This morning, I along with, ooh, an estimated 99.9% of the working population, kickstarted the new working week with a coffee. This time I did so without a side order of guilt, thanks to a cheering article by Caffeine Informer outlining more than ten health benefits of drinking coffee. Yep, you read that correctly: there are actually proven scientific reasons for drinking coffee, admittedly in moderation.
If this sounds like good news to you, memorise these welcome facts proving the health benefits of drinking coffee from peer-reviewed scientific journals. They’ll come in handy the next time you need to counter health do-gooders and coffee-haters:
- Cuts workout pain
Two cups of coffee can cut post-workout muscle pain by up to 48% according to the Journal of Pain, March 2007. (That’s assuming you do workouts)
- Increases your fibre intake
A cup of brewed coffee contributes up to 1.8g of fibre of the recommended intake of 20-38 grams. So says the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
- Protects against cirrhosis of the liver
Several studies show coffee lowers liver enzyme levels. Of course, you could just cut down on the alcohol intake but where’s the fun in that?
- Reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Good news for those of us who drink six or more cups of coffee a day: we have a 22% lower risk of diabetes! That’s according to the Archives of Internal Medicine. This research was backed up by Harvard’s Dr Frank Hu whose review of research showed that the risk of type II diabetes decreases by 9% for each cup of coffee consumed daily. In case you’re wondering, decaf coffee reduces the risk by 6% per cup.
- Lowered risk of Alzheimer’s
There is evidence that caffeine may protect against Alzheimer’s disease in a paper published by the European Journal of Neurology. This was supported by a 2018 study which isolated the compounds in roasted coffee that may be responsible for preventing the build-up of the brain plaque believed to cause the disease and others, including Parkinson’s.
- Reduces suicide risk and depression
A 10-year study of 86,000 female nurses shows a reduced risk of suicide in the coffee drinkers. Another study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who drink four or more cups of coffee were 20% less likely to suffer from depression.
- Coffee drinkers have less risk of heart disease
A 2019 study conducted in Brazil found that those that consume at least three cups of coffee a day tend to develop less calcification, or hardening, in their coronary arteries – even among the study participants who drank upwards of 25 cups of coffee per day. This finding was confirmed in research by Queen Mary University of London, part-funded by the British Heart Foundation.
- Coffee drinkers have stronger 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 less instance of spontaneous DNA strand breakage.
- Lower Risk of Multiple Sclerosis
Recent research showed that drinking at least four cups of coffee a day may help protect against the development and reoccurrence of MS. According to two independent studies, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, it is believed that coffee prevents the neural inflammation that possibly leads to the disease developing.
- Coffee reduces colorectal cancer risk
Researchers at the University of Southern California have found that even moderate consumption of coffee can reduce the odds of developing colorectal cancer by 26%. What’s more, this protective benefit increases along with consumption.
Well, that’s good enough for me – I’m off to put the kettle on! If you’d like to discuss how my copywriting services could help your business, let’s chat – over a coffee, of course.
