More cups of coffee a day, keep the doctors away!
Harvard School of Public Health recently released an article which stated that people who drink three to five cups of coffee in a day have less chances of premature death from an illness compared to those who do not.
This superdrink in a cup not only helps you get up in the morning or boosts up your energy, it even discourages you from committing suicide.
The National Health Institute observed that drinking two to four cups of coffee can reduce the risk of suicide in men and women by 50% and the risk of being depressed by 20% compared to those who drank decaf or less cup. The observation was based on findings that coffee acts as a mild antidepressant for it aids in the the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.
Before we account other coffee benefits, gratitude should be in order. First, let's thank the Dutch who introduced coffee beans in early 17th century to Southeast Asia! The coffee beans, the pit found inside the purplish or reddish fruit are the seeds of the coffee trees and were planted in Java, Bali and Sumatra. It was traded as java coffee then and has become the world's widely consumed beverage today.
The Coffee Benefits
So before contemplating on taking your life because that jerk of a boyfriend dumped you over a sleazy brunette who can't even count her fingers. Maybe you feel hopeless what with the long list of family members who had dementia. Or that ruthless boss always foaming with nasty vocables for that sketchy report due last week. Take heart and hold that cup of coffee tighter than ever.
This God-given java brew may help you overcome the day. It contains caffeine and carried in the bloodstream up to the brain.
Coffee makes you smarter. As a psychoactive substance, it has a positive effect on one's mind and behavior. According to a study, coffee can block the inhibitory effects of neurotransmitter, adenosine. This results in increased neuronal firing in the brain therefore, neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine are released and improve the cognitive functions.
Coffee increases your focus. According to a study published in Psychopharmacology, a research journal, the caffeine is a stimulant, whether in small or large doses. It can keep a person alert and more focused. The study revealed that an 80mg of caffeine in a cup of coffee is enough to keep drivers more alert and awake behind the wheels on a long highway drive. As compared to driving performance of drivers who drank decaffeinated coffee.
Coffee helps alleviate headaches. This is because caffeine blocks certain receptors in the body that can cause the headache or migraine. When taken in moderation with headache relievers, coffee boosts effectiveness of medication by 40%. Coffee is the key ingredients in many pain reliever medications available today.
Coffee is the large source of antioxidants and boosts essential nutrients. More than caffeine, coffee is also full of essential vitamins and minerals for the body to remain healthy. These essentials nutrients are 11% of Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), 6% of Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), 3% of Manganese and Potassium, 2% of Magnesium and Niacin (B3).
As antioxidants, coffee helps to avoid and delay damage to cells. Antioxidants are natural occuring substances which inhibit free radicals to develop in the body. Free radicals activate oxidative stress which loads up the damage in one life cycle. Regular intake of coffee with 1,299 mg of antioxidants, boosts body's anti-aging defence against free radicals.
Coffee Against Heart Disease
Coffee improves total cholesterol. According to the study of University of Minnesota Medical School (UMMS) and the School of Public Health, the antioxidant found in coffee contains an enzyme called glutathione peroxidase, or GPx3 crucial in helping people with low HDL cholesterol. Coffee increases the high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or good cholesterol and eliminates low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol from the body.
The study explained that people with high level of GPx3 enzyme and low levels of good cholesterol have 6x times less chances to develop cardiovascular diseases as compared to those with low levels of both.
Coffee reduces inflammation which can lead to heart disease. One of the causes of inflammation is the presence of free radicals in the body. Since coffee contains antioxidants, it prevents free radicals from developing in the body and therefore, decreases the risks of inflammation.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study which supported this benefit. Those volunteers who drank 8 cups of coffee improved their HDL cholesterol levels by 7% and reduced the blood levels associated with chronic inflammation by 16% compared to those who did not drink coffee.
Coffee Keeps You In Shape
Coffee makes you sexy by raising metabolic rate and burning more fat. A combination of coffee and exercise can help burn fat faster. Fats are stored energy in the body. The metabolic rate is the amount of energy expended. When metabolic rate is high, more fats are burned and more energy spent. Coffee boosts the metabolic rate between 3 and 11 percent.
An experiment conducted showed that those people given caffeine 30 minutes before the activity had higher sweat glands density and more fatty acids than those who had
non-caffeine drink. Results showed that caffeine indeed stimulated the sympathetic nervous system which increased the lipolysis. This led to high activated sweat gland density (ASGD) and free fatty acids (FFA).
Coffee Relieves Asthma
According to a study, caffeine is beneficial to normal pulmonary functions for non-smoking people. It can relieve symptoms of asthma since it has the same effect as theophylline, a bronchodilator drug. Because it is rich in caffeine, coffee promotes pulmonary health. It opens up the lungs' airways and relieves breathlessness, wheezing and coughing.
Coffee Delays Dementia
Dementia is not a disease but rather a group of symptoms of various conditions, such as difficulty with remembering recent conversations, names, or events; also confusion and change in behavior.
Researchers evaluated the effects of coffee to 124 senior adults from 65 to 88 years old with mild cognitive impairment. Results showed a significant decrease on risk of dementia for those who had higher blood caffeine levels. People in midlife who drank three to five cups of coffee a day had a decreased risk of dementia by 65%. About 1200 nanograms per milliliters of caffeine or several cups of coffee are needed to reduce the risk.
[researchpaper 리서치페이퍼=Kay Yeban 기자]