Lifestyle June 21, 2018
"May I please have a Venti iced coffee with a shot of added health benefits?"
Drinking coffee is a daily ritual for me. Sometimes twice in one day. I cannot live without my morning pick-me-up, and while we all know caffeine wakes us up, there is a lot more to it than that. Caffeine is a stimulant, which is why we feel more awake after drinking it. It has many benefits, as well as negative side effects.
While caffeine is present in sodas, teas and energy drinks, 80 percent of caffeine is consumed as coffee. Coffee is a staple of so many people’s daily lives and even decaf coffee has caffeine in it, so it’s important to know what caffeine is doing! Caffeine’s most well-known benefits are increased mental alertness, higher levels of energy and higher levels of fat burn. Its most well-known risks are sleep problems/insomnia, rapid heartbeat and of course, stained teeth.
While the negative effects of caffeine are not to be ignored, they do not happen to every single person. The stimulant effects each person differently. There are are so many benefits to caffeine, some popular, some not. Here are four benefits you probably didn’t know you were getting with your morning cup of joe!
This is one of the biggest ones, mainly because of its statistics! According to Medical News Today, people who drink four or more cups of coffee a day have an almost 50 percent lower chance of death from oral cancer compared to those who do not drink coffee.
Scientists have found that both applying caffeine directly to the skin and consuming multiple cups a day lowered both women and men’s risk of developing basal cell carcinoma, though the risk for women was lowered more than for men.
Studies have found that caffeine intake is independently associated with a lower risk of incident kidney stones. Just like with the other medical benefits, data has found that women who drank one or more cups of coffee a day had a 22 to 25 percent lower risk of stroke than those who drank less. In fact, little to no coffee consumption seems to be linked to an increased risk of stroke.
Last but not least, caffeine helps the eyes! Who knew? I know it’s crazy, but how cool! As an avid coffee drinker, I’m happy to know my go-to beverage has so many health benefits! Studies have found that caffeine assists in protecting eyes from harmful UV rays.
Overall, it’s great to know these surprising benefits of an extremely popular compound found in many beverages all over the world. People can drink coffee confidently, knowing they are both getting their wake-up boost AND helping their health.
