We are constantly being told what is good and bad for us but it seems that coffee, fast-becoming our favourite tipple, is actually rather good for us in lots of ways. Don't believe us? Then read on to find out more.
Coffee Can Improve Your Energy Levels
Yes it’s true and this is all due to the caffeine contained in coffee. Caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream, gets to the brain where it blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. This then causes other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine to increase, firing neurons out left right and centre! As a result of this you could see improvements in your memory, mood, energy levels and general cognitive functions.
Coffee Burns Fat
Yes, also true! And again it’s all down to caffeine, the substance that helps to burn fat. How does it do it? Well it boosts metabolic rate by anything from 3-11% and can burn fat. It is important to note however that the effect of this may decrease in people who drink coffee over a long period of time
Coffee Will Improve Your Overall Physical Output
Again this is all about caffeine which releases adrenaline which helps gets the body ready for physical stress and action required. It also makes fat cells break down body fat converting them into much needed fuel required by the body
Coffee Provides Essential Nutrients.
You may be interested to know that one cup of coffee contains vitamin B2, vitamin B5, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.
Coffee May Help You In The Fight Against Certain Diseases.
It is cited in Diabetes Type II, protecting you from dementia, lowering the risk of Parkinson’s, protecting the liver, fighting depression, protecting against certain cancers and lowering the risk of stroke. Let’s take the liver and cirrhosis, or scar tissue of the liver. A recent study by the University of Southampton says that the more coffee you drink each day the lower your risk of cirrhosis. How? Well we aren’t entirely clear but theories include the power of caffeine which could be blocking the activation of the cell in the liver that causes the scaring. As there is currently no cure for cirrhosis, nor any real treatment ,this is really exciting research.
The stats on certain cancers are also very exciting. Those people who drink coffee are in some studies 40% less likely to develop liver cancer and are 15% less likely to develop colorectal cancer. Again it is unclear as to why this is so. Coffee itself is a complex mixture of biological active compounds, how they are doing this is unclear but the impact they have is getting clearer in helping to reduce the risk of certain diseases.
Coffee Is A Great Antioxidant.
Coffee does contain a great deal of antioxidants, in fact some studies show that a cup of strong coffee can contain more antioxidants than some fruits and vegetable. We wouldn’t want you to stop getting your 5 a day but don’t discount the goodness of that cup of coffee.