The 7 ways coffee can help save your life – from slashing stroke risk to stopping silent killer in its tracks
Having a hot cup of coffee is one of the best ways to start the day, but there are worse options.
A lot of us rely on a caffeine boost to get us going in the morning or to help us get through the inevitable afternoon slump.
You might think that your craving for that daily drip feed of coffee will never go away.
However, your regular cup of coffee can be improving your health as long as you’re not drinking too much of it and limit the amount of added sugar you consume.
There is more proof that the beverage we know and love is healthy thanks to new research that indicated those who consume two or three cups a day have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes.
According to research from Soochow University in China, those who drink two to three cups of coffee a day are half as likely to acquire two or more cardiometabolic disorders than people who don’t drink.
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Heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease are among these severe yet avoidable conditions.
Multimorbidity is the presence of many conditions.
Millions of people in the UK suffer from these conditions, which are among the most prevalent and are primarily brought on by unhealthy lifestyle choices.
“Coffee contains several essential nutrients beneficial to overall health,” noted Justin Stebbing, a professor of Biomedical Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, in an article published in The Conversation.
“A typical eight-ounce cup of coffee provides small amounts of B vitamins riboflavin, pantothenic acid, thiamine and niacin as well as minerals potassium, manganese, and magnesium.”
Additionally, coffee can be a great source of antioxidants, which are substances included in fruits and vegetables that may help shield cells from everyday harm.
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According to Prof. Stebbing, many people find that drinking coffee provides them with more antioxidants than eating fruits and vegetables.
Here are all the ways your coffee habit may be improving your health, from lowering your chance of developing chronic illnesses to stopping silent killers in their tracks and potentially lengthening your life.
1. It could slash your risk of heart disease and strokes
Moderate coffee drinking has been associated with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, according to Prof. Stebbing.
“Studies indicate that drinking one to two cups of coffee daily may lower the risk of heart failure,” he stated.
Coffee drinking has also been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and death.
“Interestingly, even when someone hasabnormal heart rhythms, coffee is not harmful according to recent data.”
There is a “safe limit” for coffee consumption in terms of heart health, according to recent studies.
More than four cups of coffee a day can strain your ticker by increasing your heart rate and blood pressure, according to experts from Zydus Medical College in India.
Meanwhile, typical coffee users had a 17 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease and a 21 percent lower likelihood of having a stroke, according to research from Semmelweis University in Hungary.
2. It could reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes
Professor Stebbing continued, “Your daily caffeine boost may also lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.”
He clarified, “Coffee may enhance the body’s ability to process glucose,” increasing your chances of avoiding the condition.
According to data cited by the professor, those who drink more coffee are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Researchers in the United States discovered that substituting tea and coffee for sugary drinks could extend the lives of diabetics.
Type 2 diabetes, which elevates blood sugar levels and can eventually result in heart disease and stroke, is thought to affect 3.9 million people in Britain.
3. It could help protect the liver
Coffee’s health advantages appear to be multifaceted, since it may also support liver health.
According to Prof. Stebbing, coffee, both regular and caffeine-free, seems to preserve the liver.
He clarified that coffee consumers have “a significantly lower risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer” and that the beverages have been linked to healthy liver enzyme levels.
However, researchers at the University of South Carolina have cautioned that adding sugar to your coffee could have the opposite impact.
4. It could reduce your risk of several cancers
Coffee may help shield you from other types of the disease besides liver cancer.
Prof. Stebbing pointed out that the staple beverage has been associated with a lower risk of a number of additional cancers, such as colorectal and womb cancers.
“A systematicreviewfound that high coffee consumption is associated with an 18 per cent lower risk of cancer,” he said.
According to estimates made by Italian researchers last year, consuming up to five cups of coffee a day may lower your risk of colon cancer development and death.
5. It could lower your risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
Prof. Stebbing continued by saying that drinking coffee may help reduce your risk of neurological illnesses.
This includes diseases like dementia, which results in memory loss and impaired brain function, and Parkinson’s, where sections of the brain gradually deteriorate, causing tremors and rigidity.
“Caffeine is associated with a lower risk of developing Parkinson s disease and may help those with the condition manage their movements better,” Professor Stebbing stated.
“Additionally, coffee consumption may reduce the risk of Alzheimer s disease and other forms of dementia.”
Regularly consuming espresso coffee can lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, which causes dementia, according to research from the University of Verona.
6. It could boost mental health
Does your cup of coffee in the morning make you happy?
It turns out that coffee can have a wider range of beneficial impacts on your mental health.
Professor Stedding stated: “Research indicates that coffee drinkers are less likely to experience depression, with some results showing a 20% lower chance of developing depression.
“What s more, coffee consumption has been associated with a decreased risk of suicide,” he stated.
“Research has found that people who drink four or more cups a day are 53 per cent less likely tocommit suicide.”
7. It could help extend your lifespan
“With all these benefits, it s not surprising that research suggests that coffee drinkers tend to live longer than non-drinkers,” Professor Stebbing said.
He cited a study of more than 400,000 people that showed a lower risk of death for those who drank coffee for 12 to 13 years.
Those who drank four to five cups a day experienced this effect the most.
“This longevity benefit could be due to the cumulative effects of coffee s protective properties against various diseases,” Professor Stebbing stated.
When can coffee be bad for you?
Even though coffee has several health advantages, it’s crucial to avoid eating excessive amounts.
Three to five cups of coffee a day is considered a moderate amount.
According to Prof. Stebbing, consuming excessive amounts of caffeine can have detrimental side effects like jitters, anxiety, and disturbed sleep.
“Some people who are especially sensitive to caffeine may need to limit their coffee intake or avoid it altogether, as even decaffeinated coffee contains caffeine,” he stated.
Additionally, the professor suggested that you refrain from including cream and sugar into your morning coffee.
Both may increase your coffee’s calorie count and reduce the health advantages of the beverage.
Caffeine could be used to prevent alcohol addiction…
Researchers have recently shown that coffee may inhibit some of the dopamine responses that alcohol usually triggers, so counteracting some of the effects of alcohol on the brain’s reward system.
So-called ‘feel-good’ hormone is dopamine.
It affects a lot of body processes, including addiction.
Addiction may result from dopamine’s ability to motivate you to repeat actions that make you feel good.
The potential of caffeine as a preventative measure in treating alcohol addiction is highlighted by the new study, which was published in Translational Psychiatry. It provides evidence that caffeine can inhibit the development of particular brain chemicals associated with the rewarding effects of alcohol.
In their study on male rats, the researchers looked at how caffeine affected the release of dopamine and other chemicals in the brain in the presence of alcohol.
In order to compare the effects of caffeine, the rats were split up into groups and given various treatments. Some groups received alcohol and caffeine, while others received selective medicines that block specific adenosine receptors.
Brain chemicals and dopamine levels were then assessed.
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The findings demonstrated that caffeine successfully prevented alcohol-induced dopamine spikes.
Additionally, caffeine inhibited the production of salsolinol, a molecule linked to the rewarding effects of alcohol.
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