
That is according to a Spaniard. study of 14,413 university graduates in 2018.
Researchers at the National Coffee Association believe that one reason coffee might lower our risk of depression is because caffeine blocks mood-depressing chemicals in the brain.
Just like caffeine prevents you from falling asleep, the stimulant also blocks receptors in the brain from binding to adenosine, a chemical that not only causes fatigue but also depressed mood.
Supports liver health
Coffee could keep your liver healthy and protect the organ against diseases.
New research suggests that there is a link between coffee consumption and the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a variety of liver diseases that can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis and cancer.
the 2023 study by the University of Coimbra in Portugal, with the support of the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee, questioned 156 middle-aged participants with borderline obesity, most of whom had type 2 diabetes.
It found that those who drank more coffee had healthier livers.
But, it’s not just because of the caffeine.
Both decaffeinated and caffeinated beans had this positive effect on the liver.
While those who drank regular coffee were less likely to have liver fibrosis, consuming higher levels of deaf coffee was significantly associated with reduced levels of fatty liver.
However, other factors could be at play.
Drinking three to five cups of coffee a day has been shown to have positive effects on health. Some researchers say that drinking four cups of coffee can reduce the risk of depression. Other studies have also shown that both decaffeinated and caffeinated beans may protect your liver against disease.
Helps you lose weight
Your morning dose could help you maintain a healthy weight.
The researchers say this could be because your morning drink increases your metabolic rate, the number of calories your body uses per day, and burns fat.
In a 1989 study, it was found that just 100 mg of caffeine, about the amount in an average cup of coffee, increased the resting metabolic rate of participants.
He study by King’s College London, found that participants’ energy expenditure increased by about 10 percent when they were given 100 mg of caffeine at 2-hour intervals throughout the day.
Because of these findings, researchers have speculated that caffeine might help with weight loss in the treatment of obesity, but more research is needed.
a more recent study in 2004, he found that drinking coffee doubled the amount of fat burned and increased energy expenditure by 13 percent.
But, the research was backed by Nestle coffee growers.
other usa study published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2020, suggests that women who drink more coffee have less body fat.
it’s good for your heart
If you drink too much caffeine, it can put a strain on your heart and make you feel jittery.
But in moderate amounts, coffee has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In fact, drinking three to five cups of coffee a day might be the perfect amount to keep your heart healthy.
Drinking three cups a day could reduce the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and atrial fibrillation, according to an Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) revision in 2022.
“Drinking moderate amounts of coffee is not only associated with a lower risk of heart disease, but also with a longer life,” says Professor Kjeld Hermansen, from the department of clinical medicine at Aarhus University and an ISIC coffee expert.
Professor Hermansen told MailOnline: ‘These trends hold true for both people with and without cardiovascular disease. Coffee beans have more than 100 biologically active compounds.
“These substances can help reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and improve insulin sensitivity and metabolism. However, the exact mechanism of action in relation to cardiovascular diseases has not yet been clarified.
Drinking three to five cups of coffee a day could be the perfect amount to keep your heart healthy. It has been suggested to reduce the risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and atrial fibrillation.
Helps sports performance
Coffee doesn’t just get you up in the morning, it can also help you in the gym.
Drinking caffeine has been shown to improve endurance, as well as high-intensity and resistance exercise, according to experts.
The concoction can also help your athletic performance in sports like tennis and soccer, says Dr. Neil Clarke, professor of sports nutrition and exercise at Coventry University and an ISIC expert.
He told MailOnline: ‘Cognitive function, including attention and alertness, has also been shown to improve after caffeine ingestion.
“These beneficial effects are generally independent of training status, habitual caffeine intake, and gender.”
But he also believes that simply drinking coffee is better than getting a dose of caffeine powder or tablets.
He said: “There is increasing evidence that coffee is an equally effective alternative to caffeine powder or tablets for enhancing exercise performance.”
it’s good for your brain
Drinking coffee reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, according to the researchers.
a 2016 review of 11 observational studies in more than 29,000 people found that the more coffee people consumed, the lower their risk of suffering from the memory steal condition.
But the researchers stressed that more studies are needed to find the reason for this link.
In addition to this, studies also suggest that coffee reduces the risk of developing Parkinson’s.
Other review of 13 studies, published in Nutrients in 2020, suggested that caffeine consumption slowed the progression of this neurological condition.
Coffee could be beneficial for the brain due to its anti-neuroinflammatory effects, according to Professor Giuseppe Grosso, from the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology at the University of Catania and an ISIC expert.
Professor Grosso told MailOnline: “There is evidence that coffee polyphenols can cross the blood-brain barrier, exert anti-neuroinflammatory effects and even promote neurogenesis, resulting in decreased risk of cognitive and affective disorders.”
A recent study found that caffeine may not only keep you from gaining weight, but may also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
A recent study found that caffeine may not only keep you from gaining weight, but may also reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in the journal BMJ Medicine, looked at the genes that determine how quickly people process caffeine to estimate the likely caffeine levels of nearly 800,000 people over their lifetime.
The researchers found that those who broke down caffeine more slowly, so they were likely to have a higher level in their blood, had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
However, half of people’s reduced risk of type 2 diabetes could be explained by having a lower BMI.
This is because being thinner reduces the risk of developing the condition, which affects one in 10 people over the age of 40.
But drinking plain coffee is more likely to reduce the risk of the disease than drinking sweetened coffees that contain syrups.
Study lead author Dr Dipender Gill, from Imperial College London, said: “These results suggest that caffeine may be linked to lower body mass index, less body fat and a lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes.” .
“It can improve people’s metabolism, although this doesn’t mean people should go out and drink lots of high-calorie caffeinated drinks like chai latte.”
“If there is more evidence from larger trials in the future, it may suggest that people should consider drinking espressos or black coffee to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.”