BENEFITS OF COFFEE FOR BODY AND BRAIN HEALTH
People have been drinking coffee for centuries, for various reasons, but primarily because it tastes good, and because it gives us the energy kick we all love, making our mornings bearable. In this article, we will talk about coffee and how it can improve your body and brain health. You will learn how your favorite habit assists you beyond that little “rush” you probably drink it for, such as improving cognitive function .
Brain Booster
Besides pushing back tiredness, coffee also makes us super alert, improving cognitive function. The reason, as we know, is the main ingredient -caffeine- a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant.
Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in our brains. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter responsible for promoting sleep. Throughout the day adenosine naturally builds up, slowing us down, telling us we need sleep to replenish our energy. Caffeine jumps in, binding itself to the same “slots” adenosine uses. It not only prevents adenosine from slowing us down, but it also has a totally opposite effect, as it fires your CNS up, giving you that added focus.
Not only does coffee, and through it, caffeine, help your mind stay sharp when you start feeling tired, but they also contribute to staying sharp in the long run by improving brain health. Research shows that moderate middle-aged coffee drinkers have a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in the later years of life.
Hormonal Booster
If it were only about blocking adenosine, you would only postpone tiredness. Coffee isn’t just about that; we drink it because of that “speed” effect.
By stimulating CNS, caffeine also triggers releasing serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline and other neurotransmitters. These chemicals affect our mood, reaction time, attention, and improves cognitive performance (especially learning) and other mental functions. Some studies even show that caffeine improves memory, especially short-term. Those psychological boosting effects influence the body so much that caffeine can also help fighting depression.
The issue with coffee is that you can build a tolerance to it—your brain will not react the same to the same amount of coffee. That’s why you need to be careful, and it is a good idea to have coffee-free days occasionally.
More than a good feeling
Although we love coffee because of the caffeine boosting effects, this drink has a lot more to offer. Its other ingredients like cafestol, kahweol, trigonelline, chlorogenic acids all help our body in various ways, promoting liver health, helping to normalize blood pressure, and even prevent cavities.
Furthermore, coffee is one of the primary sources of antioxidants in the Western world. Here, people tend to consume them primarily through beverages like coffee and tea and do not obtain as much through food as we should. Antioxidants are important because they fight “free radicals” which are molecules without paired electrons which have the potential to damage cells and even DNA. Antioxidants prevent this by attributing the missing electron to “free radicals” preventing them from wreaking havoc, and possibly decreasing cognitive function, as well as causing other issues.  Â
And little things matter too! One cup of coffee has up to 1 gram of fiber, depending on the kind you drink. Fiber is essential as it represents “good carbs” that don’t cause blood sugar spikes but instead provide us with a steady stream of energy. Fiber is also good for digestion. Yes, this is a small amount but you are probably not eating enough of it anyways, and it is just another excuse to have a delicious cup of coffee!
Beyond Mental Benefits
Caffeine is a part of almost every pre-workout, but also fat-burning supplement, and for a good reason. It is one of the rare substances that are clinically proven to increase the metabolic rate, forcing your body to burn more calories, especially from fat.
Also, taking caffeine before your workouts will improve performance, which will help you push more weight, or get that extra mile out of your run. Having better workouts means that you will build more strength, endurance and muscle mass, indirectly helped by caffeine.
Furthermore, if you like to have a few drinks from time to time (who doesn’t!), you will be glad to hear that coffee helps your liver, keeping it healthy. It fights cirrhosis and lowers enzyme levels, keeping the liver “young.”
Lastly, coffee even fights some forms of cancer, especially prostate in men, and endometrial in women. There are also claims that coffee is good preventing colon, breast, rectal, and liver cancers.
Moderation Is Key
We’ve already mentioned that caffeine is addictive and that the body builds a tolerance to it. The issue is not only that you will need more coffee if you want the same effects, but if you stop drinking it, you will have hard withdrawal symptoms.
Even drinking 100mg of caffeine (about one cup of coffee) less than usual can result in headaches that last for days, that can very much put a damper on the day. You will be energy deprived, and tired even upon waking up. The good news is these effects won’t last too long. You will get through the crisis after a day or to usually.
For that reason, it is a good idea to use coffee as a tool. Don’t drink your first coffee just after waking up—your body already has mechanisms to get you going even without chemicals. Drink your first one in the late morning when you start slowing down. Drink your second coffee in the early afternoon, to finish off your working day. Keep in mind that coffee has an approximate half-life of six hours. So, try not to have your last cup too late in the day.
Try to limit yourself to two cups per day. Also, cut that in half over the weekends, only drinking one a day, later in the morning. That way, you won’t build up the tolerance, and you will get the “rush” even on lower doses (yes, sounds like a drug addict talk, we know).
Again, watch how close you are drinking coffee before you head off to bed. Although it postpones feeling tired, that doesn’t mean our body isn’t lacking energy. If you drink coffee before bed, you will have trouble falling asleep, and your sleep quality will suffer. This will result in chronic fatigue, which can impact your long-term health.
Which Is the Healthiest Type of Coffee?
As you can see from the article, coffee is very healthy. We are however only talking about the coffee itself. Additives that come with it and the stuff you put alongside it aren’t that healthy.
So, if you can, keep things simple if you want to optimize brain health. The healthiest is a black coffee or a nice plain espresso. If that is too much for you, go ahead and pour a bit of milk in, but that’s it! Avoid artificial coffee creamers. If you must, use real cream, but that will only add calories to your coffee, making it less healthy, and less potent, which will counter some of its health benefits.
And you probably know that you shouldn’t add sugar, but avoid putting artificial sweeteners, even if they have zero calories. In general, when it comes to health, the more natural and less processed things are, the better. So, don’t ruin a perfectly fine brew with some chemicals that you know nothing about, and only use them because they are sweet and have zero calories. If you must sweeten it, honey can be a natural, healthier alternative.
As for the other coffee kinds—the sweeter it is, the worse it is for your health. Sorry mocha and unicorn frappuccino fans, you are out of luck. Anything sweeter and fancier than a cappuccino should be avoided.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why you should drink coffee. If you are already drinking it, there are a lot of excuses why you should continue! Just be careful not to overdo it. You don’t want to ruin your sleep and be jittery all the time. Use coffee in moderation, 1-2 cups per day should be the limit. If you do, it becomes a powerful ally, and one of the healthiest beverages humans drink for body and brain health.
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