Let’s talk about the health benefits of your daily cup of coffee.
It doesn’t take a genius to know that coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant produced by plants to ward off insects.
There’s a host of benefits that freshly brewed coffee can offer and we have picked ten of these benefits to list.
- Increased alertness and cognitive function. Research conducted by the university of Waterloo in Canada highlighted that caffeine consumption improves reaction to moving targets, critical for everyday tasks such as driving, cycling or playing sports, that require us to process detailed information in moving objects when making decisions.
- Boost your workout. Coffee has been shown to be effective in boosting workouts and researchers recommend consumption 45–60 minutes prior to exercise to allow the caffeine to get absorbed into your bloodstream and reach its peak effectiveness.
- Improves aerobic endurance. Although the effect differs between individuals, research shows aerobic endurance to be the form of exercise with the most consistent moderate-to-large benefits from consuming coffee.
- Coffee contains flavanols and Polyphenols an antioxidant that has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Antioxidants disarm free radicals which can damage our DNA. Polyphenols can prevent conditions such as heart disease cancer and type 2 diabetes.
- According to research conducted by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, Coffee drinkers display a much lower risk of liver cirrhosis.
- Further research also shows that increased consumption of coffee may reduce the risk of liver cancer.
- A recent Nottingham university study showed that drinking coffee stimulates brown fat. Brown fat stimulates body heat by burning calories.
- A host of studies suggest that people who drink coffee may have up to a 60% decreased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
- According to researchers drinking 3–4 cups of coffee a day decreased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Coffee improves bowel irregularity by stimulating colonic motor activity. Caffeinated coffee is 60% more effective than water at stimulating colonic motor activity. If you struggle to have a regular bowel movement, coffee may be a healthy beverage of choice to get things moving.
So there you have it, there's more to a cup of coffee than a caffeine hit. Happy sipping.
Asante