The Health Benefits of Coffee

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide. Most people couldn’t even think about waking up and starting their day without their morning cup of joe. That first cup of coffee that starts most people’s morning gets them ready to face the day, and for most their afternoon cup of coffee is their mid-day pick me up to keep them going strong on whatever task they need to accomplish. That little bit of caffeine is a necessity for most people. 

The majority of people just drink coffee simply because they love and enjoy it, but what’s amazing about this miraculous bean that everyone loves is that there are some promising research studies showing that coffee may be beneficial for multiple health problems. 

The Beverage Guidance Panel, whose responsibility is to examine the pros and cons of all kinds of different beverages found that coffee and tea preferably without any added creamers or sweeteners tied as the second healthiest beverage right below water which of course was number one. 

Studies have shown the potential benefits of coffee for hepatitis c. Coffee may reduce DNA damage, increase the clearing of cells infected with a virus, and slow down the scarring process which could possibly help explain why coffee may play a role in slowing down liver disease progression risk. On top of these potential benefits, this beverage seems to be linked with a one third lower risk of Parkinson’s. The caffeine in coffee seems to be the reason why because decaf coffee was not effective. Besides coffee’s possible benefits on prevention of Parkinson’s, giving patients who have Parkinson’s the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee per day saw improvement in movement symptoms caused by Parkinson’s within only three weeks. 

The most recent studies to date show that coffee may be associated with a small reduction in mortality of about three percent for each cup of coffee drank on a day to day basis. These benefits seem to level off if you drink more than six cups daily. Researchers also used to believe that coffee could have negative effects on people with irregular heart rhythm, but low doses of caffeine being anything lower than six cups per day may even have protective effects on heart rhythm. 

Now that we’ve talked about all the possible physical benefits of coffee, let’s look at the mental effects that coffee could have. Harvard Researchers found that people drinking two or more cups of coffee appeared to have half the risk of suicide compared to people who do not consume coffee. Another study done by Permanente found that people who drink more than six cups of coffee a day were eighty percent less likely to commit suicide, but it’s important to note that going over eight cups a day was linked to an increased risk of suicide. 

As you can see coffee is an amazing plant. It can affect you physically and even mentally in a positive way! As with anything though, it’s not for everyone. People who have glaucoma, epilepsy, and gastroesophageal reflux disease may want to stay away from caffeinated coffee. Now that you know the magic of this plant, brew up your next cup of coffee and smile! 

Work Cited 

“Coffee.” NutritionFacts.org, https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/coffee/.