Whether you’re drinking a hot cup of cappuccino on a rainy day or sipping on an espresso on your way to work, it’s hard for coffee lovers to imagine a day without their favorite beverage. If you’re someone who loves to start their day with the beautiful (or should we say brew-tiful) aroma and taste of your favourite cup of coffee, then here’s some good news for you! Turns out that coffee and caffeine, taken in moderation of course, have loads of healthy perks. Plus, the effects of coffee on the immune system are quite favourable.
Here are 5 good reasons why coffee is actually good for you. So, the next time you come across a caffeine-hater who is always harping on the negative health effects of caffeine, you can pull one of these cards on them!
Coffee Contains Essential Nutrients
A lot of nutrients from the coffee beans make their way into your finished coffee brew. Coffee contains many important nutrients, some of which include manganese, magnesium, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and niacin. These nutrients help in activating many enzymes in metabolism, regulating muscle as well as nerve function, and regulating body’s total energy supply which ultimately boosts the coffee effects on immune system.
It can also help you burn fat
Caffeine has been shown to help in loss of fat and weight management. If you are trying to get yourself a little fitter and enhancing the composition of your body, caffeine could help a lot. Almost every fat burning commercial substance contains caffeine, as it is one of the few substances that are natural and supposed to aid fat burning. Many studies show that coffee can increase the rate of metabolism by 3-11%. A few other studies have proven that caffeine can specifically increase the rate of fat burning by as much as 29% percent, if consumed in moderation.
May help in reducing cancer risk
Another reason why coffee effects on the immune system are extremely good is that it helps reduce the risk of cancer. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, and it is mostly characterized by cell growth that goes uncontrolled in your body. Coffee is known to protect the human body from 2 types of cancer, which are colorectal cancer and liver cancer which are the 4th and 3rd leading causes of death, respectively. Now, recent studies have shown that coffee drinkers have a 40% lower risk of getting liver cancer, and a similar study found that those who drank 4 cups of coffee everyday had a 15 % lower risk of colorectal cancer.
Contains antioxidants
Your body is under constant attack from radicals which can cause great harm to important molecules such as DNA and protein. These antioxidants which coffee is known to provide, can disarm the free radicals thus doing the job of protection and keep your body safe from aging and other diseases that are generally caused by oxidative stress, and this includes cancer. Coffee is very rich in antioxidants which include hydroxycinnamic acids as well as polyphenols. These hydroxycinnamic acids are quite effective at neutralizing radicals and preventing oxidative stress.
May give your workout a boost
Caffeine does a great job at stimulating the nervous system, by signaling all the fat cells in your body to break down the body fat. This also increases the epinephrine levels in the blood which is the fight or flight hormone in the body. This is the hormone that prepares your body for physical activity. Caffeine breaks down the body fat, as mentioned before, and these fatty acids become freely available as fuel for the body. Due to these effects, it is quite clear that the caffeine element in coffee can improve physical performance by about 10-12% on an average. That is why some people have a strong cup of coffee half an hour before they start their workout.
May protect your liver
Your liver is an extremely useful organ that carries out the important function of regulating the chemicals in the blood. There are many diseases that affect the liver and this includes cirrhosis, in which your liver is replaced by scar tissue. One of the main reasons that coffee effects on the immune system are good is that it may protect people against cirrhosis i.e. people who drink 4 or more cups of coffee per day have an 80% lower risk.
If you are an avid coffee lover, make sure to enjoy its benefits, but also make sure to practice moderation in consumption. Try not to add any artificial sweeteners and excess amounts of sugar. With anything health or nutrition related, always listen to what your body says and do what suits your immune system the best.
