The year of 2022 has now arrived, and many of us have developed some New Years’ Resolutions that we're trying to keep as this year progresses. At Round Mountain Coffee, we think one of those resolutions should involve coffee. Many people we talk to suggest that they wish to lower their coffee consumption and sometimes state this resolution has to do with improving their health. However, as we will demonstrate in this blog, the opposite is actually true, and we have the references to prove our point. Let’s get started!
Overall, coffee is one of the most popular and widely consumed beverages worldwide due to its stimulating effects on the central nervous system as well as taste and aroma. We all need to be aware of some of the limitations that might be inherent in coffee. Caffeine has some unwanted effects in some individuals. Anxiety, insomnia, tremulousness, and palpitations, with mild potential for bone loss, and temporary increases in heart rate can occur with excessive coffee intake…all primarily from the intake of caffeine. Actually, these are the only negative effects of coffee in the literature (O’Keefe et al, 2013).
However, the benefits from coffee far outweigh those negative effects listed above. Coffee has a mixture of hundreds of volatile compounds, most of which have beneficial effects on the human body (Morisco, et al, 2014). Some of the benefits listed for coffee consumption (without lots of added sweeteners) are:
- Reduction in obesity and depression
- Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes and hypertension (also reduction in serum lipids) (Nieber, 2017; O’Keefe, 2013; Zannella et al, 2015)
- Prevention of heart disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, and strokes (O’Keefe, 2013;
- Protects against neurodegenerative diseases and improves asthma control (O’Keefe et al, 2013)
- Reduces gastrointestinal disease (Bosso, et al, 2021)
- Improves liver function while reducing cirrhosis, fatty liver deposits, and gallstones, and activates beneficial liver enzymes (Morisco, et al, 2014; Zannella, et al, 2015)
- Strengthens the immune system (important during this COVID time) (Sanlier, 2021)
- Green coffee extracts also help with weight loss and increase in circulating antioxidants (Bosso, et al, 2021)
- Improvement in cognitive function (Bosso, et al, 2021)
So, next time you start to think about improving your health in 2022, please consider the positive influence of coffee toward this goal. Researchers in food science at the American College of Cardiology suggest between 2-5 cups of coffee/day can be in the range of positive benefit for coffee consumption (O’Keefe, 2013; Nieber, 2017; Sanlier, 2021). Come by and get your healthy food for the day!
