Health benefits of coffee

Coffee tasted good, but is is it good for you? More than half of Americans are coffee junkies, yet the average person doesn't know about the health effect of coffee. Scientists say coffee has many effects on health, some good, some bad.

1. Coffee can help you burn fat

Did you know that caffeine is found in almost every commercial fat burning supplement? There's a good reason for that... caffeine is one of the very few natural substances that have actually been proven to aid fat burning. Several studies show that caffeine can boost the metabolic rate by 3-11%. Other studies show that caffeine can specifically increase the burning of fat, by as much as 10% in obese individuals and 29% in lean people. However, it is possible that these effects will diminish in long-term coffee drinkers.

2. Caffeine can improve physical performance

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, causing it to send signals to the fat cells to break down body fat but caffeine also increases Epinephrine (Adrenaline) levels in the blood. This is the "fight or flight" hormone, designed to make our bodies ready for intense physical exertion.

3. Coffee contains essential nutrients

A single cup of coffee contains:

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA.
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.
Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA.
Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA.

Although this may not seem like a big deal, most people are drinking more than one cup per day. If you drink 3-4, then these amounts quickly add up.

4. Coffee has protective effects on the liver

Several common diseases primarily affect the liver, including hepatitis, fatty liver disease and others. Many of these diseases can lead to a condition called cirrhosis, in which the liver has been largely replaced by scar tissue. It turns out that coffee may protect against cirrhosis. People who drink 4 or more cups per day have up to an 80% lower risk

5. Coffee can help fight depression

Depression is a serious mental disorder that causes a significantly reduced quality of life. It is incredibly common and about 4.1% of people in the U.S. currently meet the criteria for clinical depression. In a Harvard study published in 2011, women who drank 4 or more cups per day had a 20% lower risk of becoming depressed. Another study with 208,424 individuals found that those who drank 4 or more cups per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide

Reference:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-13-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coffee#section9