Written by: Kristen George - SUNY Buffalo State College
Coffee lovers rejoice!
If you are one of the 64% of Americans that drink at least one cup of coffee everyday (1), then I'm sure it goes without saying that coffee is fantastic; a real life saver actually. Not only is it delicious, aromatically enticing, and easily incorporated into a surprising amount of foods - it's also full of hidden health benefits! As if anyone needed more reasons to drink coffee...
In order to simplify the multitude of reasons for why coffee is so wonderful, let's take a look at the reason most people drink coffee in the first place: Caffeine.
The reason caffeine is so good at getting your heart racing and making you feel more awake and energized is because it's molecular shape closely resembles that of the neurotransmitter adenosine. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that causes you to feel tired, groggy, and overall just really ready for a nap. Over the course of the day, adenosine levels buildup in the brain and slows everything down as more of it attaches to receptors; this buildup and subsequent attachment helps in telling your brain when it's time to sleep (2). When sleeping, most of the adenosine is detached and "recycled," and the cycle starts over again.
Caffeine acts as a security guard towards adenosine by attaching to the same receptors and blocking it from attaching. Because of this, there is little to no signalling from adenosine telling your brain that you're tired and you're instead met with a level of physical excitement that's usually reserved for when you need to run away from dangerous situations like Thanksgiving dinner with extended family or when you need to punch a shark in the face. That is, caffeine stimulates your fight-or-flight response, making your heart rate increase and your brain's blood flow decrease.
You may be wondering why I'm telling you all of this at this point... Well, it's the caffeine induced fight-or-flight response that is the key to it's many benefits. See, at the same time as the flood of energy happens, there's a surge in dopamine happening as well. Dopamine is the reason behind the runner's high, eating all of the chocolate (even though you swore you wouldn't), and addiction (yes, addiction). Essentially, dopamine makes you happy.
This video by AsapSCIENCE summarizes this very nicely.
Studies have shown that drinking 2-4 cups (8 oz.) of coffee a day greatly reduces depression and/or depressive symptoms compared to people who drink 1 or fewer cups of coffee a day (3). Additionally, the decreased blood flow in your brain from the fight-or-flight response can significantly reduced the pain from headaches - which is why many migraine medications, like Excedrin, contain caffeine (4). Additionally, caffeine consumption has been shown to not only reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by protecting the brain from harmful cholesterol (5), but also to decrease the progression of the disease in affecting one's memory (6).
While caffeine is wonderful, it's not risk free. Unfortunately some people, such as those prone to or having anxiety, heart problems, adrenal problems, and those that are particularly sensitive to its effects, may have adverse health effects from consuming too much caffeine. Always consume caffeine and coffee in moderation, folks.
Back to coffee!
Because caffeine isn't the only aspect of coffee that offers some sort benefit outside of being absolutely delicious, maybe I should talk about how coffee itself has been shown to reduce the overall risk of liver cancer by 43% (7)? Or maybe how there are more antioxidants in coffee than in green and black teas and red wine(8) - some of which have been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes, help control cholesterol levels, and even help reduce the effects of UV light on skin, thus helping reduce the risk of skin cancer and helping control premature aging. One in particular - chlorogenic acid - which is also found in green tea, can help reduce inflammation, promote enhanced insulin function, reduces fat accumulation, and even has antibacterial properties. What a good antioxidant!
With all of the things that can harm your long-term health in this world, coffee may just be your best ally. It's doing so much work for you, and you don't even know it!
Coffee and its magical caffeine; together forming a dynamic duo taking out bad headaches, fighting cancer, lifting you up from your slumps, and making the world a better place.
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