According to research by the National Coffee Association, 56 percent of adults living in the United States drank coffee every day in 2010. If you’re one of those Americans, never fear — coffee has some health benefits!
1. Heart Protection: Those who are moderate coffee drinkers, one to three cups a day, have lower rates of stroke than non-coffee drinkers, an effect linked to coffee’s antioxidants. Coffee has more antioxidants per serving than blueberries, making it the biggest source of antioxidants in American diets. All those antioxidants may help suppress the damaging effect of inflammation on arteries. Immediately after drinking it, coffee raises your blood pressure and heart rate, but over the long term, it actually may lower blood pressure as coffee’s antioxidants activate nitric oxide, widening blood vessels.
2. Escape Diabetes: These antioxidants (chlorogenic acid and quinides) play another role — boosting your cells’ sensitivity to insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar. In fact, people who drink four or more cups of coffee each day may have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to some studies.
3. May Help Liver: Limited research says, the more coffee people drink, the lower their incidence of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. One analysis of nine studies found that every two-cup increase in daily coffee intake reduced liver cancer risk by 43 percent.
4. Boost Brian Power: Drinking between one and five cups a day may help reduce risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as Parkinson’s disease, studies suggest. Antioxidants may ward off brain cell damage and help the neurotransmitters involved in cognitive function to work better.
5. Headache Relief: Studies show that 200 milligrams of caffeine — about the amount in 16 ounces of brewed coffee — provides relief from headaches, including migraines. Exactly how caffeine relieves headaches isn’t clear. Scientists do know, however, that caffeine boosts the activity of brain cells, causing surrounding blood vessels to constrict and some believe this constriction helps relieve pain-causing pressure.
