Drinking coffee is a historical and cultural habit in Brazil, which is the world’s largest coffee producer and the second-largest consumer of the beverage, behind only the United States. Its consumption has various health benefits, as despite caffeine being the main substance in coffee, it is composed of more than 100 biological agents that can act protectively.
Check out some research showing that, besides being delicious, having that cup of coffee can be good for your body, from the intestines to the heart.
Drinking Coffee Before Working out Can Help Burn Calories
Consuming a cup of coffee (about 3mg of caffeine, equivalent to a strong dose) half an hour before exercising can significantly increase fat burning. This is according to a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2021.
The research calculated fat oxidation in aerobic tests with 15 men with an average age of 32. Before each exercise, performed four times at seven-day intervals, participants ingested 3mg of caffeine or a placebo at two different times: 8 am and 5 pm. Conditions such as time elapsed since the last meal and physical activity, for example, were strictly standardized among the group.
The results of the analysis reinforce caffeine’s world title as one of the most effective substances for improving sports performance: regardless of the time of day, consumption of the compound was able to significantly increase the maximum fat oxidation rate (MFO) during exercise. Compared to the morning shift, performance proved even higher during the afternoon: 10.7% versus 29%, respectively.
Drinking Coffee Reduces the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
According to research published in 2022 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, consuming two to three cups of coffee — whether decaffeinated, ground, or instant — can cause a reduction in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and mortality, compared to those who don’t drink the beverage.
The experts analyzed data from the UK Biobank and followed nearly 450,000 people who did not have arrhythmias or other cardiovascular diseases at the beginning of the study over 12.5 years. Participants had an average age of 58 and answered questionnaires about their daily coffee consumption level and preferred type.
It was observed that drinking one to five cups per day of ground or instant coffee (but not decaffeinated) was associated with a significant reduction in cases of arrhythmias – this means drinking 4 to 5 cups of ground coffee or 2 to 3 cups of instant soluble coffee. Daily consumption of 2 to 3 cups per day was also associated with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease (including heart failure and ischemic stroke) when compared to those who do not consume the beverage.
Consuming One Cup of Coffee Per Day Can Prevent Acute Kidney Injury
A study from Johns Hopkins University in the United States revealed that those who consume at least one cup of coffee per day have less risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI), compared to those who don’t drink coffee. The risk reduction was 15% for those who drank any amount of the beverage and was between 22% and 23% in the group that drank two to three cups daily. The discovery was published in 2022 in the scientific journal Kidney International Reports.
The research used data from an ongoing study on cardiovascular diseases in four American communities. Researchers gathered 14,207 adults recruited between 1987 and 1989 with an average age of 54. Participants were analyzed seven times over 24 years, and divided into groups between those who consumed zero to more than three cups of coffee per day. During the study period, there were 1,694 registered cases of AKI.
Considering demographic, economic, behavioral, and nutritional characteristics, there was a 15% lower risk of AKI for participants who consumed any amount of coffee, compared to those who did not consume. When considering additional comorbidities – such as blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, use of antihypertensive medication, and kidney function – individuals who drank coffee still had an 11% lower risk of developing AKI compared to those who didn’t drink.
Coffee and Green Tea Can Reduce Mortality Risk in Diabetics
A study published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care in 2020 indicates that the habit of consuming green tea and coffee is related to a lower risk of mortality among people with type 2 diabetes, who are more prone to suffering from circulatory problems, dementia, cancer, and bone fractures.
Scientists monitored the health of 4,923 Japanese (2,790 men, 2,133 women) with type 2 diabetes for just over five years. Among the participants, 607 did not drink green tea; 1,143 drank up to one cup per day; 1,384 consumed two to three cups; and 1,784 drank four or more. 994 of them did not drink coffee; 1,306 drank up to one cup per day; 963 consumed one cup every day; and 1,660 drank two or more cups.
Compared to those who did not consume either beverage, individuals who drank one or both seemed to have a lower chance of dying from a health condition. Daily consumption of one cup of coffee was associated with a 12% lower mortality risk while drinking one cup of green tea per day seemed to reduce that chance by 19%. Drinking two or more cups daily, in turn, indicated a 41% lower mortality risk.
Drinking Coffee Is Good for Your Intestines
A study conducted by researchers in the United States in 2019 showed that drinking coffee regularly can be good for the intestines, as caffeine improves the health of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract.
During endoscopic exams performed on 34 people, scientists collected samples of intestinal bacteria from the colon, the central part of the large intestine. Participants who drank two or more cups of coffee per day for a year had intestinal microorganisms in greater quantity and better distributed throughout the intestine. They also had less chance of developing Erysipelatoclostridium bacteria, which is linked to obesity.
The research has a hypothesis: coffee components, such as caffeine, impact bacterial metabolism. Coffee has antioxidants and bioactive compounds called polyphenols, which may be behind the beverage’s benefits in the intestine. These benefits, according to scientists, are also absorbed with the consumption of other foods.
Thinking About Coffee Can Improve Your Focus
The influence of coffee is so strong that just thinking about it improves our focus. An analysis published in 2019 in the journal Consciousness and Cognition suggests that this happens with those who associate the beverage with productivity, focus, and ambition.
The research arose from the researchers’ perception that in cultures where drinking tea is more common, such as in Japan and China, the suggestive thought of coffee was not more effective than that of the other type of beverage.
The study was done with a small sample of volunteers, but the team believes that the results are significant, and points to the fact that, when ingesting coffee, the psychological factor also counts for its effect, not just the physiological one. This means that the agitation aroused by coffee ingestion can also come from thoughts and expectations about coffee, in addition to the actual amount of caffeine in the drink. According to scientists, the way each person mentally represents behavior and activity can change the degree of motivation that a person will have performing that action.
