A new study shows that people wouldn’t give up their morning coffee for anything – not Facebook, not alcohol, not even sex! This is a great thing because the moderate consumption of coffee could potentially have immense health benefits.
People were asked what they would give up for a year – coffee, sex, alcohol, social media, etc. – and over 5% of the people said they found coffee the most important thing in the morning and they would sacrifice other things for it. 25% people said lack of coffee made them less creative, while 22% said they couldn’t get out of bed without it. 16% said they were unable to talk to people before their first cup!
Potential health benefits of coffee:
1. Good for your heart
Scientists say green tea and coffee, if made a regular part of the diet, could benefit the heart, according to research conducted in Japan and published in the US. Green tea and coffee may help lower your risk of having a stroke, especially when both are a regular part of your diet, according to research published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. ‘This is the first large-scale study to examine the combined effects of both green tea and coffee on stroke risks,’ said Yoshihiro Kokubo, lead author of the study at Japan’s National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Centre. ‘You may make a small but positive lifestyle change to help lower the risk of stroke by adding daily green tea to your diet.’ Read more…
2. Could prevent autoimmune liver disease!
Research has shown that regular coffee drinkers are at a reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis - an autoimmune liver disease. PSC is an inflammatory disease of the bile ducts that results in inflammation and subsequent fibrosis that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and biliary cancer. Study author Craig Lammert, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist said, ‘While rare, PSC has extremely detrimental effects.’ Read more…
3. Could reduce risk of suicide!
A study suggested that having two to four cups of coffee every day can reduce the risk of suicide among men and women by 50 per cent. The finding was reached after researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health reviewed data from three previous US studies. They found that the risk of suicide amongst adults, drinking several cups of caffeinated coffee on a daily basis, was about half compared to those who drank decaffeinated coffee, very little coffee or no coffee at all. Read more…
4. Could reduce liver cancer risk
A new study claims that drinking three cups of coffee every day could liver cancer at bay! Coffee consumption reduces the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer, by about 40%. ‘Our research confirms past claims that coffee is good for your health, and particularly the liver,’ said study author Carlo La Vecchia. ‘The favourable effect of coffee on liver cancer might be mediated by coffee’s proven prevention of diabetes, a known risk factor for the disease, or for its beneficial effects on cirrhosis and liver enzymes,’ said Vecchia from the department of epidemiology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, and department of clinical sciences and community health, Universita degli Studi di Milan, Italy.
5. It’s residue is a valuable source of antioxidants
Traditionally used coffee grounds – the muck left behind in your percolator after brewing coffee -have been considered as wastes and thrown away, or occasionally used as garden fertilizer . Scientists believe that these residues are a valuable source of bioactive compounds for producing dietary supplements. Read more…
6. Could prevent prostate cancer and womb cancer!
A study by Harvard University said that women who drink four to six cups of coffee a day are less likely to suffer from womb cancer, while men who drink the same amount are less likely to suffer from prostate cancer. The researchers studied 117,000 volunteers — 67,000 women and 50,000 men over a 20-year period, the Daily Mail reported. The effects were seen regardless of whether the people drank regular or decaffeinated coffee. This suggested the effects are not linked to caffeine. Read more…
7. Could prevent your liver from alcohol damage
A new research suggests that heavy alcohol users who drink a lot of coffee could actually be protecting their livers! Heavy coffee consumption may protect against liver damage in men who drink alcohol, a new study has claimed. Researchers asked nearly 19,000 Finnish men and women between ages 25 and 74 about their coffee and alcohol consumption. Read more…
8. Could help prevent diabetes
According to researchers at UCLA coffee increases plasma levels of a protein called SHBG which regulates the levels of the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen which in turn have a role in development of type 2 diabetes. Moderate consumption of coffee can help stave the diabetes risk although earlier there were some researches which were ambiguous about its effect on other diseases like cancer. Read more…
9. Could improve your memory and decrease your waistline!
If you are one of those who always wished to have a strong memory power or remained worried due to increasing waistline, the solution lies in eating less and taking a cup of coffee in everyday life, a new study has suggested. recent studies have also shown that coffee cuts the risk of diabetes. Researchers have found eating less could help you remember more and skipping dessert and having an after-dinner coffee instead could also be good for your brain as well as the waistline, the Daily Mail reported. Read more…
With inputs from IANS
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