Honestly, even we were surprised by some of the benefits we discovered while researching this topic. So, we decided to really dig into some of them so you don’t have to. And what better reason than these health benefits to sign up to a coffee club that will send you a fantastic award winning coffee each month ;-)
- Reduced inflammation
- It’s true. As The Verge mentions ‘Caffeine may be able to tamp down the inflammation that worsens with age, according to a study that investigated caffeine’s effects on immune cells. It’s a correlational study, but it’s one that dives into how caffeine could be affecting the immune system’. You can read more about the original study here.
- There are 6 different antioxidants contained in coffee
- Cafestol. Cafestol “acts as a bile acid modulator in the intestine. It is also a potent anti-inflammatory substance in the brain and (decaffeinated) coffee may help improve memory, according to the Science Daily.” See the full list on Coffee Science here.
- Trigonelline is “anti-bacterial and may help prevent dental caries. Trigonelline, coffee’s bitter alkaloid, also adds to the unique aroma of coffee”. See the full list on Coffee Science here.
- Chlorogenic Acid. This phenolic compound is a core player in antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity in the body. Lactones found in CGA have also shown to enhance insulin function in lab rats. If it worked in humans, CGA might be used to fight diabetes. See the full list on Coffee Science here.
- Melanoidins. The high molecular weight compounds are formed during the roasting process and carry anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, as indicated by one study published in the US National Library of Medicine. See the full list on Coffee Science here.
- Quinine. The bitter compound is one of the primary agents in coffee that give the latter some of its antioxidant properties. See the full list on Coffee Science here.
- Caffeine. Caffeine itself is an antioxidant, according to a study published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B by ACS. Caffeinated drinks can help cure headaches, in losing weight and preventing diabetes. Recent comprehensive analysis of caffeine brought up interesting results that showed caffeine is structurally similar to uric acid—an established antioxidant. See the full list on Coffee Science here.
- Type 2 diabetes. The NCBI notes in one of their studies that ‘This systematic review supports the hypothesis that habitual coffee consumption is associated with a substantially lower risk of type 2 diabetes”
- Parkinson’s. In this study of 30,000 Finnish people it was found that the results ‘suggest that coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s Disease.’
- Liver disease. In this study of approx 1,600 participants (1500 without liver disease and 100 with liver disease) illuminated that ‘the present study confirms, and further quantifies, the existence of an inverse association between coffee consumption and liver cirrhosis”
- Cardiovascular disease. This study looked at a broad range of studies and extrapolated that ‘coffee was associated with a probable decreased risk of breast, colorectal, colon, endometrial, and prostate cancers; cardiovascular disease and mortality’
- Breast Cancer. Well, we gave the game away a little on the above point but The American Cancer Society found that ‘The average coffee drinker consumes three cups of it each day. Thus far, research indicates coffee doesn’t cause breast cancer or increase its risk. In fact, it could actually be tied to a lower risk of breast cancer risk.’
- Retinal degeneration. According to a Cornell study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Raw coffee is, on average, just 1 percent caffeine, but it contains 7 to 9 percent chlorogenic acid (CLA), a strong antioxidant that prevents retinal degeneration in mice
- Alzheimer’s. As NCBI notes here ‘In the CAIDE study, coffee drinking of 3-5 cups per day at midlife was associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD by about 65% at late-life’.
- Dementia. See above for same remarkable stat but associated with dementia.
- Multiple Sclerosis. This study from The Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry founs that ‘Compared with those who reported no coffee consumption, the risk of MS was substantially reduced among those who reported a high consumption of coffee exceeding 900 mL daily (OR 0.70 (95% CI 0.49 to 0.99) in the Swedish study, and OR 0.69 (95% CI 0.50 to 0.96) in the US study). Lower odds of MS with increasing consumption of coffee were observed, regardless of whether coffee consumption at disease onset or 5 or 10 years prior to disease onset was considered.’
- Prostate cancer. ‘Men who regularly drink coffee appear to have a lower risk of developing a lethal form of prostate cancer, according to this study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers. Also see here.
- Endometrial cancer. ‘Women who drank about four cups of coffee per day appeared to have decreased endometrial cancer risk compared with those who drank less than a cup each day, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.’
- Head and neck cancers. The American Association for Cancer Research found that ‘This pooled analysis of case-control studies supports the hypothesis of an inverse association between caffeinated coffee drinking and risk of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx.’
- Melonoma. This study, reported by journal BMC cancer, surveyed over 100,000 Norwegian women and found that ‘The data from the NOWAC Study indicates that a moderate intake of filtered coffee could reduce the risk of malignant melanoma.
- Stroke. This study, reported in NCBI, ‘conducted a meta-analysis to verify the relationship between coffee consumption and stroke’ and ‘found that coffee consumption of 4 cups or more per day showed a preventive effect on stroke in this meta-analysis.
- Colon cancer. Another that we alluded to in number 6. This study found that ‘people with colorectal cancer (CRC) who drank at least four cups of coffee per day after their diagnosis had a significantly lower risk of early death—from either their cancer or any cause—than those who didn’t drink coffee, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
- 3 months extra life! Possibly even an extra 3 months of life!!
- Preventing gout. This ‘fascinating’ look at gout prevention by Arthritis Foundation looked at the ‘potential link between coffee intake and gout risk among nearly 46,000 men. The authors found that men who drank four to five cups of coffee a day had a 40 percent lower relative risk of gout compared to men who weren’t coffee drinkers. Decaf coffee also modestly lowered gout risk, but tea didn’t have any effect, suggesting that something other than caffeine is responsible for the effect on gout.’
- Depression. ‘researchers at Qingdao University Medical College in China have carried out a meta-analysis of the results of 15 of the previously conducted studies looking at the correlation between coffee consumption and depression’. They found that ‘by binding to adenosine receptors, caffeine increases the amount of dopamine that binds to dopamine receptors in the striatum--a part of the forebrain that coordinates decision-making, motivation and reward perception, among many other things. Two typical characteristics of depression are anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure) and a lack of motivation. If coffee helps increase motivation and the ability to feel pleasure by binding to adenosine receptors, this might explain its long-term effect on depressive disorder.
- Gallstones. From gout to gallstones! We know we’re showing you a good time.. This study found that ‘Men who drink two to three cups of coffee a day have a 4% lower risk of developing gallstones than those who do not drink coffee regularly, and men who drink four or more cups a day have a 45% lower risk, according to a new study.’
- Male baldness. There’s a chance that applying coffee to your scalp may help with male pattern hair loss! See here for more thoughts on the subject.
- Cellulite reduction. Yes, you can make your own cellulite scrub out of coffee grounds and few basic other ingredients (ok, cinnamon oil might not be basic).
- Increased metabolism. The science here is a little fuzzy but there is a strong link between caffeine and increased metabolism. See this piece on Healthline for more details.
- Erectile dysfunction. Yes fellas, it seems it’s true. This study ‘discovered that men who consumed between 170-375 mg of caffeine each day had lower rates of ED. (This amount is the equivalent of 2-3 cups of coffee.).
- Increased female libido. Well, in rats anyway. Between number 25 and this one it looks like coffee may make the world go round (or just up and down). ‘Scientists from Southwestern University found caffeine increased the female libido in experiments on rats. The Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour journal study said the effect was caused by it stimulating the part of the brain regulating arousal. But researchers said a similar effect was only likely to be repeated in humans who do not drink coffee regularly.’
- There’s a sex coffee recipe! Alright, we’re clustering all these together for those of you paying attention. Here's our own interpretation too - just for fun too. You just need pomegranate molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon, tahini and of course award winning coffee. Bow chicka wow wow.
- Coffee face masks. There are some great recipes online for homemade coffee face masks and scrubs. Here’s one we like to get you started.
- It makes you more alert. So much so in fact that even in really sleep deprived people it can have a dramatic effect.
- Amazing coffee tastes delicious. C’mon, do we need a link for this one? Why not start a monthly coffee subscription for award-winning coffees so the deliciousness never stops?
So, there are a million (well, 30) reasons to feel good about drinking coffee and even more reasons to feel good about drinking amazing, award winning coffee. Life really is too short for bad coffee.
