Several Key Benefits of Drinking Coffee

Coffee consumption continues to increase worldwide. According to Perfect Daily Grind. Here are some interesting statistics about the global consumption of coffee.

• Coffee consumption reached a 20-year high in 2022.
• 43% of study respondents stated that they drank specialty coffee in the past 24 hours. This is a 20% increase from the previous year.
• The International Coffee Organization states that coffee consumption is expected to increase by 1.7% to 178.5 million 60K bags between 2022 and 2023.
• North American specialty coffee market is expected to grow 20% until at least the year 2030, making it the fastest-growing market internationally.

From these statistics, it appears that coffee is here to stay, with the potential to increase in the U.S. and worldwide.

What are the Nutritional Components of Coffee?

Coffee is full of good nutrients that contribute to overall health. There are antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and other ingredients that are good for the body.

Here is a list of the beneficial ingredients contained in each cup of coffee:

Coffee contains several useful nutrients, including riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), magnesium, potassium, and various phenolic compounds, or antioxidants. Some experts suggest that these and other ingredients in coffee can benefit the human body in various ways.

· Sodium: Sodium is essential to good health. It is required for positive plasma volume, it is necessary for the body’s nerve function and proper cell function.

· Potassium: According to HealthDirect.com, potassium is necessary for a properly functioning body. It helps nerves and muscles to the heart function while moving nutrients and waste throughout the body.

· Magnesium: Magnesium is necessary for your body to function as just about every cell in the body needs magnesium to function. About 60% of magnesium is in the bones but is also found in soft muscles and tissue and even blood. According to Healthline.com, magnesium acts as a helper molecule and is responsible for over 600 activities in the body including converting food into energy and creating new proteins from amino acids. It also helps the muscles contract and relax as well as regulating the nervous system, helping to send messages throughout the body.

· Manganese: Manganese is a trace mineral that is essential for the body. It maintains strong bones, helps to relate healthy sugar levels, and ensures proper levels of amino acids, cholesterol, glucose, and carbohydrates. In addition, it helps to protect the body from diseases with its strong antioxidant properties. It also helps prevent seizures and boost vitamin absorption and digestion.

· Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): Riboflavin plays numerous important roles in our body, it boosts energy, helps blood circulation, regulates the thyroid, and helps to prevent various health issues like migraines, cataracts, acne, dermatitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. It also helps to repair tissues and aids the digestive tract.

· Niacin: Niacin is an organic compound and a necessary nutrient. It helps control blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It has an antioxidant and detoxification effect on the body and helps in the production of adrenal and sex hormones.

· Caffeine: Caffeine is a nervous system stimulant that can benefit memory, improve moods, increase alertness, and lower levels of fatigue. It also helps replenish muscle glycogen after exercise and can help burn fat during exercise.

As with everything, the key to a good lifestyle is moderation. Those who consume too much coffee may notice some bad effects as a result. They may suffer from high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke, and coronary artery disease. People consuming excess caffeine may suffer from insomnia, anxiety, spasms, tremors, heartburn, and a variety of respiratory issues.

Mental Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee:

Drinking coffee can also offer a wide range of mental health benefits. According to ThirstPerk.com, coffee consumption can elevate mood, learning ability, increase energy and reduce morning fatigue, and can reduce depression.

One of the most positive things that coffee can do is protect the brain from conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. Studies show that lifelong coffee drinking can slow down physiological and cognitive decline in those over 80. Epidemiological research shows that those who drink more coffee, have a lesser risk of Parkinson’s falls and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. 

Physical Health Benefits:

As described earlier, there are many health benefits associated with coffee drinking.

Heart Health:

According to a medical study found in the National Library of Medicine, regular coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing hypertension, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. The finding is that moderate coffee consumption shows a decrease in cardiovascular-related mortality and other heart issues.

Blood Pressure and Cholesterol:

According to an article in Harvard Health, coffee has no negative effects on blood pressure for those who regularly drink coffee. It may have a different effect on those who are not used to drinking coffee or the very young.

When it comes to cholesterol, coffee increases HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It can also decrease the levels of triglycerides which is beneficial to lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Diabetes:

According to VeryWellHealth.com, studies have shown that drinking coffee regularly can lower a person’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Research shows that those who drink up to four cups of coffee per day can reduce type 2 diabetes risk substantially. Studies show that this is the fact whether the coffee contains caffeine or decaffeinated.

Liver Health:

According to a CNN Report, coffee drinkers had a 21% likelihood of developing chronic liver disease, and 49% less likely to die from liver disease than no-coffee enthusiasts. There are many risk factors for liver disease including alcohol consumption, smoking, and hepatitis, but coffee is not a contributor.

Can Coffee Help with Weight Loss?

Your morning cup of coffee can help you lose weight. If you drink your coffee black, you are drinking a low-calorie beverage that has just 5 calories. It’s when you drink coffee filled with sugar and milk that the calorie count increases. Also, those specialty coffees should be avoided by those looking to lose weight.

Also, coffee can give you an extra jolt of energy from the caffeine, giving coffee drinkers added energy to fuel workouts.

The green coffee bean is believed to offer numerous weight loss properties and is a popular ingredient in many weight loss supplements. It can also be purchased as an extract if you prefer not to take a supplement.

Longevity:

Neuroscience News states that drinking two cups of coffee a day leads to increased longevity and lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study showed that ground, instant, and decaffeinated coffee reduced cardiovascular disease and that coffee at moderate levels was part of a healthy lifestyle. Cardiovascular disease includes coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.

Another study from Harvard Health found that drinking a couple of cups of coffee each day was associated with a risk of early death. This study was conducted over 30 years and has more than 208,000 people. Those who drank three to five cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of dying from type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, Parkinsons, and even suicide.

Potential Risks and Considerations:

Too much of anything isn’t good and the same can be said for coffee. Drinking up to four cups of coffee per day should have no detrimental effects on the body.

Along with its benefits, some side effects may not be good for avid coffee drinkers. Most of these are due to the caffeine found in coffee. Excess caffeine may cause a variety of symptoms, including:

• Restlessness
• Anxiety and/or panic attacks
• Dizziness and possible falling
• Upset stomach
• Irritability change in personality
• Inability to sleep
• Fast heartbeat
• Tremors and shakiness

Most of those who experience these symptoms may have a sensitivity to caffeine. People with caffeine issues should consider drinking caffeine-free coffee drinks to get the positive effects of the drink without the negative effects.

While drinking too many caffeinated drinks can have side effects, it is nearly impossible to die from drinking too much coffee. Some have died from caffeine overdoses, however. To get to the point where you would die from caffeine, individuals would have to drink more than 100 cups of coffee in a day.

Summary:

What we find is that moderation is the key to just about everything and that includes coffee consumption. We see that coffee poses very little risk unless there is a caffeine sensitivity, which can cause a myriad of unpleasant side effects. Those who drink coffee in moderation, up to four cups a day, will get the health benefits associated with drinking coffee and none of the detrimental side effects.

Drinking coffee daily can give you added energy, and mind clarity, while fighting a wide variety of health issues. So, drink up and pour yourself another cup of coffee!

FAQs:

Q: At what age is it okay to begin drinking coffee?

A: There is a lot of debate over this question as so many coffee shops are popping up around every corner. Many high-school-aged kids begin drinking coffee because they can get the super sugary specialty coffees which taste similar to a milkshake and not very much like black coffee.

Some young adults, especially those who didn’t grow up drinking a lot of soda, may have an issue with the caffeine in coffee and experience some of the detrimental effects like anxiety, fast heartbeat, and dizziness. These individuals should be very careful with their coffee intake.

When researching this topic there was an article on healthline.com, that suggested that kids no younger than 18 should drink coffee. On top of the jittery effects, specialty coffees are very expensive and most kids younger than 18 wouldn’t be able to afford to drink an expensive coffee every day.

Q: Can stop coffee consumption lead to withdrawal symptoms?

While many think that quitting coffee will result in withdrawal, it is the caffeine in coffee that causes the symptoms. Those who drink coffee daily may find that if they go 12-24 hours without coffee or another form of caffeine, they begin to feel the symptoms.

Here are some of the withdrawal symptoms experienced when cutting out coffee/caffeine from your body.

• Headaches: This is one of the most common symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. This occurs because the blood vessels in the brain constrict, slowing blood flow.
• Tiredness and fatigue: Many look forward to their first cup of coffee for the day to provide an energy boost. They find an increase in alertness and blocking of the neurotransmitters that cause drowsiness.
• Anxiety and restlessness: Caffeine is a stimulant and those who drink too much coffee may have feelings of restlessness and feel jittery. But those cutting out caffeine can cause the same feelings. Those who drink coffee daily become reliant mentally and physiologically on it. When they don’t have their morning coffee they often feel anxious.
• Problems concentrating: Many believe that drinking caffeine in the form of coffee helps them concentrate. Caffeine increases the levels of neurotransmitters and hormones, thereby increasing the ability to concentrate. Cutting back may cause a lack of focus.

Caffeine increases concentration by increasing levels of certain neurotransmitters and hormones. Quitting or cutting back can cause you to have difficulty focusing on specific tasks.

The majority of Americans drink coffee everyday, according to Statista.com. Most of those drink it in moderation with no detrimental side effects, and can look forward to the many health benefits that go along with coffee consumption.