3 Reasons Why Coffee is Actually Really Good For You

I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a guess that you, and most people that you know, probably drink at least one cup of coffee every single day.

In fact, I’m willing to bet that the mere idea of not starting your day with steaming mug of the stuff makes you feel tired.

You might think that sounds generalistic, but you’d be shocked if you heard the statistics. Over half of the people in the United States over the age of 18 drink coffee every day.

Caffeine is probably the most popular and widely consumed drug on the planet. And you know what? That’s probably not such a bad thing. Coffee is so popular that there are entire guides dedicated to help people make better coffee, such as Coffee In My Veins.

Too much coffee can cause you some problems of course, but drinking a cup of it every day is actually very good for you. Here’s three reasons why:

1.    Reduces Risk of Dementia

When you drink coffee, you naturally feel more energized but it also helps you feel more alert and more capable of focus and concentration.

As you get older, these cognitive abilities that coffee can help with will gradually begin to get worse and in many cases people will get dementia in some form or another.

Dementia can be caused by many things, and a lot of them have to  with diet and lifestyle choices.

Similarly to how coffee can quickly help your cognition when you drink, it can also be beneficial in preventing long-term cognitive decline.

One of the most common forms of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease and this occurs because of a build-up of beta-amyloid.

This is a plaque that builds up naturally in your brain but is usually quite easily dealt with by your immune system.

As you get older, your immune system becomes less powerful as its focus is split over so many issues related to old-age.

The plaque can be allowed to build up because of this and eventually result in dementia. Coffee however, is high in polyphenols.

These are antioxidant micronutrients that can treat a whole host of issues ranging from digestive to cardiovascular and anything that is caused by inflammation really.

So naturally the more polyphenols you have in your system the less likely you are to have to deal with an abundance of beta-amyloids. Coffee can help with that.

2.    Prevents Colorectal Cancer

Anyone who drinks coffee knows that it definitely has an effect on the digestive system. And I think most of us would agree that it’s a positive effect.

But once again, that’s the short-term and what many people don’t realize is that coffee is good for your intestines long-term too and it appears to lower the risk of colorectal cancer

Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem to be the caffeine that is actually the contributing factor here, but more so the coffee itself.

And while it’s still unclear what is actually present in coffee that makes it so effective in preventing colorectal cancer, the statistics are pretty telling.

People who drank three or four cups of coffee per day, were shown to be more than 50% less likely to die from this disease.

It may have something to do with the fact that coffee can help to regulate your bowel movements.

Diets that are low in fiber have been linked to the development of various colon issues which includes colorectal cancer.

3.    Fights Depression

Once again, we’re not entirely certain what factors are in play here, but coffee is definitely linked to a decreased chance of developing depression.

There’s a few theories in play as to why that is. One of them involves a particular chemical known as adenosine.

This is something that accumulates in your body during a lack of sleep. It causes drowsiness and subsequently a lack of energy and motivation by activating adenosine receptors.

Decreased motivation has been linked to depression, but if you have caffeine in your system it will bind to the adenosine receptors and prevent them from activating.

It essentially replaced adenosine in your system and has the opposite effect. It’s also theorized that depression occurs due to a bad immune reaction which causes inflammation to the brian.

Because of the antioxidants that are present in coffee, the chances of inflammation will be reduced.

Conclusion

So if you’re one of the many, many people who is addicted to caffeine, don’t beat yourself up over it.

In fact, if you aren’t overdoing it and drinking like ten cups a day, this is one of the very few addictions that it’s safe to say you can embrace.

So keep on drinking it. In fact, why not brand out with your coffee consumption. Check out this list of some of the best coffee subscriptions from Homegrounds.

You might find your next caffeine obsession.