There really can't be any adult in this great big world that has never tried coffee. It's consumed everywhere, and judging by the amount of Starbucks locations in the United States alone, (in 2012, there were 10,924![1] ) we love our caffeine.
And that's fine. In fact, there are many advantages to being one of the 54 percent of Americans over 18 who drink coffee everyday[2] . Coffee can be pretty amazing for your brain, your skin and your body. Read on to discover 11 reasons you should wake up and smell the coffee...
Americans get more antioxidants from coffee than anything else.
According to a study done in 2005, "nothing else comes close" to providing as many antioxidants as coffee[3] . Coffee beans contain disease-fighting antioxidants called quinines[4] that become more potent after roasting.
Just smelling coffee could make you less stressed.
Researchers at the Seoul National University examined the brains of rats who were stressed with sleep deprivation and discovered that those who were exposed to coffee aromas experienced changes in brain proteins tied to that stress[5] . Now, we're not entirely sure if this means you should keep a bag of roasted coffee beans on your nightstand every night, but feel free to try!
Coffee may help fight against Parkinson's disease and colon cancer.
According to WebMD, studies have shown that regular coffee drinkers experience lower risk of a number of dangerous diseases. One study found that regular consumption reduced instances of Parkinson's disease by 80 percent and risk of colon cancer by 25 percent[6] .
Coffee is great for your liver (especially if you drink a lot of alcohol).
A study published in 2006 that included 125,000 people over 22 years showed that those who drink at least one cup of coffee a day were 20 percent less to develop liver cirrhosis[7] -- an autoimmune disease caused by excessive alcohol consumption that could lead to liver failure and cancer. Arthur L Klatsky, the lead author of the study, said, "Consuming coffee seems to have some protective benefits against alcoholic cirrhosis, and the more coffee a person consumes the less risk they seem to have of being hospitalised or dying of alcoholic cirrhosis."
Coffee can make you feel happier.
A study done by the National Institute of Health[8] and published on Prevention.com found that those who drink four or more cups of coffee were about 10 percent less likely to be depressed than those who had never touched the java. And it's not because of the "caffeine high" -- Coke can also give you a caffeine high, but it's linked to depression[9] . The reason coffee makes you feel good is because of those trusty antioxidants.
Coffee consumption has been linked to lower levels of suicide.
A study done by the Harvard School of Public Health determined that drinking between two and four cups of coffee can reduce the risk of suicide in men and women by about 50 percent[10] . That's because the caffeine in coffee stimulates the central nervous system. It also acts as a mild antidepressant by aiding in the production of neurotransmitters[11] like serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.
Coffee could reduce your chances of getting skin cancer (if you're a woman).
Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School followed 112,897 men and women over a 20-year period[12] and, apparently, women who drink three or more cups of coffee a day are much less likely to develop skin cancer than those who don't.
Coffee can make you a better athlete.
The New York Times reports[13] , "Scientists and many athletes have known for years, of course, that a cup of coffee before a workout jolts athletic performance, especially in endurance sports like distance running and cycling." Caffeine increases the number of fatty acids in the bloodstream[14] , which allows athletes' muscles to absorb and burn those fats for fuel, therefore saving the body's small reserves of carbohydrates for later on in the exercise.
Those cappuccinos could make you look younger.
A lot of beauty companies already put caffeine in their products to help reduce the appearance of cellulite. But the antioxidants in coffee could lessen the appearance of wrinkles[15] . Dermatologist Dr. Vicki Rapaport, M.D. told Fox News[16] :
“These antioxidants and the caffeine molecule [in coffee] help repair cell damage. [...] Drinking it provides anti-inflammatory activity for your cells internally and applying it in creams provides this protection to the skin. It can help reduce the look of fine lines, age spots and saggy skin. It is not all-powerful and won’t turn back the clock miraculously, but it can play a small part in the grand scheme of trying to stay healthy.”
Drinking coffee could help keep your brain healthier for longer.
WebMD reports that studies that show people older than 65 who had higher blood levels of caffeine developed Alzheimer's disease two to four years later[17] than others with lower caffeine.
Coffee may make you more intelligent.
You usually drink coffee when you are sleep-deprived, right? Well, that much-needed jolt not only keeps you awake, it makes you sharper. CNN reports[18] that coffee allows your brain to work in a much more efficient and smarter way. TIME reporter, Michael Lemonick, says[19] , "When you're sleep-deprived and you take caffeine, pretty much anything you measure will improve: reaction time, vigilance, attention, logical reasoning -- most of the complex functions you associate with intelligence."
Moral of the story? COFFEE IS THE BEST THING EVER. KEEP DRINKING IT.
Also on HuffPost:
References
- ^ there were 10,924! (www.statisticbrain.com)
- ^ 54 percent of Americans over 18 who drink coffee everyday (www.statisticbrain.com)
- ^ "nothing else comes close" to providing as many antioxidants as coffee (phys.org)
- ^ contain disease-fighting antioxidants called quinines (www.webmd.com)
- ^ discovered that those who were exposed to coffee aromas experienced changes in brain proteins tied to that stress (www.webmd.com)
- ^ reduced instances of Parkinson's disease by 80 percent and risk of colon cancer by 25 percent (www.webmd.com)
- ^ those who drink at least one cup of coffee a day were 20 percent less to develop liver cirrhosis (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ study done by the National Institute of Health (www.prevention.com)
- ^ it's linked to depression (www.usnews.com)
- ^ drinking between two and four cups of coffee can reduce the risk of suicide in men and women by about 50 percent (theweek.com)
- ^ acts as a mild antidepressant by aiding in the production of neurotransmitters (news.harvard.edu)
- ^ followed 112,897 men and women over a 20-year period (cancerres.aacrjournals.org)
- ^ reports (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
- ^ increases the number of fatty acids in the bloodstream (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
- ^ lessen the appearance of wrinkles (magazine.foxnews.com)
- ^ told Fox News (magazine.foxnews.com)
- ^ developed Alzheimer's disease two to four years later (www.webmd.com)
- ^ CNN reports (www.cnn.com)
- ^ TIME reporter, Michael Lemonick, says (www.cnn.com)
- ^ Send us a tip (www.huffingtonpost.com)
- ^ Send us a photo or video (www.huffingtonpost.com)
- ^ Suggest a correction (www.huffingtonpost.com)
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