A recent survey from the National Coffee Association (NCA) proves that around 64% of Americans (above 18 years) drink coffee every day.
Can you guess how much of them drink black coffee?
When it comes to drinking black coffee many people do not know the truth about drinking coffee because there are so many rumours about the side effects and benefits of black coffee.
In this blog, we’ll try to break down all the rumours and discuss the major health benefits of having black coffee as a part of your life.
DOES BLACK COFFEE HELP IN WEIGHT LOSS?
Black coffee contains a compound called chlorogenic acid, which is responsible for speeding up weight loss.
If you have a cup of black coffee after dinner, this acid would slow down the production of glucose in your body and the production of new fat cells is reduced.
We already have had a discussion over the benefits of antioxidants we get from black coffee and you’ll be surprised to know that these antioxidants are also responsible for effective weight loss.
BEST TIME TO DRINK BLACK COFFEE FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Black coffee is well-known for the fact that it helps in weight loss but still many people ask,
‘What time of the day should we drink black coffee for losing weight?’
Many people enjoy a cup of coffee early in the morning or shortly thereafter.
However, some people suggest that drinking black coffee too soon after waking up decreases its energising impact because our stress hormone cortisol is at its peak level at this time.
According to the analysts, the best time to drink black coffee is mid to late morning when your cortisol level is not high.
For example, if someone gets up around 6am, the best time would be between 9am and 11am.
IS BLACK COFFEE HARMFUL?
As we know, coffee contains caffeine which is responsible for most of its health benefits but excess intake of caffeine can be very harmful.
In the past, doctors and health experts warned people to avoid black coffee because it might increase the risk of heart disease and stunt growth.
They were worried because they thought that people could become addicted to the energy that high amounts of caffeine provide, leading them to crave for more and more coffee.
But it turned out that coffee wasn’t the one to blame.
Those studies failed because with time they discovered that there could be many other factors for poor health, such as smoking, drinking, and a lack of physical activity.
If a person who drank a lot of coffee also happened to have some other unhealthy habits like smoking, then it was not clear that coffee is responsible for their heart problems.
Recent researches reveal that black coffee doesn’t seem to have a higher risk of health problems as compared to the ones who don’t drink black coffee.
BENEFITS OF BLACK COFFEE:
HEALTHY LIVER
The liver is one of the biggest organs of our body and maintaining it’s proper health is very important.
Drinking black coffee improves your liver’s health and research has shown that people who drink a decent amount of black coffee every day have a lower rate of cirrhosis of the liver.
Also, black coffee drinkers have a lower rate of developing liver cancer.
It also helps in fighting against several diseases like hepatitis and fatty liver and removes harmful liver enzymes in the body.
Around 4 cups a day of black coffee is considered a decent amount.
IT MAKES YOU MORE INTELLIGENT
We all know that caffeine is the one responsible for making coffee such a healthy drink.
Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant and when you drink coffee, it directly goes to your digestive system where it mixes up with the blood and through your blood, it reaches your brain.
When the caffeine reaches your brain it blocks adenosine, which gives a boost to other neurotransmitters like Norepinephrine & Dopamine.
BOOSTS YOUR METABOLISM
Metabolic rate is the rate at which our body converts what we eat and drink into energy.
Throughout this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy that our body needs for proper functions.
Even when we’re at rest, our body needs energy for all its internal functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells.
The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as metabolic rate.
Drinking black coffee can boost your metabolism for up to 10-15 per cent.
Caffeine is present in almost every fat burning supplement you find in the market and it’s one of the few substances known to help the movement of fats from your fat tissues and increase metabolic rate.
PROVIDES ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
Black coffee is one of the largest sources of antioxidants.
These antioxidants are chemicals that help in reducing the damage caused by free radicals.
Our body uses antioxidants to balance these free radicals and prevent them from causing damage to other cells.
Some of the other nutrients are present in black coffee are:
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Vitamin B2, B3, B5
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Manganese
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Magnesium
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Potassium
The best part is that our body absorbs more nutrients from black coffee as compared to other sources like fruits, vegetables, etc.
REDUCES THE RISK OF DIABETES
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases you could encounter throughout your lifetime.
It may lead to many other health problems and cause damage to the organs.
Researches have shown that regular black coffee drinkers have a lower risk of diabetes. It specifically fights against Type-2 diabetes and those who drink 2-4 cups of black coffee a day have around 20-30 percent lower risk of developing diabetes.
LOWERS THE RISK OF PARKINSON’S
Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder that affects the movement of our body. When there’s a low level of dopamine in our body the chances of Parkinson increases.
As we discussed earlier, caffeine boosts dopamine levels in our brain.
Drinking black coffee reduces the chances of Parkinson’s disease and studies have shown that regular coffee drinkers have 30-40 percent lower chances of developing this disease.
IT MAKES YOU HAPPY!
Caffeine, which coffee is full of, increases dopamine in the brain.
Dopamine is also known as the pleasure chemical, which means the more dopamine is produced, the happier the mind will be.
LOWERS THE RISK OF CANCER
Drinking black coffee helps in lowering the risk of different types of cancer.
People who drink four or more cups of black coffee each day have a 15 percent lower chance of colorectal cancer, and 40 percent lesser chances of liver cancer.
Especially in women, drinking black coffee can reduce the chances of skin cancer by up to 20 percent.
Black Coffee also reduces inflammation which is one of the major reasons behind the development of a tumour.
REDUCES THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE
In one of the recent studies, drinking black coffee was directly associated with a lower risk of heart failure, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
Those who drink 4 to 5 cups per day have 8 percent lesser chances of heart failure, 7 percent lesser chances of stroke, and 5 percent lesser chances of coronary heart diseases.
Black coffee contains caffeine which increases our heart rate and stimulates the heart and blood vessels.
It contains thousands of different phyto-chemicals that may help reduce inflammation, which is good for your heart’s health.
Caffeine has a similar effect on our heart as of physical exercises - just remember not to use it as a replacement for physical exercise!
KEEPS YOUR SYSTEM CLEANSED
Coffee is a diuretic beverage which means drinking coffee will make you urinate more frequently and this is a good thing in most cases because proper urination keeps your system cleansed.
Doctors claim that people who urinate several times a day have a better digestive system and simultaneously, better health.
Kidneys are responsible for flushing out the waste from our body and this waste includes harmful bacteria and viruses.
Drinking black coffee enhances this natural process of taking out the waste from the body and this is the reason why black coffee drinkers become sick far less often.
REDUCES THE RISK OF DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER’S
The caffeine present in black coffee directly impacts on the brain’s neurotransmitters and helps in enhancing memory.
Drinking black coffee regularly will enhance your memory over time and reduce the chances of developing diseases like Dementia and Alzheimers.
Studies have shown that people consuming 4 to 5 cups of black coffee every day have shown 65 per cent lesser chances of developing the world’s most common neurodegenerative disease.
IMPROVES WORKOUT PERFORMANCE
If you’re a gym person then your trainer might have asked you to have a cup of black coffee before coming to the gym and there’s a reason for it.
Black coffee helps in improving your performance during workouts, it improves your efficiency and helps you give your best during workouts.
Our body releases a chemical called adrenaline in our bloodstream that prepares our body for a physical workout.
It breaks down the body fats present in our body and releases them in the bloodstream as fatty acids which are used by our body as a fuel.
IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Cardiovascular health refers to the proper functioning of the heart and blood vessels.
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases that affect these heart and blood vessels.
Some of them are arteriosclerosis, heart valve disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, hypertension, shock, endocarditis, diseases of the aorta, and its branches.
Drinking black coffee regularly helps in maintaining good cardiovascular health and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
REDUCES THE RISK OF GOUT
Gout is a very common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone.
Black coffee helps in reducing the risk of gout by up to 60 percent.
The powerful antioxidants present in black coffee reduces the risk of developing gout by decreasing the level of insulin and uric acid in our body.
To read more about the benefits of drinking black coffee, please check out ‘Is Black Coffee A Pure Substance’ by our friends at RoadToCoffee.com