Who would’ve known that coffee could be so good for you? Aside from being a great pick-me-up in the morning, one cup of Joe contains 22 nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, riboflavin and niacin. Impressive, right? Brace yourselves because there’s a lot more where that came from. Here are five additional reasons to love coffee!
1. Burns fat
As a natural fat burner and appetite suppressant, caffeine can boost your metabolism rate by 3-11 percent and can help make weight loss easier and faster. For maximum benefits, it’s best to take your coffee black.
2. Reduces the risk for diabetes
According to a study conducted by Harvard’s School of Public Health, people who consumed an extra cup of coffee a day over a four-year period lowered their risk for type 2 diabetes by 11 percent.
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3. Improves brain health
Coffee can help protect your brain as you age. Several studies have shown that chugging down three to five cups a day could lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 20 percent. It also helps reduce your risk for dementia and Parkinson’s disease while boosting your brain function and memory.
4. Protects the liver
Studies have shown that people who drink four cups of coffee a day reduced their risk for developing cirrhosis – one of the worst diseases that can affect the liver – by a whopping 80 percent.
5. Fights depression
Although there’s a lot of research that still needs to be done, it’s believed that because caffeine releases dopamine and serotonin in the brain – neurotransmitters that help control your mood – people who drink coffee every day can lower their risk for depression by 20 percent and risk of suicide by 50%.
Although there are some great health benefits to drinking coffee, it’s important to remember that there can be too much of a good thing. So, how much is too much? Try limiting your coffee intake to no more than four or five 8-ounce cups a day. If coffee makes you feel jittery or hyper and/or causes headaches or insomnia, then you might be sensitive to caffeine and should cut back.
To keep it healthy, stick with black coffee and try switching to skim milk or unsweetened soy or nut milk or low-fat half and half.