Coffee for Cancer? 4 Surprising Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee

CheepFeed
CheepFeed
Jul 23, 2017 · 5 min read

Reaching for that cup of coffee in a sleep induced stupor before you leave the house in the morning or becoming best friends with your local barista, could be better for you than we all thought.

From coffee served in avocado shells, to cold brew, Australians are loving their coffee and the buzz doesn’t seem to be dissipating. Here at CheepFeed, we also like cooking with coffee, from coffee encrusted meat rubs for a sophisticated kick to adding a little espresso to stock for a twist on flavours. Not to forget our dessert recipes like our coffee infused macarons with coffee buttercream filling or our coffee panna cotta served with cognac ice cream, chocolate mousse and meringue (below). Yum!

The World of Coffee Drinkers

Although Australians don’t drink anything like the traditional and expert coffees drinkers on the other side of the world – Finland, Norway, The Netherlands, Slovenia and Austria ranking as the top 5 countries with the highest coffee consumption, Australia comes in at 42nd.

We may be a bit slow to take up this habit, but there is no doubt we will be seeing more of it as better-quality coffee and the café culture imbeds itself into our society. At CheepFeed, we say bring it on!

As avid fans of the brown brew, CheepFeed thought it would be pertinent to spread the good news about coffee (and to justify our little habits!).

The Coffee Myths

Over the years, there have always been myths brewing over coffee – from the dehydrating effects of coffee, people with heart problems should avoid coffee, the inferiority of instant coffee, to the sobering effects of coffee after a big night out. One thing we can gather from the hundreds of studies carried out on coffee, is that it is not as bad for us as some previously thought.

Just as every drinker of coffee responds differently to coffee, some bounce off the walls, some drink it to relax and sleep; the health benefits can be different for each of us. Oh, and skip the sugar in your coffee, this will outweigh all the good your daily grind could be doing.

Here are a few of the good (and surprising) things that happen inside your body when you drink coffee.

1. Coffee Speeds Up Your Metabolism

Studies have shown that coffee can speed up your metabolism by 3–11%, burning fat at a higher rate and stopping it from settling onto your body.

How does it work? The caffeine in coffee can raise blood pressure and puts the central nervous system on high alert and so the body starts to burn calories to meet its increased energy needs, thereby increasing metabolism.

2. Coffee Improves Brain Function

Why do we feel better after a cup of coffee, especially in the morning when we are slow to get going or are feeling sluggish mid-afternoon?

The inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine in our brains prevents the release of excitatory brain chemicals. When we drink a cup of coffee, the caffeine hits our brain and blocks the adenosine, leaving the brain-sparking chemicals like norepinephrine and dopamine to flow freely throughout the brain. This makes us feel energetic, which in turn can potentially improve our mental performance and slow the age-related mental decline.

3. Coffee Contains Several Essential Nutrients

One single cup of coffee contains:

• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA.

Riboflavin is needed to use the carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the foods we eat and functions as an antioxidant. It is needed to properly use the vitamins niacin, folate and Vitamin B6.

• Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.

We need pantothenic acid to convert food into fuel which the body uses to produce energy. As part of the B complex vitamins, they also help the body uses fats and protein.

• Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA.

Potassium helps us to maintain a normal blood pressure, a healthy balance of fluids in the body and allows for the transmission of electrical pulses to allow for proper nerve and muscle function. Manganese helps the body form connective tissues bones, blood clotting factors and sex hormones. It plays a role in fat and carbohydrate absorption calcium and blood sugar level regulation. It also helps with normal brain and nerve function.

• Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA.

Magnesium is important for regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressures, as well as making protein bone and DNA. Niacin is part of the 8 B vitamins and it helps the body convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose) which the body uses to produce energy.

Although this may seem like a small percentage of our daily intake of these nutrients, if you drink 3–4 cups of coffee a day, these amounts quickly add up.

4. Coffee Fights Against Disease

The antioxidants found in coffee can also help in decreasing the risk of certain types of diseases common in modern society.

Type 2 Diabetes

A recent UCLA study may have found how coffee can prevent diabetes. The protein – sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) regulates the body’s sex hormones which are thought to play a part on Type 2 diabetes. Those who had up to 4 cups of coffee a day, had much higher levels of SHBG than non-drinkers.

Some Cancers

The antioxidant properties of coffee are thought to play a role in suppressing some cancers. For example, colon cancer was suppresses by the caffeic acid in coffee, in prostate cancer, it is the phenolic acids and anti-oxidant activity that cuts cancer but researchers found you needed to drink more than 6 cups a day! In skin cancer, two studies found that coffee drinkers were less likely to develop basal cell cancer, due to the caffeine in the coffee.

Parkinsons

There have been numerous studies around coffee and its effect on Parkinsons disease. Most studies have found that those who drank coffee up to 3 times a day, particularly men, had a lower incidence of Parkinsons.

So, relax when you grab your next java, meet friends at your local café or cook with the brown brew – you are doing good things to your body. But remember, as with everything, drink in moderation.

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Article by Liz Haywood, Copywriter at CheepFeed

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