Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Over 400 billion cups of java are consumed each year. Caffeine, the ingredient in coffee that wakes you up in the morning and keeps you focused and alert throughout the day, is the most popular drug in the world. A hot cup of joe is a morning ritual for over half of the American population above the age of 18, and in Finland, the majority of the population enjoys an average of four cups of coffee per day. Many studies have been conducted on the way coffee affects the human body, and fortunately for “go juice” enthusiasts, coffee isn’t all that bad for you—and it actually brings some health benefits along with that much-needed energy jolt.
What Coffee Does for Your Workday
Twenty minutes after your coffee is consumed, you become more focused and alert. Making decisions and handling problems becomes a breeze. This is the result of your brain’s adenosine receptors firing off (more on that later). Though the caffeine will eventually wear off, moderate coffee drinkers usually find that a second or sometimes third cup of joe will get them through the workday without a major crash.
What Coffee Does for Your Skin
A 10.5-year study from the National Institutes of Health found that drinking more than four cups of coffee per day greatly reduces your chance of developing skin cancer. Researchers think that this outcome is due to compounds in coffee that suppress cancerous cells and reduce carcinogens by detoxifying cells.
What Coffee Does for Your Memory
We all know that coffee can wake you up and make you more alert, but a recent study has found that it can improve your long-term memory functions as well. The journal Nature Neuroscience used a post-study memory test 24 hours after the consumption of coffee and concluded that coffee did indeed enhance long-term memory.
What Coffee Does to Your Brain
Here’s where it gets a bit tricky. Caffeine directly affects the adenosine receptors in your brain, blocking them and allowing neurotransmitters to act as stimulants—and that is what actually produces that focused and energized feeling that coffee gives you, not the caffeine itself. As heavy coffee drinkers have come to realize, getting these neurotransmitters to fire off on a consistent basis eventually becomes a daunting task. As your tolerance rises, it takes more and more coffee to block the receptors and activate the sparks. If you quit drinking coffee, it will take your brain some time to adjust to the lack of activity, and you should expect around 10 days of headaches, irritability, and fatigue.
What Coffee Does to Your Weight
Your cells speed up the rate that they release energy when you consume coffee, and this helps your body break down fats. Caffeine is also an appetite suppressant, so you may not feel as hungry when you are drinking lots of coffee. However, many people like to dress their coffee with fatty creams and sugars, which can offset the perks of coffee’s fat-burning and appetite-suppressing components.
Overall, if consumed in moderation, coffee has many beneficial traits, and we all know that it can be a lifesaver if you don’t get a good night’s rest or had a few too many the night before. Overuse of coffee can result in anxiety, insomnia, increased cholesterol, and dependency issues. So, if you drink coffee in excess, you might consider toning it down a bit. If you are a moderate coffee drinker, though, you can breathe a sigh of relief and brew up another pot tomorrow morning with a clean conscience.
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