Coffee is a drink many of us will consume each day without a second thought about the health benefits, or the opposite before we consume our daily cup (or three). Of course, many of us will know that drinking too much caffeine isn’t a good thing and we’ve all probably felt how it feels to be ‘wired’ after too much coffee. A little bit of caffeine perks us up and many of us can’t start the morning without it. But can coffee actually be good for us? The good news is ‘yes’ and if you want to know why then read on…

The really good news for the coffee lover is the case for the health benefits of those ground-up beans is now really strong. Over the last few years, more and more studies have pointed to the fact that your daily cup is much more than a wake me up and has substantial benefits in its own right. The benefits of drinking coffee, unusually skew towards females and many studies have pointed out that coffee can help prevent illnesses more apparent in women such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s. So without further ado here are the top benefits of drinking coffee: 

Longevity

We’re not claiming coffee is going to make you immortal but many recent studies have indicated that drinking coffee can help guard against heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and also type 2 diabetes. Of course, in the case of the last ailment, we’d recommend that your coffee is taken without any of the sweet stuff. 

Your Body May Process Glucose Better

One theory put forward by scientists is that coffee helps your body process sugar quicker. And, one of the leading reasons people get Type 2 Diabetes is too much sugar. Of course, getting drinking coffee alone isn’t going to protect you from getting Diabetes as it will be caused through a variety of lifestyle factors but this has to be good news for the coffee lover right? 

You Could be Less Likely to Get Heart Failure 

Like Type 2 Diabetes, heart failure is often associated with people who are overweight so we are not suggesting that coffee is a panacea, but some studies have shown that drinking one or two cups a day may help increase the rate at which your heart pumps blood around the body. 

Parkinson’s Disease 

Some studies have shown that not only does drinking coffee (caffeine, specifically) cut your risk of developing Parkinson’s but it can also help control its symptoms. 

Coffee is a Friend to Your Liver 

Some studies have shown that the enzymes within coffee have a protective effect on your liver. What’s unusual about this is that the protective effect is apparent in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee which would suggest the efficacy of the protection is from the other properties within the bean.

Do your DNA a Favour 

Dark roasts, specifically, have been shown to increase the strength of your DNA strands. Breakdowns in your DNA are associated with a hold host of different diseases so anything that can keep these building blocks of life, fighting fit can only be a good thing. 

Reduce the Risk of Colon Cancer, Especially in Women 

Incredibly up to 1 in 23 women are at risk of developing colon cancer, especially in the West. Research, however, has found that nearly a quarter of regular coffee drinkers were much less at risk of developing cancer of the colon. 

Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s 

Around two-thirds of women in the west (and notably in America) are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s, especially in later life. However, the caffeine in around two cups of coffee has shown that this may offer a good level of protection against this condition. Research has also found that women who were aged over 65 were far less likely to get dementia if they were regular coffee drinkers. 

May Help Prevent Stroke 

Strokes are another condition associated with both old age and poor western diets. Again coffee on its own won’t help protect someone from having a stroke but, however, it has been found that drinking at least one cup of coffee a day lowers the risk of stroke. 

So there are the potential benefits, but how much coffee is actually safe to drink? Firstly, as most of us probably know from overdoing it once or twice, too much coffee can increase our heart rates, blood pressure, cause anxiety and leave us unable to fall asleep (especially if coffee is taken in the afternoon or evening). Studies have shown that it’s perfectly safe to drink three to five cups of coffee a day. The recommended daily maximum amount is 400 milligrams of caffeine and the average cup contains 100 milligrams. 

But as we have pointed out throughout this article, coffee is just one part of your lifestyle. There are numerous other factors that can cause chronic disease notably a healthy weight, a balanced diet, regular exercise, cutting down on alcohol, and not smoking. Of course, many of us like to add stuff to our daily cup that makes it healthy too, sugar being the obvious one, but those creamy lattes can also increase our calorie intake without even realising it. 

Rave Coffee was established in 2011 by Rob and Vikki. Their philosophy is to provide the best coffee to their customers at a reasonable price. They source coffee from all over the globe and roast it onsite at their roastery in Cirencester. Their mission statement can be summed up by the words on their packaging; “Quality beans. No jargon. No BS. Great coffee made simple.