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2.25 billion cups of coffee are enjoyed every day. Many scientific studies have proven the health benefits of coffee: coffee contains many antioxidants and useful nutrients that promote health. For many people, coffee is the main source of antioxidants because they eat too little fruit and vegetables. We love coffee and here are our top 3 reasons why:
After drinking a cup of coffee, the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream. From there it gets into the brain. In the brain, caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine. When this happens, the amount of other neurotransmitters like noradrenaline and dopamine increases, which leads to an improvement in brain function. This improves memory, mood, alertness, energy, reaction times and general cognitive functions. Studies also show that caffeine can improve your learning ability by up to 10%.
Caffeine can improve physical performance by an average of 11-12%. It stimulates the nervous system and sends signals to the fat cells to release body fat into the blood as free fatty acids in order to be available to the body again as an energy source. For this reason, it can make sense to drink 1x cup of coffee about half an hour before you start exercising.
Caffeine is one of the few natural substances that promote fat burning. Caffeine stimulates the metabolism and thus fat burning, but more so in thin people than in overweight people. However, it is possible that these effects will subside in long-term coffee drinkers.
Moreover, coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of several serious diseases: coffee protects against Alzheimer's and dementia, coffee can reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, has a protective effect on the liver, and can help fight depression and make you happier, and it may even reduce the risk of some cancers.
Caffeine also increases the level of adrenaline in the blood. Adrenaline is the "fighting or escape hormone" that is supposed to prepare our body for intensive physical exertion. From 1984 to 2004, caffeine was even on the World Anti-Doping Agency's doping list. Rock'n'Roll Babaay !!! Caffeine can also be addictive and can trigger a number of side effects. Not least because of their genes, some people are more sensitive to caffeine. It can increase nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, tremors, sweating, irregular heartbeat and sleep disorders. Too much caffeine can also promote headaches, migraines and high blood pressure.
People who experience a lot of stress in everyday life should "switch to decaffeinated coffee" in order to avoid the additional stress without having to forego the health benefits of coffee. In addition, you should generally avoid caffeinated drinks and food after 3 p.m. in order not to impair your sleep quality. On the one hand, caffeine takes a relatively long time to be completely broken down and, on the other hand, caffeine blocks the receptor for the neurotransmitter adenosine, which is responsible for sleep pressure and fatigue.
The most negligent mistake in the preparation of coffee is the addition of sugar, which increases both blood sugar level and blood fat. The result: a roller coaster from high blood sugar to absolute low blood sugar, also known as an afternoon low or energy crash. That is also the reason behind the well-known cravings - just a few hours later you want something sweet again. Do you know that too well?
If you eat sugar, the pancreas produces insulin. In the article Fit or Fat we have already described in detail that insulin is the universal switch for storing energy in the fat tissue and thus regulates the sugar and fat intake. If the insulin level rises too quickly, blood sugar and fat can end up in the adipose tissue too quickly. This is particularly the case with people who do little sport. The result: constant weight gain.
Sources:
https://blog.bulletproof.com/the-benefits-of-coffee
-your-brain-on-caffeine/
https://www.brainperform.de/kaffee-gesund-vorteile/
http://www.geneplanet.com/genetic-analysis/
list-of-analyses/caffeine-metabolism.html
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/
articles/10.1186/s12916-014-0174-6
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24676319
http://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-sensitivity
I have a deep passion for movement and sports, and an insatiable curiosity for understanding human nature. While researching the connections between physical vitality, mental acuity, and the pursuit of longevity, I care to share valuable insights and practical tips that can easily be incorporated into our daily lives.
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