How Your Daily Coffee Fix Can Help and Harm Your Health

An aromatic infusion of ground, roasted coffee beans creates one of the world’s most popular beverages. Many people enjoy their morning coffee for its energetic jolt, but it affects your health in a multitude of other ways. Coffee is overflowing with disease-fighting antioxidants that help prevent free radical tissue damage. It’s also rich in healthy vitamins, minerals and flavonoids. According to a growing body of on coffee habits, the benefits outweigh the negative effects.

Enjoy These Perks

Cancers: Multiple studies have associated high coffee consumption with decreased risks of liver cirrhosis and cancer as well as endometrial, prostate and some breast cancers. Heart disease and stroke: Research has linked coffee to lower risks for heart rhythm disturbances in men and women as well as lower heart attack chances for women. The Nurses’ Health Study of 83,700 subjects showed that women who drank two or more cups of coffee daily had a 20 percent lower stroke risk than those who consumed less or no coffee. Type 2 diabetes: At least 35 studies have shown that coffee lowers type 2 diabetes risks. The magnesium and chromium minerals in regular and decaffeinated coffee help you use your insulin hormone to control your blood sugar. Parkinson’s disease: Data correlates higher caffeinated coffee consumption with a decreased Parkinson’s disease risk. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: A recent study found that caffeine boosted memory 24 hours after consumption. Researchers concluded that caffeine enhances the consolidation of long-term memories. Another study of people with mild cognitive impairment connected higher blood levels of caffeine with reduced dementia risks or delayed onset. A 20-year study of 1400 participants showed that those who drank three to five cups of coffee daily were 65 percent less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than occasional coffee drinkers or nondrinkers. Depression: Coffee acts as a mild antidepressant by aiding the production of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline neurotransmitters. In a Harvard study, drinking four or more cups of coffee a day lowered women’s depression risk by 20 percent. Another Harvard study found that drinking two to four cups of coffee reduced suicide risks in men and women by about 50 percent. Headaches: Like many headache and migraine treatments that contain caffeine, coffee blocks your pain receptors. Stress: Research shows that smelling aromatic coffee can make you feel less stress. Constipation: Drinking coffee can stimulate the coordinated contraction and relaxation of your colonic muscles that cause bowel movements. Weight loss: If you don’t overload caffeinated coffee with cream and sugar, it can improve your metabolism and increase weight loss. Caffeine promotes fat oxidation and stimulates a rise in your core temperature so you can burn more calories. Longevity: According to a long-term study, coffee drinkers had a decreased risk of dying over a 14-year period.

Heed These Cautions

Hardening of the arteries: Scientists have discovered that consuming too much coffee may increase your chances of developing hardening of the arteries. LDL cholesterol: Cafestol, a substance in some coffee preparation methods, can increase your LDL cholesterol levels. Choose paper-filtered or instant coffee for the lowest cafestol levels followed by espresso. Limit yourself to a small cup of French press, boiled Scandinavian or Turkish coffee that have the highest cafestol amounts. Osteoporosis: Caffeine can exacerbate a low-calcium intake by increasing calcium excretion in your urine. Take calcium supplements to avoid raising your osteoporosis and bone fracture risks. Pregnancy: Because a fetus can’t detoxify the caffeine in coffee, high consumption may be detrimental. Over two to three eight-ounce cups of coffee can increase your risks of miscarriage, delivering a low-birth-weight baby and birth defects like cleft palate. Four or more cups of coffee a day may increase your baby’s chance of SIDS. Anxiety: According to , M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, “heavy caffeine use — on the order of four to seven cups of coffee a day — can cause problems such as restlessness, anxiety, irritability and sleeplessness, particularly in susceptible individuals.” Heartburn: Regular and decaffeinated coffee contain acids that can worsen heartburn. Minimize this effect with instant Kava, an acid-neutralized caffeinated coffee. Urination: Caffeine is a mild diuretic that makes you urinate more often. Filters: If you use a drip coffee maker, common bright-white filters owe their color to chlorine bleach. The brewing process transfers some of this poison into your coffee. Use non-bleached filters instead. Decaffeinating chemicals:Most major coffee brands use a chemical decaffeination process. Even so-called naturally decaffeinated coffees contain traces of methylene chloride and ethyl acetate caffeine dissolvers, which research shows cause respiratory issues and nerve damage. The non-chemical-based Swiss Water Process is a safer decaffeination method. Calories: A small cup of black coffee contains just a few calories. Add half-and-half creamer, and you’ll consume 46. Liquid nondairy creamer can up your calorie intake to 48. Each teaspoon of sugar will add about 23 more. Tall sweet and creamy coffee shop specialty drinks can contain much more than you expect and should consume. Your decadent 20-ounce favorite may be brimming with 660 calories, 22 grams of fat (15 grams of saturated fat) and 95 sugar grams.

Be Health Conscious

Enjoying coffee in moderation can help you gain its benefits without overdosing on its disadvantages. Also optimize your well-being by following treatment routines for every health condition. Order your prescription and over-the-counter medications with confidence from a user-preferred Canadian pharmacy.