Even though I drink lemon water first thing in the morning, I do still enjoy a cup of coffee with my breakfast. This got me curious as to whether or not there truly are any real health benefits of drinking coffee. It turns out that there are, based on some scientific studies.
1. Coffee helps you focus
A study of college students revealed they were better able to spot spelling and grammar mistakes after consuming caffeine. In essence, coffee helps you edit.
“Caffeine seems to enhance performance of some of the brain’s complex processes that rely on the right hemisphere, such as extracting meaning from language that’s written or spoken.”
– Study author Tad Brunye, a senior cognitive scientist at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Natick, Mass.
2. Caffeine lowers risk of depression in women
A Harvard study shows that women who drank 2-3 cups of coffee per day had a 15% lower risk of depression. It’s due to caffeine serving as a stimulant, which is also why people who have anxiety should stay away from it. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men are.
3. Coffee helps prevent cancer
“Coffee might have anti-cancer properties. Last year, researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50% less likely to get liver cancer than nondrinkers. A few studies have found ties to lower rates of colon, breast, and rectal cancers.”
– Harvard Health
The other form of cancer coffee is said to help lower risk of is basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common form of cancer in the world. Decaf coffee doesn’t provide the same protection.
4. Coffee keeps your mind sharp
There is a mystery ingredient in coffee that when combined with caffeine, lowers risk of Alzheimer’s. This study was done with drip coffee and mice at the University of South Florida.
5. Coffee fights type 2 diabetes
For every extra cup of coffee per day, the risk of type 2 diabetes is lowered by 7%. This appears to be valid for regular and decaf coffee.
6. It is virtually calorie free
However, be mindful of what you put in your cup of coffee. I wrote a post about calories in Green Mountain Coffee K-Cups, including the flavored kind.
Based on what I read, for most people, the benefits of coffee just may outweigh any health risks. However, it’s not an excuse to massively up your coffee drinking. Everything in moderation, right? If you do drink coffee from a Keurig, I have tips for K-cup storage.
*Sources:
Katie Dillon is the managing editor of La Jolla Mom. She helps readers plan San Diego vacations through her hotel expertise (that stems from living in a Four Seasons hotel) and local connections. Readers have access to exclusive discounts on theme park tickets (like Disneyland and San Diego Zoo) and perks at luxury hotels worldwide through her. She also shares insider tips for visiting major cities worldwide like Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Shanghai that her family has either lived in or visits regularly (or both).
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