There is nothing quite like that beautiful sweet aroma wafting through the kitchen on a crisp morning as the coffee quietly brews. The first sip awakens my senses and delights my tastebuds as I slowly savour my beloved cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

This is of course, if you love coffee. There are some non coffee drinkers out there. Yes, yes I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. One of my closest friends doesn't drink coffee...I mean they do say opposites attract right? 

But in all seriousness, there is a lot of noise out there about coffee. One minute it's good for you, the next minute it's bad, it contains antioxidants, but wait, it's bad for your adrenals....I mean it can get confusing!

So I am here to help clear some of that confusion around that delicious elixir that is coffee. 

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide, and it has been consumed for centuries. Although coffee is often associated with negative health effects, such as jitteriness, sleep disturbance, and addiction, recent research has shown that coffee has several health benefits.

Seeing as I am definitely pro coffee, I want to share some of the health benefits of coffee, like improved cognitive function, reduced risk of several diseases, and increased longevity (if you don't know already, I'm all about longevity). So let's dive in!

Coffee is good for your brain!

Coffee is known to have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, which can help to improve cognitive function. This stimulating effect is, not surprisingly, due to the presence of caffeine, a natural stimulant found in coffee beans. When we drink coffee, caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in our brain, which can reduce the feeling of fatigue and increase alertness. 

Say hello to my morning cup of joe!

Coffee also assists with increased alertness and concentration.

Research has shown that consuming caffeine can improve alertness, attention, and concentration. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging found that participants who consumed 200 mg of caffeine (the equivalent of one cup of coffee) experienced increased cognitive function, including improved reaction time and memory recall.

This stuff we kind of already know and some people don't like that feeling of alertness that caffeine can give you. Did you know that people can metabolise caffeine differently? Some people have a gene that metabolises caffeine slowly, while others can metabolise caffeine fast.

So those Italians that drink coffee all day and doesn't affect them....those lucky ducks got the fast gene!

Coffee is a mood booster! Woo hoo!

Coffee has also been shown to have a positive effect on your mood (see, it's good for so many things!). A study published in the journal Psychopharmacology found that participants who consumed caffeine experienced increased positive mood, reduced fatigue, and improved contentment.

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It can keep your brain working longer.

Drinking coffee regularly has been associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. A study published in the journal Alzheimer's Disease found that participants who consumed coffee had a lower risk of developing cognitive impairment than those who did not.

Again, some more good news for my fellow coffee drinkers.

Coffee can reduce your risk for certain diseases.

Well this is good news right? Coffee has been shown to reduce the risk of several diseases, including type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and liver disease. 

Several studies have found that coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. A meta-analysis published in the journal Diabetologia found that people who consumed coffee had a 29% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who did not.

Coffee has also been shown to reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease. A study published in the journal Movement Disorders found that people who consumed coffee had a 31% lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease than those who did not.

Drinking coffee has also been associated with a reduced risk of liver disease, including liver cancer and cirrhosis. A study published in the journal Hepatology found that people who consumed coffee had a 40% lower risk of developing liver cancer than those who did not.

Coffee can help you live longer!

Coffee has been shown to increase longevity, which means that regular coffee consumption may help you live longer. This is probably one of my favourite points as I am all about longevity. According to Dr Li in his book, 'Eat to Beat Disease', he explains how the bioactives in coffee have been shown to lengthen telomeres.

What the hell are telomeres might you ask?

Telomeres are the little caps at the end of our DNA that hold it together, kind of like the caps on a shoelace. As we age, our telomeres shorten until they eventually fray away, leaving our DNA unprotected. When our DNA gets damaged, our cells can no longer do their job and they die.

Telomere shortening is involved in all aspects of the aging process on a cellular level. Telomere length represents our biological age as opposed to our chronological age. I'm trying to work on lengthening my telomeres to lower my biological age and guess what....coffee is helping me do just that! Woo!

To further this point, drinking coffee has also been associated with an increased lifespan. A study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that people who consumed coffee had a lower risk of death from all causes than those who did not. The study also found that the more coffee people consumed, the lower their risk of death.

But hold up, before you go drinking 10 more cups of coffee...

I've shared all the benefits of my favourite morning beverage, however, there are some things to consider when drinking coffee thinking it's a 'healthy' choice. When I talk about coffee here, I am talking about good quality black coffee.

The healthy major health benefits in coffee are not derived from the caffeine. They are from bioactives found in coffee: chlorogenic and caffeic acid, which are polyphenols. If you haven't heard about polyphenols, I'll chat more about it in another post. Just know, polyphenols are the bomb.com and you should add lots of them into your diet.

Back to the type of coffee. Good quality black coffee is your best choice. If you add lots of milk and sugar (especially sugar or a sugar substitute), then I would suggest considering to limit your coffee intake. Or better yet, get used to black coffee! Sugar is another killer I'll go into later but if you want to live a long and healthy life, it's better to reduce your sugar intake.

It's also not a great idea to have too much caffeine, even if you are a fast metaboliser. Too much caffeine can put stress on your adrenal glands and throw your hormones out of whack. So whilst coffee has many benefits, you can still reap those benefits with just having one or two.

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 So to wrap this all up, coffee is actually good for you! The bioactives found in coffee can help you live longer, reduce your risk of death, boost your mood and they have many brain boosting benefits! Yes coffee lovers can now rejoice!

However, you want to make sure you're having good quality coffee without lots of milk and sugar if you're consuming multiple cups per day. I personally have one caffeinated coffee per day and if I have another one, it's usually decaf.

If you don't like coffee or don't drink coffee, never fear! We can still be friends. There are lots of other ways to get these amazing bioactives and lengthen those telomeres too. Green tea is another amazing one, more on how awesome green tea is in another post.

As always, if you have any questions or want to share, I'm just an email away!

Until next time,

Your Health Coach Bethany