This drink not only helps to wake up and cheer up, but also protects against many diseases.
A cup of strong black coffee in the morning is a great start to the day. But studies show that coffee drinkers get powerful protection against serious diseases like type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and certain types of cancer with every sip. And the results of a recent large-scale study showed that moderate coffee consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death from various causes.
Although most of these studies have examined the effect of natural ground coffee, the instant coffee is just as beneficial, as it also contains caffeine, as well as micronutrients such as magnesium, which is necessary for bones and muscles, potassium, which is involved in regulating blood pressure, and vitamin B3. necessary for the nervous system and obtaining energy from food.
As for the risks, some studies suggest that coffee raises blood cholesterol levels. However, this may be due to how the coffee is made.
If we are talking about an unfiltered drink brought to a boil in a Turkish pot, as is popular in Turkey and Scandinavian countries, then such a drink can indeed moderately promote the production of cholesterol, as it contains natural oils cafestol and caveol. Therefore, it is better to drink filtered or instant coffee.
It is also believed that coffee is not good for the heart due to its stimulating effect. But that’s actually not the case—studies show that every extra cup of coffee a day is associated with a 3 percent lower risk of heart rhythm problems. But still, you should not drink too much coffee - for most adults, the optimal daily intake is 400 milligrams of caffeine, which is equivalent to four cups of coffee per day.
However, it must be borne in mind that there is an individual sensitivity to caffeine. Some people drink six or more cups of coffee a day and nothing bad happens to them. And other people begin to experience discomfort if they drink only one or two cups a day.
Here are the health benefits of every new cup of coffee you drink throughout the day:
1. One cup
Main effect: invigorates, stimulates the intestines and improves its microbiome.
About a hundred milligrams of caffeine in a cup of strong coffee temporarily blocks the action of adenosine, a chemical that plays a role in the sleep process. Therefore, you experience a surge of vivacity and energy. A 2012 study found that just one cup of coffee, drunk halfway through a four-hour motorcycle race, helped riders feel less tired, take better paths, and maintain a consistent speed.
One cup of coffee also stimulates the contractions of the muscles of the lower intestine, helping to empty it.
So, 29% of coffee lovers who participated in a survey on this topic admitted that they always go to the toilet after a morning cup of coffee. Moreover, such an effect, which occurs within about four minutes, causes both regular coffee and decaffeinated coffee. The reasons underlying this phenomenon are not yet known exactly.
In addition, if you drink a cup of filtered coffee every day, you thereby improve the composition of the intestinal microbiome (community of microorganisms that live in the intestines) - more bacteria in the digestive tract that produce substances that reduce inflammation. The fact is that filtered coffee is a good source of a plant compound called chlorogenic acid. This substance works as a prebiotic, which means it is food for beneficial gut bacteria, helping them to thrive and produce healthy substances, such as short-chain fatty acids, which, among other things, improve mood.
2. Two cups
Main effect: increase stamina and protect the heart.
A couple of cups of strong coffee help improve physical performance, American researchers found. They found that it takes between three and six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight to improve endurance and speed in uneven physical activities such as football, meaning that a 65-kilogram person would need a minimum of 195 milligrams of caffeine, which is the equivalent of two cups of caffeine. coffee. The stimulating effect that caffeine has on the nervous system also helps relieve fatigue and ease physical effort.
In addition, two standard cups of coffee a day reduce the risk of heart failure by 30%, according to a study conducted by scientists from the University of Colorado. Perhaps this is due to the fact that caffeine improves tissue sensitivity to insulin, helps to normalize blood glucose levels and regulates the water balance in the body, the researchers suggest.
3. Three cups
Main effect: reduce the risk of stroke and Parkinson's disease.
A recent study of nearly one million Britons found that people who drink about three cups of ground coffee a day have a 21% lower risk of stroke, a 17% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and a 21% lower risk of premature death - 12% lower than those who do not drink coffee at all. Scientists believe that the antioxidants and other biologically active compounds contained in coffee beans, which protect arteries from damage leading to stroke and heart disease, are to blame.
Another study showed that three cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of developing Parkinson's by 28%. This may be because caffeine helps maintain normal levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, which is reduced in this disease. Dopamine is involved in the control of motor activity.
4. Four cups
Main effect: protect against fatty liver and supply with nutrients.
A recent study showed that three to four cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by 19%, when fatty deposits inside the cells of this organ cause serious damage to it, and also reduced the risk of liver cancer by 21%.
Moreover, a drink made from ground coffee is especially useful in this sense, perhaps due to the anti-inflammatory effect.
In addition, people already suffering from liver disease benefit from drinking coffee, as the substance paraxanthine, which is obtained when caffeine is metabolized in the liver, inhibits the formation of scar tissue inside the organ.
In addition, four cups of black coffee a day provide the body with important micronutrients. For example, they contain up to 1150 milligrams of potassium, which is more than half the recommended daily intake and more than four small bananas, 100 milligrams of magnesium (about a quarter of the recommended daily intake) and 9 milligrams of niacin (vitamin B3), that is, more than half of the recommended daily dose.
5. Five cups
Main effect: prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
Compared to non-drinkers, people who regularly drink at least five cups a day have a 29% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers from Sweden have found. The fact is that two compounds present in coffee beans - caffeic and chlorogenic acids - prevent deposits of amyloid protein in the pancreas that destroy insulin-producing cells.
6. Six cups or more
Main effect: reduce the risk of developing gout.
The more coffee you drink, the lower your chances of getting gout, a metabolic disease in which uric acid crystals are deposited in the joints, researchers from Boston University (USA) have established. So, in men who regularly drink six or more cups of coffee a day, the risk of developing gout within 12 years is 59% lower, and in women it is 57% lower than those who do not drink coffee at all.
If the number of daily cups of coffee is between four and five, this risk is reduced by 40%. The most pronounced effect is in caffeinated coffee. This led the researchers to speculate that compounds found in coffee beans, such as chlorogenic acid, lower blood uric acid levels.
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