Apparently the smokers, red meat consumers and exercise skimpers have been giving coffee it’s bad name. According to a 2012 study in the New England Journal of Medicine coffee drinkers were more likely to also have the earlier mentioned habits compared to non-coffee drinkers. Now that coffee is studied independently from other habits we finally learn the truth about our cup of joe. Learn a few ways coffee can help make you happy and healthy below.
It may make you happier
Coffee is not just a pick-me-up; it also has been linked to a lower risk of depression. In a study led by the Harvard School of Public Health that tracked 50,000 women for 10 years, those who drank four or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day were 20 percent less likely to develop depression than nondrinkers. Another study found that adults who drank two to four cups of caffeinated coffee were about half as likely to attempt suicide as decaf drinkers or abstainers. The researchers speculated that long-term coffee drinking may boost the production of “feel-good” hormones such as dopamine.
It contains many good-for-you chemicals
For most Americans who drink coffee, it provides more antioxidants than any other food, according to Dr. Joe Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton. But Consumer Reports notes that it’s also a top source of acrylamide, a chemical whose link to cancer is being investigated.
It may cut your risk for Type 2 diabetes
A recent Harvard-led study of more than 120,000 men and women found that those who increased the amount of caffeinated coffee they drank per day by more than one 8-ounce cup, on average, were 11 percent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those whose coffee habits stayed the same. And those who decreased their daily intake by at least a cup per day, on average, were 17 percent more likely to develop the disease. But nix the doughnut with your morning cup; excess sugar might cancel out any benefit you might get from a balanced blood sugar level.
The method matters
Cafestol, a compound in coffee grounds, has been found to increase levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol. Brewing with a paper filter helps remove the substance. Coffee made other ways, including French press and espresso, has higher levels of cafestol.
SRC: Learn more about the Health effects of Coffee at: www.dailyherald.com/article/20150607/business/150609448/