爱华网Top 13 Evidence-BasedHealth Benefits of Coffee
Coffee is actually very healthy. It is loaded withantioxidants and beneficial nutrients that can improve yourhealth.The studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower riskof several serious diseases. Here are the top 13 evidence-basedhealth benefits of coffee, that have been confirmed in actual humanstudies.1. Coffee CanImprove Energy Levels and Make You Smarter咖啡可以改善能量水平，使你更聪明Coffee can help people feel less tired and increase energy levels(1,2).
This is because it contains a stimulantcalledcaffeine, which is actually the most commonly consumedpsychoactive substance in the world (3).
After you drink coffee, the caffeine is absorbed into thebloodstream. From there, it travels into the brain (4).
In the brain, caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmittercalledAdenosine.
When that happens, the amount of other neurotransmitters likenorepinephrine and dopamine actually increases, leading to enhancedfiring of neurons (5,6).
Many controlled trials in humans show that coffee improves variousaspects of brain function. This includes memory, mood, vigilance,energy levels, reaction times and general cognitive function(7,8,9).
Bottom Line:Caffeine blocks aninhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which leads to astimulant effect. This improves energy levels, mood and variousaspects of brain function.
2. Coffee Can Help You Burn Fat
咖啡助你燃烧脂肪Did you know that caffeine is found in almost every commercial fatburning supplement?
There’s a good reason for that… caffeine is one of theveryfewnatural substances that have actuallybeen proven to aid fat burning.
Several studies show that caffeine canboostthe metabolic rateby 3-11% (10,11).
Other studies show that caffeine can specifically increase theburning offat, by as much as 10%in obese individuals and 29% in lean people (12,13).
However, it is possible that these effects will diminish inlong-term coffee drinkers.
Bottom Line:Several studies showthat caffeine can increase fat burning in the body and boost themetabolic rate.
3. The Caffeine Can Drastically Improve Physical Performance
咖啡因可以显著改善体能Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, causing it to send signalsto the fat cells to break down body fat (14,15).
But caffeine also increases Epinephrine (Adrenaline) levels in theblood (16,17).
This is the “fight or flight” hormone, designed to make our bodiesready for intense physical exertion.
Caffeine makes the fat cells break down body fat, releasing theminto the blood as free fatty acids and making them available asfuel (18,19).
Given these effects, it is not surprising to see that caffeine canimprove physical performance by 11-12%, on average (20,21).
Because of this, it makes sense to have a strong cup of coffeeabout a half an hour before you head to the gym.
Bottom Line:Caffeine canincrease adrenaline levels and release fatty acids from the fattissues. It also leads to significant improvements in physicalperformance.
4. There Are Essential Nutrients in Coffee
咖啡含有必须营养素Coffee is more than just black water. Many of the nutrients in thecoffee beans do make it into the final drink.
A single cup of coffee contains (22):
Although this may not seem like a big deal, most people aredrinking more than one cup per day. If you drink 3-4, then theseamounts quickly add up.
Bottom Line:Coffee containsseveral important nutrients, including Riboflavin, PantothenicAcid, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.
5. Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Type II Diabetes
咖啡可以降低罹患二型糖尿病的风险Type 2 diabetesis a gigantichealth problem, currently afflicting about 300 million peopleworldwide.
It is characterized by elevated blood sugars in the context ofinsulin resistance or an inability to secrete insulin.
For some reason, coffee drinkers have a significantly reduced riskof developing type 2 diabetes.
The studies show that people who drink the most coffee havea23-50% lowerriskof getting this disease, one studyshowing a reduction as high as 67% (23,24,25,26,27).
According to a massive review that looked at data from 18 studieswith a total of 457,922 individuals, each daily cup of coffee wasassociated with a 7% reduced risk of developing type2diabetes(28).
Bottom Line:Severalobservational studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lowerrisk of getting type II diabetes, a serious disease that currentlyafflicts about 300 million people worldwide.
6. Coffee May Protect You From Alzheimer’s Disease andDementia
咖啡可以保护你免患阿尔茨海默病和痴呆症Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative diseaseand the leading cause of dementia worldwide.
This disease usually affects people over 65 years of age.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s.
However, there are several things you can do to prevent the diseasefrom showing up in the first place.
This includes the usual suspects likeeatinghealthyand exercising, but drinking coffeemay be incredibly effective as well.
Several studies show that coffee drinkers have up to a 65% lowerrisk of getting Alzheimer’s disease (29,30,31).
Bottom Line:Coffee drinkers havea much lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease, which is aleading cause of dementia worldwide.
7. Caffeine May Lower The Risk of Parkinson’s
咖啡可以降低罹患帕金森病的风险Parkinson’s diseaseis the secondmost common neurodegenerative disease, right after Alzheimer’s.
It is caused by death of dopamine-generating neurons in thebrain.
Same as with Alzheimer’s, there is no known cure, which makes itthat much more important to focus on prevention.
In studies, coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of developingParkinson’s disease, with a reduction in risk ranging from 32-60%(32,33,34,35).
In this case, it appears to be the caffeine itself that is causingthe effect. People who drink decaf don’t have a lower risk ofParkinson’s (36,37).
Bottom Line:Coffee drinkers haveup to a 60% lower risk of getting Parkinson’s disease, the secondmost common neurodegenerative disorder.
8. Coffee Appears to Have Protective Effects on The Liver
咖啡似乎有保护肝脏的作用The liver is an amazing organ that carries out hundreds ofimportant functions in the body.
Several common diseases primarily affect the liver, includinghepatitis, fatty liver disease and others.
Many of these diseases can lead to a conditioncalledcirrhosis, in which the liver has been largelyreplaced by scar tissue.
It turns out that coffee may protect against cirrhosis. People whodrink 4 or more cups per day have up toan80% lowerrisk (38,39,40).
Bottom Line:Coffee drinkers havea much lower risk of developing cirrhosis, which can be caused byseveral diseases that affect the liver.
9. Coffee Can Fight Depression and Make You Happier
咖啡能抗抑郁症，使你更快乐Depression is a serious mental disorder that causes a significantlyreduced quality of life.
It is incredibly common and about 4.1% of people in the U.S.currently meet the criteria for clinical depression (41).
In aHarvard studypublished in2011, women who drank 4 or more cups per day had a 20% lower riskof becoming depressed (42).
Another study with 208,424 individuals found that those who drank 4or more cups per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide(43).
Bottom Line:Coffee appears tolower the risk of developing depression and may dramatically reducethe risk of suicide.
10. Coffee Drinkers Have a Lower Risk of Some Types of Cancer
喝咖啡可降低罹患某些类型癌症的风险Cancer is one of the world’s leading causes of death and ischaracterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the body.
Coffee appears to be protective against two types of cancer… livercancer and colorectal cancer.
Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in theworld, while colorectal cancer ranks fourth (44).
Studies show that coffee drinkers have up to a 40% lower risk ofliver cancer (45,46).
One study of 489,706 individuals found that those who drank 4-5cups of coffee per day had a 15% lower risk of colorectal cancer(47).
Bottom Line:Liver and colorectalcancer are the 3rd and 4th leading causes of cancer deathworldwide. Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of both.
11. Coffee Does Not Cause Heart Disease and May Lower The Risk ofStroke
咖啡不会导致心脏病，却可以降低中风的风险It is often claimed that caffeine can increase blood pressure.
This is true, but the effect is small (3-4 mm/Hg) and usually goesaway if you drink coffee regularly (48,49).
However, the effect may persist in some people, so keep that inmind if you have elevated blood pressure (50,51).
That being said, the studies do NOT support the myth that coffeeraises the risk of heart disease (52,53).
In fact, there is some evidence that women who drink coffee haveareducedriskof heart disease (54).
Some studies also show that coffee drinkers have a 20% lower riskof stroke (55,56).
Bottom Line:Coffee may causemild increases in blood pressure, which usually diminish over time.Coffee drinkers do not have an increased risk of heart disease, buta slightly lower risk of stroke.
12. Coffee May Help You Live Longer
咖啡可以助你长寿Given that coffee drinkers are less likely to get many diseases, itmakes sense that coffee could help you live longer.
There are actually several observational studies showing thatcoffee drinkers have a lower risk of death.
In two very large studies, drinking coffee was associated with a20% lower risk of death in men and a 26% lower risk of death inwomen, over a period of 18-24 years (57).
This effect appears to be particularly strong in type II diabetics.In one study, diabetics who drank coffee hada30% lower risk ofdeathduring a 20 year study period(58).
Bottom Line:Several studies showthat coffee drinkers live longer and have a lower risk of prematuredeath.
13. Coffee is The Biggest Source of Antioxidants in The WesternDiet
咖啡是西方饮食中抗氧化剂的最大来源For people who eat a standard Western diet, coffee may actually bethe healthiest aspect of the diet.
That’s because coffee containsamassiveamountof antioxidants.
In fact, studies show that most people get more antioxidants fromcoffee than both fruits and vegetables… combined (59,60,61).
Coffee is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet.Period.
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