Whether it’s black, with sugar, or with creamer, coffee remains to be one of the most popular drinks worldwide. For the longest time coffee has had a reputation of being bad for your health. Despite of this, people still patronize this age old concoction. Nowadays, majority of households in the urban area have coffee makers and almost every block has a coffee shop or booth in it. Some workplaces even consider having a coffee machine in the office as an employment perk. So what is it about coffee that appeals to people?
Aside from the strong enticing aroma and its flavor, coffee has been known for its mildly addictive and stimulating ingredient – caffeine. Due to the negative effects of caffeine, you would rarely find health advocates recommending a cup of coffee for breakfast. Normally people who work night shifts or those who work at fast paced environments would take coffee to keep them alert and stimulated. However, recent findings show that there are other reasons for drinking coffee other than stimulation. In fact, drinking coffee may be beneficial for our health in the long run.
One benefit derived from coffee is its rich antioxidant property. It helps us fight free radicals in the body which helps in delaying early signs of aging. Our overall health can also be improved by drinking coffee. According to a Harvard Women’s Health article, drinking coffee moderately may reduce the risk of having the following conditions: type 2 diabetes, developing gallstones, liver damage or liver disease, and Parkinson’s disease. It may also discourage the development of colon cancer. Coffee can also help in improving some of our functions such as cognitive function, and endurance performance in long-duration physical activities.
This is good news for coffee lovers especially those who have long been guilty of indulging in an “unhealthy” habit. However, this does not give us the license to go on a coffee drinking binge. Coffee may also cause increased heart rate, blood pressure and occasional irregular heartbeat which is not good for us.
Just like everything else in life, Coffee must be taken in moderation for us to enjoy all its goodness – tastewise and healthwise.
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