The top 5 health benefits of coffee for you

Are you a coffee lover?

Does this mean you can't go without it daily?

Well, I'm just letting you know, you’re not alone!

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world with Europe leading worldwide coffee consumption totals (according to the International Coffee Organization).

But did you know that it also has a variety of great health benefits to offer as well?

So it not only tastes great, coffee has many other benefits as well.

Here is my list of the top 5 amazing health benefits of coffee for you.

Coffee can benefit your brain function

Many of us enjoy coffee’s ability to kick start ones brainpower.

The research shows that coffee supports this feeling you get after having your morning coffee.

Research has found that consuming caffeine, a major constituent in coffee, can increase alertness and help improve your cognitive function.

Even low doses of caffeine (in less than 1 cup of coffees worth), can significantly help to improve your cognitive performance.

Now who doesn't want a little bit of extra brain power every now and then?

Coffee plays a role in blood sugar levels

Another benefit of coffee is in how it affects your blood sugar levels.

Long-term coffee consumption has been found to help to improve the metabolism of blood sugars.

Multiple studies have also found that frequent coffee consumption is associated with a substantially lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

However, it's important to note that people with type 2 diabetes may experience the opposite effect of this.

Therefore, In this case, it is best to talk to your healthcare practitioner.

Coffee can help with physical endurance

Have you got any endurance events on your to-do list? 

Do you love a long bike ride, swimming or having a run?

Then coffee might be beneficial for your performance in all of these forms of exercise.

Research found that consuming coffee an hour before exercise helps to improve your endurance and your exercise performance. 

It was found that having coffee can lead to significantly faster performance times, as well as helping to increase your power.

Sources of caffeine (such as in coffee) can also help to reduce your rate of perceived exertion. 

So it also helps you feel like you go for longer in the exercise you do.

Moderate coffee intake may protect against heart disease

A healthy heart is essential for a healthy life. 

And the good news is that your morning cup of joe may help to protect your heart health.

One review of 36 studies with over 1.2 million participants found that moderate coffee consumption is associated with a decrease in the risk of heart disease. 

Another study published found that people who had 3-5 cups of coffee a day had the least coronary calcium in their arteries.

This is a known early indicator for a condition that can trigger a heart attack or stroke in people.

Coffee may help you to live longer

Ok, that sounds like a pretty cool perk for you, right?

It also sounds like something that most people would try to do if they could.

The research into coffee shows that people who drink coffee are more likely to live longer than those that don't. 

Coffee consumption was associated with a reduced risk of mortality.

This was particularly true for deaths due to heart disease, lung disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes and also infections.

But, before you get too excited!

This benefit from coffee can peak for you at around 2-3 cups of coffee per day.

So make sure you don’t go drinking 8 cups of coffee or more a day in the hopes of living longer! 

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Tips to make the most of your coffee

Do you want to make sure you’re getting all of the benefits of coffee?

Without all of the downsides or side effects? 

Here's a couple of points to keep in mind if you do.

Take medications and supplements away from coffee

One downside of coffee is that it can interfere with the absorption of some of your medications. 

It can also affect the absorption of some supplements.

Particularly the supplements with minerals such as iron present in them.

To be safe, it is best to take your medications and supplements at least 2 hours away from your coffee. 

It might also be helpful to double check your medication’s information, as it might recommend a bigger window of time between the two.

Or again, consult with your healthcare practitioner if you're unsure about it.

Have your coffee before 3pm

Having your coffee in the late afternoon can sabotage a good night of sleep for yourself.

So it is best to avoid having coffee after 3pm whenever possible. 

Why is this so? 

Caffeine has a half-life of 5 to 6 hours for most people.

This means if you have a double shot of coffee at 3pm, you'll still have a full shot’s worth of caffeine in your body by 8pm. 

And if you’re particularly sensitive to caffeine, you might need to keep your coffee for the morning time only.

Or you'll be awake all night, and that's not good for anyone!

There are other ways to enjoy your coffee benefits

Coffee drinkers rejoice!

There are ways to get your caffeine and coffee fix without sticking to ordering plain old black coffee.

Here's how you can do it.

Make your coffee the night before you need it, let it cool down and put it in your fridge for the night.

In the morning use the coffee as your liquid to mix with your Wake Me Up smoothie cubes.

This means you're getting a double hit of coffee in your morning!

Make sure, if you try this you can handle the extra caffeine you'll be getting in your system.

Here is a simple coffee smoothie recipe for you to try out.

• Add cold coffee to your blender jar
• Place the three Wake Me Up smoothie cubes
• Blend on high until it has a smooth consistency
• Pour into your glass and drink

You'll have to experiment with the taste of your smoothies (as coffee can be a bit tart sometimes).

But if it is tart, it is easy to fix.

Just add in a squirt of honey or a few berries to take the edge off.

It is that easy!