National Beverage Day is May 6 and if you’re like millions of adults around the world, coffee is your beverage of choice. Just the aroma of it brewing is enough to start the day and for many people, the only way they can function before noon.
Read Related: Drinking Coffee or Cafe Could Save Your Life!
And that’s precisely the reason why a lot of us have given up on java or are considering doing so. Coffee gets a bad rap, but it turns out that coffee has a place in your daily routine. Here are 10 good reasons to keep drinking a cup of Joe
1. Caffeine can improve brain function.
It stimulates brain function, sharpens the wits and stimulates circulation. As David Letterman says “If it wasn’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.” An exaggeration for sure, but it’s true that the first morning cup can take us from half asleep to wide awake and functioning.
2. It can help you lose weight and improve physical performance.
It contains the stimulant caffeine. Caffeine helps people feel more alert and more active, leading to weight loss. It may also act as a mild appetite suppressant. Drinking it during the afternoon or after dinner can help to reduce cravings for snacks or sweets. It fills the stomach and suppresses appetite with no added calories
3. It could lower your risk for type II diabetes.
Scientists believe that coffee can help keep diabetes at bay. It helps the body use insulin and protects insulin-producing cells, and it decreases fatigue so you keep more active. If you’re more active, both your weight and blood pressure (both known factors in developing type 2 diabetes) go down. Both decaf and regular coffees produce the same results.
4. Coffee may lower your risk for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
We know it provides a temporary boost to brain activity and memory. But could regular java consumption provide defense against cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease? Studies seem to indicate that caffeine consumption at a moderate level was associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Research is ongoing and no one is ready to claim caffeine as a preventative, though
5. It might be good for your liver.
It’s true: In addition to lowering the risk of liver cancer, its consumption has been linked to a lower incidence of cirrhosis, especially alcoholic cirrhosis. The coffee you drink the lowers the liver damaging enzymes in your bloodstream.
6. It actually does contain nutrients and tons of antioxidants.
In fact, it has more antioxidants than green tea and cocoa, two antioxidant superstars. Unprocessed beans have approximately 1,000 antioxidants, and hundreds more develop during the roasting process. Numerous studies have cited coffee as a major—and in some cases, primary—dietary source of antioxidants for American adults.
7. Just smelling it can reduce stress.
Just the aroma of that morning cup is enough to stimulate brain activity and reduce stress. Studies show that you really do benefit from a sip or two of brewed coffee in stressful situations. And doesn’t the morning look better with that first cup in your hands?
8. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that drinking 2-4 cups can reduce your risk of suicide by up to 50%.
Moderate consumption , regular or decaf lowered the suicide rate among consumers of the beverage. The multi-year study done showed that coffee, when compared to other caffeine-filled liquids, was most effective in offsetting depression and subsequent suicides among those in the study.
9. It could reduce women’s risk for skin cancer.
A recent study showed that women drinking moderate amounts (3-5 cups per day) lowered their risk of basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. But remember, while drinking it can help lower the risk of skin cancer, it won’t take the place of sunscreen and limited sun exposure.
10. Coffee could reduce your risk for heart disease.
There is evidence that coffee consumption can help the heart in a number of ways. From helping to fight irregular heartbeats to helping prevent the buildup of harmful plaque in blood vessels, coffee can be beneficial to heart health. Like anything else, moderation is the key.
