Health Benefits of Drinking Black Coffee

If consumed the right way, drinking black coffee has numerous health benefits as it is loaded with antioxidant properties and nutrients and it contains low fat and calories. Also, it helps in boosting physical stamina. Let’s have a look at some of its benefits.

1. Improves Physical Performance

Taking a cup of black coffee about an hour before workout can improve performance by 11-12%. It works by increasing your blood epinephrine (adrenaline) levels which is your body’s “fight or flight” hormone that helps you to prepare for physical exertion.

Additionally, it also breaks down stored body fat and releases fat cells into the blood stream in the form of free fatty acids which can be used as fuel for strenuous physical activities.

2. Aids in Weight Loss

Aside from helping you more energized when you drink it 30 minutes before hitting the gym, it also helps in boosting the metabolism by approximately 50%. It burns fat and use it as a source of energy. In addition, coffee assists the body to use insulin by regulating blood sugar levels and reducing your craving for sugary treats and snacks.

3. Boosts Memory And Mental Alertness

Having black coffee in the morning enhances your brain function. Caffeine appears to affect the particular areas of the brain responsible for memory and concentration and providing a boost to short-term memory. Therefore, moderate caffeine intake can help you focus and improve your mental alertness.

4. Cleanses Your Stomach

Coffee is a diuretic beverage thus it makes you want to urinate often. So, that is why when you drink black coffee without sugar, all the toxins and bacteria are flushed out easily in the form of urine. This helps to clean your stomach.

5. Provides Antioxidants

Black coffee is the powerhouse of antioxidants as it contains Vitamin B2, B3, B5, Manganese, potassium and magnesium. It also has significant amounts of hydrocinnamic acid and polyphenols. Antioxidants are nature’s way of providing your cells with adequate defense against harmful free radicals and other reactive oxygen species (ROS).

6. Improves Your Mood And Fights Depression

Drinking black coffee brightens up your mood and thus makes you happy. According to a research, 2 cups of coffee a day prevents risk of suicide by 50%. It works by stimulating the central nervous system and increasing the production of dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline which are important neurotransmitters that elevate the mood. Have 2 cups of black coffee every day to keep depression at bay.

7. Protects Against Gout

Research shows people who drank more than 4 cups of black coffee has 57% reduced risk of gout. The powerful antioxidants present in coffee reduces the risk of developing gout by decreasing the level of insulin which in turn lowers uric acid levels (high concentrations of uric acid can cause gout). And even if you have gout, it helps to relieve its symptoms.

8. Improves Heart Health

A study found that moderate coffee drinkers who consumed between 2 – 4 cups daily, had a 20% lower risk of developing heart disease as compared to heavy or light coffee drinkers, and nondrinkers. It works by protecting the heart against arterial damage caused by inflammation.

9. Reduces Cancer Risk

Polyphenols, antioxidant found in coffee, have demonstrated anticarcinogenic properties in several studies and are thought to help reduce the inflammation that could be responsible for some tumors.

A research in 2016 have found that moderate consumption of coffee can reduce the odds of developing colorectal cancer by 26%.

Moreover, another study has found that coffee may decrease the risk of developing prostate cancer in men by 20 %, and endometrial cancer in women by 25 %. Caffeine may also prevent the development of basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer.

In addition, It’s true: In addition to lowering the risk of liver cancer, coffee consumption has been linked to a lower risk of liver cancer and lower incidence of liver cirrhosis, especially alcoholic cirrhosis as demonstrated by a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine in which a 20% risk reduction for each cup consumed (up to four cups). It was explained that elevated levels of liver enzymes reflects inflammation and liver damage. The more coffee subjects drank, the lower their enzyme levels are.

10. Strengthens The DNA

A study published in the European Journal of Nutrition showed that coffee drinkers have DNA with stronger integrity since the white blood cells of coffee drinkers had far fewer instances of spontaneous DNA strand breakage.

11. Lowers Risk of Premature Death

Studies have shown that coffee drinker’s overall risk of premature death is 25% lower than of those who don’t drink coffee. The more coffee drank, the lower the risk of death become, including deaths from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections.

12. Reduces Risk of Stroke

A study have shown that reasonable consumption of coffee, around 2–4 cups daily, is associated with lower risk of stroke.

13. Lowers Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes

Caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity and impairs glucose tolerance, therefore reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes which in later age, can lead to organ damage and heart diseases.

A 2009 study found that the risk of developing diabetes dropped by 7% for each daily cup of coffee. It was reported that heavy coffee drinkers, those who regularly drink four or more cups daily, had a 50% lower risk of developing diabetes than light drinkers or nondrinkers.

14. Helps Protect Against Cognitive Decline And Other Brain Problems

Coffee has a psychoactive stimulant which has the ability to improve energy, mood, cognitive functioning and thus makes you smart over a period of time.

In addition to providing a temporary boost in brain activity and memory, regular coffee consumption may help prevent cognitive decline associated with different brain diseases such as:

• Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia – High caffeine levels in your blood reduce the risk of Alzheimer disease. It also associated with a reduced risk of dementia or delayed onset, particularly for those who already have mild cognitive impairment.
• Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease – Caffeine has neuroprotective properties and seems to suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. A study have shown that regular coffee drinking decreases risk of Parkinson’s disease by 25%. Another study showed that at least 4 cups of coffee a day may help protect against the development and reccurrence of Multiple Sclerosis. It is believed that the coffee prevents the neural inflammation that possibly leads to the development of these diseases.

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Possible Risks of Drinking Black Coffee

• Bad quality coffee can be toxic causing sickness, headache or a general bad feeling. If you consume high quality, specialty coffee, you don’t have to worry about this.
• Coffee can be lethal if you drink 80-100 cups (23 litres) in a short period of time. Before you reach this point, however, you’ll be vomiting most of it out since 23L of any liquid is a lot. Even drinking water of this volume can be detrimental.
• Coffee can cause insomnia and restlessness. Your recommended maximum amount of caffeine is 400 milligrams, roughly the amount that you’ll get from 4 cups of coffee.
• Unsafe for pregnant women. Studies on coffee’s effect on a fetus have been controversial, but surely, if you drink coffee during pregnancy, caffeine will also reach the fetus, and take note that your baby is highly sensitive to caffeine. So, if you’re a heavyweight coffee drinker and can’t stop drinking it while pregnant, at least reduce your coffee intake to one cup a day.
• Use filtered coffee if cholesterol levels are high. Coffee beans contain cafestol and kahweol, two ingredients that appear to raise LDL cholesterol levels. These ingredients are found in espresso, turkish coffee, french press and scandinavian style “cooked coffee”. Nonetheless, filtering the coffee traps most of the LDL.
• Kids who drink coffee may have increased bedwetting episodes as reported by a survey done on 5-7 year old kids.

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Conclusion

As much as we all love coffee, the potential health benefits of drinking it are exciting news, but for some people, coffee can cause irritability, nervousness or anxiety when taken in high doses.

Caffeine affects every person differently, so if you experience any negative side effects, consider cutting your coffee consumption accordingly. And when doing it, taper your caffeine consumption gradually to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms that may include severe headache, muscle ache and fatigue which can last for days.

So, by all means, enjoy your morning habit, but keep these tips in mind with caution.

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