How Does Coffee Benefit Your Health?
Although coffee originated in Ethiopia and the Arabian Peninsula, it is one of the most popular beverages in the Western world and its consumption is widespread in Europe and America. Its main ingredient, caffeine, is a psychoactive drug with important effects on our nervous system and has recently been the subject of numerous scientific studies that have not been without controversy. For years, coffee was thought to cause problems such as addiction, sleep disorders, stomach problems or high blood pressure. However, recent studies confirm that it also has numerous benefits.
In the following oneHOWTO article, we will describe some of the benefits of coffee and explain its main properties.
Contents
Properties of coffee
A cup of coffee can be enjoyed with sugar, neat, with milk or with additional ingredients such as cream or whipped cream, depending on your taste. However, in this article, we will refer to the nutritional value of natural coffee without sugar or additives. This is undoubtedly one of the healthiest and most beneficial ways to drink it.
Let us take as a reference a standard cup of coffee, which consists only of an amount of 100 grams of coffee:
- Calories: 2
- Carbohydrates: 0%
- Fat: 0%
- Protein: 0.1 grams
- Calcium: 2 mg
- Magnesium: 80 mg
- Phosphorus: 7 mg
- Potassium:115 mg
- Zinc: 0.05 mg
The result is that we can get a lot of essential minerals and nutrients from one cup of coffee. Nevertheless, you should be aware that nothing in excess is good, and it is not recommended to drink more than four cups per day.
You may be interested in this other article, where we explain how to make the perfect cup of coffee with an Italian coffee maker.
Regulates sporadic headaches
Migraine symptoms are often associated with coffee, but this is due to excessive daily consumption where tension begins to take its toll. However, it has been shown that a cup of coffee can be very helpful for sporadic headaches, as it has a vasodilating effect. It also helps as a natural pain reliever.
It is important to keep in mind the dosage and the dangers of excessive consumption. Caffeine consumed in small amounts can help control a migraine attack, but in large amounts it is a factor of chronicity of the pain. Therefore, moderate intake of this substance is recommended.
You may be interested in this other article, where we present some home remedies for tension headaches.
Reduces the risk of liver cancer
Recent studies have shown that coffee protects the liver. Those who drink coffee daily have a 51% lower risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer, than those who never drank coffee.
Although it is not yet known how coffee has this effect on the liver, it is thought that it may be because it contains caffeine and antioxidants and these have a hepatoprotective effect against cancer.
Is rich in antioxidants
Coffee contains high levels of antioxidants. In fact, coffee has 500 times more antioxidants than vitamin C.
Antioxidants are chemical compounds that the human body uses to eliminate free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemical substances that introduce oxygen into cells and cause oxidation of their various parts, changes in DNA and various changes that accelerate the aging of the body.
Antioxidants are chemical compounds that interact with free radicals and neutralize them so that they cannot do any harm.
You may also be interested in this other article, where we list other foods rich in antioxidants.
Helps you lose weight
Coffee, when consumed in moderation and without too many sweeteners, can help with weight loss. Coffee contains few calories but many nutrients such as niacin, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants that can improve digestive health.
In addition, caffeine increases metabolism. Metabolism is the process by which the body breaks down nutrients and consumes calories from food throughout the day. In fact, caffeine is one of the few substances that can increase your basal metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories at rest).
Keeps the mind alert and improves your mood
As we know, coffee contains caffeine. Caffeine is a psychoactive substance of the xanthine type that enters the cells of the central nervous system and affects the action of a neurotransmitter, adenosine, causing a feeling of euphoria and vitality.
In addition, caffeine reduces the feeling of tiredness and fatigue, increases alertness, attention, and concentration and can improve mood.
Helps prevent coronary heart disease
People who consume coffee daily reduce their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, infection, and injury by up to 25%.
Coffee ranks sixth among foods that contain the most antioxidants, after blackberries, walnuts, strawberries, artichokes, and blueberries. It is believed that just the high content of antioxidants has a cardioprotective effect and reduces the risk of heart failure.
However, there is a consumption limit that, if exceeded, can lead to an increased cardiovascular risk, and this limit is four cups of coffee per day.
It is good for memory
Coffee can be an ally in protecting the brain and improving memory, as long as you drink it in the morning and with little sugar. Coffee can delay the decline of cognitive abilities and delay the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
Coffee beans contain trigonelline, which activates antioxidants that protect the brain's blood vessels. Caffeine increases serotonin and acetylcholine, which stimulates the brain and stabilizes the blood-brain barrier (which prevents the penetration of bacteria).
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
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