Health Benefits Of Coffee And Side Effects – Advantages Of Having Your Morning Cup Of Joe!

Is coffee good or bad? Well, coffee lovers are definitely going to say yes, but scientifically speaking, there are both advantages and disadvantages of drinking coffee and the good news is that advantages outweigh the disadvantages! Let us explore the health benefits of coffee and side effects to clear the air and get the facts right!

Why wait? Brew your favourite cuppa and relish each delicious sip as you scroll down to discover some amazing facts about your all-time favourite beverage – Coffee!

8 Health Benefits Of Coffee – Is Coffee Good For Health?

Right from reducing the chances of depression and suicide to reducing the risk of cancer, coffee can do a lot more to your health.

You can also check with an interesting picture of coffee nutrition facts that has been mentioned at the end of the article.

1. Coffee Relieves You From Pain After Exercise

“No pain, no gain!” This philosophy hits right in the feels when we are aiming to build muscles! Experiencing sore muscles is common when you perform high-intensity workouts and the pain is scientifically referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). (1)

DOMS occurs when muscles are exposed to a much high strain than usual which is known to cause microscopic damage resulting in DOMS.

But, you can choose to follow some best remedies to get rid of the pain. One of the best remedies is drinking coffee and there is scientific evidence to prove that the remedy works.

A study that was conducted on coffee consumption keeping muscles soreness in view showed fruitful results.

According to BBC news, researches have proved that the consumption of coffee in moderate amounts (quantity equal to 2 cups) can reduce the pain by 48%. (2)

The participants involved in the experiment have consumed coffee after their first two days of exercising and they experienced a reduction in the pain when compared to another group who did not consume coffee.

However, this may not work effectively for regular coffee users since they become less sensitive to the properties of coffee.

2. Benefits Of Drinking Coffee For Heart Health

Drinking coffee may not be the only self-care tip that you should follow to protect your heart health but it can work as an added health benefit when it comes to safeguarding your heart from strokes.

However, a regular exercise followed by the reduction in the consumption of saturated foods and trans foods is vital for preventing the risk of strokes and heart diseases.

Apart from this, savouring 2 cups of coffee per day is the best health tip one can follow to keep up the efficacy of heart.

Studies conducted on coffee consumption and stroke risk have proved that the consumption of around 4 cups of coffee per day has reduced the chances of strokes. (3)

3. How Does Coffee Help In Reducing The Chances Of Cancer?

Coffee is the best source of antioxidants which makes it the perfect beverage for preventing cancer. This is because antioxidants can fight the free radicals whose function is to damage the DNA of healthy cells and cause mutations. (4)

Studies conducted on consumption of coffee and its relation to coffee have proved that it reduces the chances of liver cancer, endometrial cancer, oral cancer, advanced prostate cancer and colorectal cancer. (5) (6)

While it is true that one might get susceptible to cancer if the disease prevails in the family history, certain lifestyle habits can also cause gene mutations which lead to cancer.

The best thing you can do to protect yourself from cancer is to get rid of smoking and drinking, avoid excessive exposure of skin to the sun, indulge yourself in any physical activity, consume fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, keep a check on your weight and go for regular checkups.

4. Coffee Benefits For Skin

A regular intake of coffee beside the topical application of the face mask prepared from coffee grounds can be highly beneficial for your overall skin health.

The credit again goes to certain plant compounds called antioxidants which can fight the free radicals which can otherwise damage the skin cells making your skin appear dull. (7)

How To Prepare A Face Mask From Coffee Grounds?

• Take half a cup of coffee grounds and mix this will equal amounts of olive oil.
• Apply the face mask all over your face using your forefingers and massage well by rubbing it in a circular motion.
• Let the face pack remain on your skin for half an hour and rinse it off with lukewarm water.

Drinking coffee regularly and applying the face mask at least twice a week can protect your skin from

• Cellulite
• Wrinkles and Ageing
• Acne
• Sunburns
• Dark circles
• Inflammation

5. Coffee And Diabetes

The risk of type-2 diabetes increases with the increase in age. It is more common in older adults, particularly, those who have crossed 65 years of age.

However, you can choose to stay away from diabetes by making certain lifestyle changes like inculcating any kind of physical activity, decreasing the consumption of processed foods, reducing the intake of alcohol, staying away from cigarettes, maintaining a balanced weight and following healthy diet tips.

Apart from following the above-mentioned lifestyle tips, drinking a few cups of coffee per day can reduce your overall risk of type-2 diabetes. (8)

That said, coffee consumption may not be the best recommended preventive tip that you can follow to prevent type-2 diabetes but is just an added advantage if you are a regular consumer of coffee.

6. Benefits Of Drinking Coffee For Good Digestion

Coffee increases your urge to defecate because it activates your colon which means that it can increase the contractions in your intestine, which in turn increases your desire to excrete!

Studies conducted on a group of healthy men and women regarding the consumption of coffee and their bowel movements proved that consuming coffee has improved their bowel habit. (9)

Another study conducted on the intake of coffee has proved that coffee can increase the gallbladder contraction and colonic motor activity.(10)

Colonic motor activity refers to a proper mixing and kneading of faecal matter and its expulsion.

7. Coffee Fights Depression And Improves Your Mood

Depression has become an emerging mental issue of recent times. The cause of depression is however not known.

Certain factors that can increase the risk of depression include physical or mental abuse, the sudden death of a loved one, family history of depression and usage of certain medication.( 11)

Studies have shown that the consumption of coffee has reduced the risk of being prone to depression.

However, the chance of depression was lessened when the consumption of coffee was more than 68 and less than 509 mg per day.(12)

Another study and analysis performed on the intake of caffeine and its association with stress, anxiety, and depression showed significant positive results on the overall.(13)

8. Coffee May Increase Your Lifespan

Our lifespan is determined by the efficacy of our bodily functions. Oxidative stress in your body may cause continuous damage to your healthy cells, thereby increasing the risk of mortality.(14)

Oxidative stress is a condition in which there are more free radicals when compared to antioxidants whereas the converse has to take place so as to prevent quick ageing.

In fact, it is oxidation which causes heart diseases, increases cancer risk and causes much faster ageing taking you one step closer to death every day.

Coffee contains caffeine, phenols and antioxidants in good amounts along with other beneficiary nutrients which can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, increase your energy and keep your cells healthy, active and alive (free of free radical damage).(15)

Side Effects Of Coffee!

Well, after going through the amazing wonders that coffee does to our overall health, you have a definite answer to the question “Is coffee good or bad?”

Like every side has two coins, there are certain issues that are needed to be discussed regarding coffee consumption and its side effects.

Let’s have a quick glance at what researches and evidence have to say.

1. Coffee For People With Hypertension

Hypertension is a condition which is characterized by an increase in the blood pressure, (which is higher than what it should actually read).

That said, coffee does not cause a long term effect on your blood pressure but it definitely causes a temporary surge in the blood pressure and reason behind the surge is unknown.(16)

You can consult your doctor to know whether you can really drink coffee if your blood pressure is abnormally high.

According to the Mayo Clinic, if you are much concerned about the impact of coffee on your blood pressure, you can limit the intake of coffee to 200 milligrams per day. (17)

2. Regular Consumption Of Coffee Can Make You Tolerant To Caffeine

If you are an ardent coffee lover, you are bound to consume coffee regularly and this is associated with a disadvantage!

According to studies conducted on individuals who consumed coffee regularly, daily consumption of caffeine can make people intolerant towards the effects of caffeine minimizing its effects on overall health. (18)

3. Coffee Consumption Can Cause Symptoms Of Withdrawal

Caffeine withdrawal symptoms may occur in those who regularly consume coffee and discontinue the habit all of a sudden.

The symptoms of withdrawal include headache, fatigue, reduced energy, irritability, decreased concentration, depression and mood swings.

There is experimental evidence to show the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal and its related symptoms.(19)

4. Coffee And Anxiety

Consuming not more than 2 cups of coffee per day can help you provide you with the health benefits of coffee but the real problem arises when you exceed the recommended intake.

Excessive consumption of coffee can lead to a condition called caffeinism where the individual may observe certain irritable symptoms like nervousness, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, heart palpitations and excitement.(20)

5. Coffee During Pregnancy

It would be wise to completely avoid coffee during pregnancy since there is a lot of negative effects associated with consumption.

According to studies and research, coffee consumption can increase the risk of infertility, cause miscarriage, restrict the growth of the fetus and may cause birth defects. (21)

It is usually recommended to limit the intake of coffee to less than 200 milligrams or avoid the consumption of coffee altogether to prevent any complications!

Coffee Nutrition Facts

Coffee is totally devoid of calories, carbohydrates, and fats.

Surprisingly, a cup of coffee brewed from grounds prepared with tap water provides 1% of daily Protein requirement, along with other nutrients like riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, phosphorous, potassium and manganese in little amounts.

Apart from these nutrients, there are 8 major antioxidants in coffee which include

• Chlorogenic acid
• Melanoidins
• Quinine
• Caffeine
• Cafestol
• Trigonelline

Here is the exact quantity of nutrients that one cup of coffee (which is around 237 grams) provides!

Vitamins	Grams	%DV (Percentage of daily requirement that it meets)
Thiamin	0.0 mg	2%
Riboflavin	0.2 mg	11%
Niacin	0.5 mg	2%
Folate	4.7 mcg	1%
Pantothenic acid	0.6 mg	6%
Choline	6.2 mg
Minerals	Grams	%DV (Percentage of daily requirement that it meets)
Magnesium	7.1 mg	2%
Phosphorous	7.1 mg	1%
Potassium	116 mg	3%
Manganese	0.1 mg	3%
Other elements	Grams	%DV (Percentage of daily requirement that it meets)
Carbohyrdates	0.0 grams	0
Proteins	0.3 grams	1%
Fats	0.0 grams	0