The health benefits of drinking coffee everyday

Have you been told to stop drinking coffee if you want to stay healthy? While most people say that coffee is bad for your health, the latest scientific research actually shows that coffee does have some major positive effects on your overall health.

In this article, I will be sharing the health benefits of drinking coffee every day.

A Daily Dose of Coffee

I am not addicted to coffee and I do not intend to be, but I indulge myself with a cup of coffee every day. For someone who is trying to practice a healthy lifestyle, I am cautious about consuming too much caffeine because I know that it is bad for their health. And that is why after two to three months of drinking a cup of coffee daily I break away from this habit for about a month and go for milk.

Everything changed when I found out that there are actually quite a number of health benefits of drinking coffee every day. Other than helping me boost my mood and energy, a cup of coffee a day can give me (and you) the following health benefits.

A cup of coffee makes my day!

A. Drinking coffee can help you lose weight.

Did you know that you can drop ten pounds just by drinking your favorite coffee? A recent scientific study shows that drinking eight ounces of coffee can boost your metabolism by as much as 4 percent over two and a half hours. That is because the caffeine that is present in coffee stimulates the nervous system, which sends direct signals to the fat cells telling them to break down fat.

Caffeine also helps to mobilize fat from the fat tissues, making it available for use as free fatty acids in the blood by increasing the level of the hormone Epinephrine in the blood, known as Adrenaline. This hormone travels through the blood, to the fat tissues and sends signals to break down fats and release them into the blood.

Coffee aids in weight loss.

But while caffeine is successful in boosting metabolism and aiding in weight loss, it can also hinder your efforts and will instead make you gain weight. That is if you’re getting your caffeine from high-calorie coffee beverages or energy drinks. So try sticking to black coffee.

But does drinking coffee help you lose weight in the long term? Maybe not, because after a while of drinking coffee, people become tolerant of the effects and it stops working. So whether coffee or caffeine can help you lose weight in the long term depends on each individual.

B. Coffee is a good source of antioxidants.

Are you aware that coffee is loaded with several powerful antioxidants such as Chlorogenic Acid (CGA), Trigonelline, Quinine, Cafestol, and Polyphenol among others? Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee emerged as the biggest source of antioxidants.

Other than helping the body get rid of free radicals and destructive molecules that could potentially damage cells and DNA, antioxidants have been linked to a number of health benefits that include protection against cancer and heart disease.

Coffee is a great source of antioxidants

Furthermore, a number of research studies suggest that coffee consumption can significantly lower the risk of Type Two Diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease and can reduce the risk of liver, skin, and colon cancer. In one study, coffee is also found to be helpful in dealing with stress and avoiding depression and suicidal thoughts in women.

C. Drinking coffee reduces the risk of heart attack and mortality rate.

Did you know that drinking coffee is linked to a reduced rate of heart failure, stroke, and coronary heart disease? This information was discovered by some researchers from the University of Colorado while looking over data from the Framingham Heart Study that looked into the eating patterns and cardiovascular health of around 15,000 Americans since the 1940s.

If you’re a coffee-lover, you should drink up. If not, then maybe it’s time to start, because drinking around three cups of coffee a day has been linked to a lower risk of death from any cause and thereby adds years to your life.

Coffee is good for the heart

After analyzing a data on the health and coffee-drinking habits of more than half a million people from European countries, researchers from Imperial College London (ICL) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), found that men who drank at least three cups of coffee a day were 18% less likely to die from any cause than non-coffee drinkers.

How much coffee should you consume every day?

Anything in excess is bad. But how much caffeine is too much? According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the International Food Information Council (IFIC), up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is safe for most healthy adults, which amounts to around 4 cups of coffee a day.

How much caffeine is too much?

Although coffee has been found to be beneficial to health, it is important to point out that drinking more coffee means consuming more caffeine. And ingesting too much caffeine in a day may cause dizziness, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, upset stomach, anxiety, and unstable heartbeat.

So even if you are consuming only up to 4 cups a day, as soon as you experience any of the above-mentioned conditions, you should immediately cut down on the number of cups per day because there is a chance that you are sensitive to too much caffeine.

Conclusion

Should you start drinking coffee if you’re not a coffee-lover or have never had a sip? That all depends on you because even if coffee may offer some health benefits, it’s still important that you listen to your body. There are some people who feel fantastic after drinking a strong cup of coffee. But there are also those who feel jittery and are left with an upset stomach after drinking half a cup.

The health benefits of coffee are mainly due to the caffeine and antioxidants that are present in them. So if you’re not a coffee lover and you do not like the taste of coffee, but would still like to take advantage of its health benefits, there are great sources of caffeine and antioxidants other than coffee, such as dark chocolates, matcha tea, berries, kidney beans, and pecans.

But if you enjoy coffee every day and depend on it to set your mood for the day, you should by all means drink up. Just know that coffee when taken in excess also have some negative side effects; the most common of which are interfering with sleep and increased palpitations.

Are you a coffee lover? Are you addicted to coffee? How many cups of coffee do you drink each day?

Please share your thoughts by leaving your comments below.

10 thoughts on “The Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee Everyday”

  1. Hi I always think that coffee is bad for the health because it contains a high dosage of caffeine. But you showed me a good side to this plant. Well, it all depends on the dosage; too much of one thing is not good for you. Well, coffee has really helped in many cases I didn’t know about. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Exactly Sharnna! Too much of anything is absolutely bad. That’s why we should always be aware of how much is too much. In the case of coffee, a maximum of 4 cups a day is allowed. And when I say 4 cups, I mean regular coffee cups, not large or up size.

      Let me just add that coffee, being a great source of antioxidants, is also good for the skin.

  2. Boy has this made me feel so better about myself!! I’ve been getting on a health kick and thought I’d have to kick my shamelessly one large (32oz) coffee a day out of my diet! I had no idea that coffee even had antioxidants! Great read!

    1. Hey Allie,

      From now on, you may enjoy your large cup of coffee without feeling guilty of putting your health at risk because coffee can actually help you lose weight by pumping up your metabolism. And the best news is that, coffee was found to be the world largest source of antioxidants. Who would have thought that the drink most of us consider unhealthy has several health benefits? Beats me!

  3. I always thought that drinking more than two cups of coffee can be unhealthy. Starting from tomorrow I will drink 3 cups and in my workout days I will probably increase it.

    1. Yeah, most people think that too Furkan, I did and that’s why I always tell my colleagues to control their coffee cravings because it’s bad for the health. But as it turned out, coffee has a lot of health benefits which is really great news for coffee lovers. However, you do not have to drink more if your body can’t take it. But feel free to drink up to 3 cups if you really enjoy coffee.

  4. Hi Alice, this is soo ringing true… I can’t have (too much) caffeine as it gives me a migraine, but I do enjoy the kick a lovely black cup can give, and use it carefully when I really need it. I’m glad to hear that even though those coffee breaks do feel like a cheat (for me), they’re actually not that bad… I was pondering whether decaf coffee still contained antioxidants, or whether I should stick with dark chocolate for those!

    1. Hi Isabel, thanks for stopping by.

      Caffeine does give you migraine if you take more than what your body can handle but one cup of coffee should be okay. I don’t go beyond that too because it keeps me up all night. And to answer your question, yes. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee were found to be the biggest source of antioxidants. But if you would like to have more antioxidants without necessarily taking in more caffeine, you may opt for dark chocolates.

  5. I found this post really informative about caffeine. I am not an addict fortunately, but have to say that it has some good effects. What about negative sides? Are there scientific researches to test what you said?

    Marco

    1. Hi Marco,

      Cheers to us for not being coffee addicts. I have to say that many of my friends and acquaintances can’t survive without coffee. They are addicted to coffee so much that their day won’t be complete without having at least 3-4 cups.

      Contrary to what most people think that coffee is bad because of caffeine, the most recent scientific research studies came up with a surprising discovery, which is that, there are actually health benefits of drinking coffee. But while this is good news for coffee lovers (or addicts), there are also negative side effects which may vary from person to person. And one does not actually need scientific research to prove these to be true.

      For instance, while drinking too much coffee can keep you awake and active when you want things done without getting sleepy, this can be bad if you really want to get some sleep but you just can’t. Also, there are certain coffee brands or varieties that can give leave your stomach upset and restless, especially if you’ve had too much.

      So like what I said, no matter how much you want to get the health benefits of coffee, you need to always listen to what your body is telling you. If your body can only take a cup each day then by all means, drink just one cup.

      I hope was able to answer your question Marco, have a great day!

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