Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. It is popularly noted for making the drinker feel alert, awake and energetic after just a cup of hot coffee. In fact, many people tend to be addicted to coffee. These properties of coffee are attributed to the presence of caffeine, a strong stimulant that is almost always present in energy drinks. Coffee has been drunk for ages now and has always been given a positive outlook. While tea also consists of a certain amount of caffeine in its own right, the concentration of caffeine in coffee totally outclasses tea.
Accordingly, coffee is often termed as the most energy-giving beverage available. One who understands that caffeine is essentially a psychoactive drug. However, unlike most substances from this class, caffeine is a 100% legal and much safer psychoactive substance that acts as one of the best stimulants, notably for the central nervous system.
But just how strong is caffeine?
Should you drink too much of coffee?
Or how much of coffee is suitable for you?
Is coffee bad for you?
Not surprisingly, even scientists have asked themselves the same questions for a long while. As such, caffeine has been subjected to extensive research over the years. It is quite obvious that this powerful stimulant has a wide range of health benefits to its credit. And it is also backed by scientific research and several clinical trials.
This article intends to present you a detailed analysis of caffeine and its many health benefits. We understand how important coffee is to the world and as such, the article covers every scientifically relevant concept about the consumption of coffee and what it offers to your body. So let us see how potent that cup of coffee is.
Health Benefits of Caffeine
Promotes energy levels and makes you more alert
This is the most obvious health benefit of caffeine. Coffee is firmly established as one of the best means to help you overcome exhaustion and improve your energy levels. On consumption of coffee, caffeine gets absorbed into the bloodstream, leading to the brain. Here, the absorbed caffeine inhibits the functionality of the neurotransmitter adenosine. At the same time, it triggers the functionalities of other useful hormones such as dopamine. This results in the enhanced activity of neurons, which boosts your mental energy levels, makes you feel alert and improves the functioning of the brain..
Can help you lose weight
Research has established that caffeine is an excellent addition to weight loss supplements as it effectively boosts the rate of metabolism. Some experimental studies have proved that the consumption of coffee helps in burning unwanted fat deposits in both healthy and obese subjects.
Boosts overall physical performance
It has been demonstrated by research that caffeine spikes up adrenaline in the bloodstream. Further studies have indicated that caffeine not only burns fat, but also uses the energy obtained from the process as a driving force for the body.
All of these have led to a clear report that caffeine indeed does boost the physical performance of an individual by almost 12%. This makes coffee a very healthy drink to consume as a pre workout beverage.
Rich source of important nutrients
Coffee offers you more nutrition than you expect. This energizing drink is loaded with many essential macronutrients that make it one of the healthiest drinks to consume. Scientific data has shown that this includes vitamins B2, B3, B5 and potassium. While you cannot expect to fulfil the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) with just one cup of coffee, having multiple cups (which people usually tend to do) serves the purpose of obtaining the RDI.
May lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Studies have shown the people who consume coffee at a regular basis have less chances of having Alzheimer’s disease as they age.
Controls blood sugar levels
While the reason is not exactly clear, several experimental studies have demonstrated that the intake of caffeine helps in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. The reduction in chances have been noted to be well above 50%.
Helps to protect your liver
Studies have confirmed that drinking multiple cups of coffee each day can go a long way in protecting your liver against various harmful health conditions. In fact, it has been established that caffeine reduces the risk of serious liver problems by almost 80%
Promotes good mood and keeps anxiety away
High profile studies have displayed that the regular consumption of coffee at a frequent basis helps in managing anxiety and lowers the risk of the development of depression.
Another experimental study indicated that people who drank a lot of coffee were far less likely to take their own lives. In other words, the consumption of coffee can improve the quality of life in a person’s perspective.
Helps to protect against liver cancer
Various studies have suggested that caffeine helps in protecting the liver against the risk of cancer. Regular consumption of coffee can lower the chances of liver cancer by nearly 40%
Coffee is a rich source of antioxidants
Research has shown that coffee is a rich source of antioxidants and caffeine goes very well with the functionality that antioxidants provide.
Side effects
Excessive consumption of caffeine can lead to a whole range of side effects.
Caffeine has been noted to increase blood pressure.
As a strong stimulant, it can induce disturbed sleeping cycle, loss of appetite and acidity.
Coffee withdrawal symptoms can lead to severe headaches and mood swings.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women should stay away from coffee as much as possible as the effects of caffeine are not suitable for them.
People with high sensitivity to caffeine should stay away from coffee.
Dosage
About 4-5 cups of coffee per day is sufficient for obtaining the health benefits of caffeine.
Conclusion
Coffee is so widely popular not just because it is a delicious beverage but also because it has a lot of health benefits associated with its consumption. It ia so popular that there are food chains like Starbucks focusing primarily on coffee.
Caffeine can easily be termed as one of the best and safest stimulants. The effects are almost immediate and last for the entire duration of the day. With 4-5 cups a day, you would completely get all the goodness that this wholesome beverage has to offer. You totally deserve to enjoy that steaming cup of coffee at your will.
Tips:
- Few of the testosterone boosters do contain a limited amount of caffeine supplement. You can take moderate levels while doing exercise. Make sure to take lesser amounts. Higher amounts may increase your cortisol and that affects negatively on your T levels.
- From recent studies, Caffeine is named as a Legal performance booster. After this research became popular, most of the marathon athletes started taking caffeine to boost their energy levels. Most of the popular legal steroids do contain this ingredient. Feel free to browse their ingredients list.