5 Health Experts Share The Benefits Of Daily Coffee

Coffee itself is considered by many to be the nectar of the gods. Drank first thing in the morning it gives life for the rest of the day; or, at least a few hours depending on how much you drink. For many, purely the flavour of their favourite blend is enough of a reason to consume copious amounts of the liquid. Although, these aren’t the only reasons to drink the stuff. Coffee has been found to have a massive impact on our health and well-being. Who would have thought it?

Our experts discuss a range of health benefits in detail, but of course, not everyone has a load of time so I’ve done the super handy thing of rounding up the round-up for any of you busy readers! For those of you with the time, I highly recommend you read the article in greater detail, you won’t regret it.

• Coffee is a great source and in many dietary cases the single highest source, of antioxidants. A lot is said about this, but they are linked to reducing the chances of cancer and cardiovascular disease, so you can’t hear about them enough!

• The benefits for your liver just cannot be overrated. From decreasing the chance of liver cancer to reducing the production of problematic enzymes, your liver loves the heavenly liquid as much as you do!

• Coffee reduces the chance of getting Alzheimer's, which for anyone who has been close to the disease knows this is enough of a reason by itself.

• Regularly drinking coffee, without excessive sugar of course, can drastically reduce your chance of developing type 2 diabetes

• If drinking for the long-game doesn’t interest you as much, coffee is great for athletes, allowing them to perform at a higher standard than otherwise

• Interestingly, all of our experts seem to focus on the idea that after the 4th cup of coffee you won’t receive any extra health benefits

• The farming practices used to grow and produce the beans has a massive impact on the overall health benefits received by the beans

This article was brought to you by Co-fe, a blockchain start-up working towards revolutionising the coffee supply chain. We think that coffee could, and should, be produced in a manner that doesn’t exploit anyone, least of all the coffee farmers living in conditions worse than every other member of the coffee supply chain. The Co-fe solution aims to create a coffee supply chain which utilises modern technologies to create an environment in which no-one is exploited and everyone wins.

The truth of the matter is that coffee is great for us, great for daily productivity and great for our health; but not everyone who participates in the coffee supply chain shares the same benefits. Co-fe has collated the opinions of various experts to showcase the range of benefits of daily coffee consumption, we hope that you will read them with as much interest as we did. Most importantly, the health benefits from daily coffee consumption increase as the quality of the coffee consumed increases. A supply chain fairer for everyone will, of course, encourage the production of a better quality coffee, which in turn further increases all of these health benefits!

So let’s hear from our first expert shall, we?

Dr. Adrienne Youdim MD FACP 

Dr. Youdim is a Physician Nutrition Specialist with incredible credentials; an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, board certified and a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine, the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists and the American Board of Obesity Medicine.

“Regular coffee intake is not only safe, but healthy.  One cup of coffee has over 1000 antioxidants and is the highest source of antioxidants in the American diet”

“Analysis of more than 200 studies found that coffee consumption also reduces the risk of several types of cancer, type-2 diabetes, gallstones and gout.  There were also reductions in Alzheimer’s disease and cirrhosis of the liver.” 

For any of you serious coffee drinkers out there, she, unfortunately has to ruin the fun, with the caveat that the health benefits actually go down after the 4th cup. Although what you might find surprising, is that it doesn’t actually matter if you are a decaf drinker, you can still see the benefits as the antioxidants are in the beans themselves and not the actual caffeine!

Next up is...

John Vercelletto

Founder of Sensei of Wellness. John Vercelletto is a Certified Personal Health Coach who helps diabetics and others reduce their reliance on medications, lose weight, and gain energy naturally without deprivation diets or strenuous exercise.

John is a diabetic who reduced his A1C naturally from 11.3 to 6.4 in months and got completely off his medication. He also has a CPD Certified Certificate in Diet and Nutrition, a certificate in Counseling from St. Joseph’s College in NY, and 25 years of experience as a Master Certified Clinical Hypnotist as well as a master of habit change.

Find out more about his story on his Facebook page.

“Coffee is arguably the most vilified food that is actually good for you. Sometimes things are so drilled into our heads how bad certain foods, that when studies show the opposite, we don’t believe it. Coffee, it seems, is one of those things.

For years research has shown that coffee has many benefits including helping various diseases like Type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression, and it seems like weekly, another is added to the list.

But in my mind, if I had to choose just one major benefit, it may be its effect on liver disease.

The liver is one of the most important organs because damage to it can cause so many different health issues when it can’t properly filter out the toxins in our body. Diabetes is just one example of a disease that coffee helps partially because of its benefits to the liver.

In a recent study, it was found that coffee reduced a problematic enzyme in the liver which causes fibrosis. In 2010, a study was done that showed similar results, even in patients with Hepatitis C which can cause liver fibrosis and cancer, drinking coffee had a positive result. Speaking of liver cancer, a 2015 study showed that men drinking 2 or more cups of coffee a day gave you a whopping 72% less chance of getting liver cancer over those that drank less than 1/3 cup a day.

The studies and positive findings go on and on. Interestingly, most results are improved if you drink more than 2 cups a day, even as much as 4 cups a day in many cases. If caffeine is a problem for you, in many of the studies, drinking decaf showed similar results. This is great news for pregnant women who should stay away from high-caffeine coffee while pregnant and breastfeeding.”

Alana Kessler, RD 

Alana Kessler, RD, is a Manhattan-based nutritionist, whose company www.bewellbyak.com, has helped hundreds of people live healthier lives through mindful nutrition.

Alana took an interesting approach in her analysis by focusing on the benefits or organic coffee rather than just normal coffee. For me, going organic where possible is an absolute must so I’m very thankful that Alana touched upon this!

“Nutritionally, when consumed in proper amounts coffee can help protect against liver, cardiac, neuromuscular and psychological ailments. The bean is comprised of important nutrients like B vitamins including riboflavin, pantothenic acid and niacin supporting a healthy metabolism and general health enhancing minerals like magnesium, manganese and potassium.  Rich in antioxidants, coffee has an anti-cancer effect and the caffeine helps to enhance mood and provide that extra gear of energy.

Organic coffee has many environmental and health benefits which are closely related. Organic coffee is grown in the rainforest, which is covered by shade and therefore preserves the nutrition in the soil needed for plants due to its biodiversity lessening the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides to ward off pests that would attack the coffee crop. Conventional coffee is typically grown in the sun which depletes the bioavailability of the soil.

The reason this is important is that pesticides, herbicides and other farming chemicals disrupt the hormone, nervous system, reproductive system and immune function because they accumulate in the body fat which is the tissue closely associated with these functions. If pregnant or nursing women consume traditional coffee grown with these chemicals it can affect the health of the baby by virtue of the fact that babies have less fat to store. Instead, the particles will be absorbed by the organs potentially causing behavioral and developmental issues.”

So far all of our experts have dealt with the benefits of coffee for your general health and wellness. They’ve discussed how it can help to protect your liver, reduce the risk of suffering from a range of diseases and illnesses and even decrease the risk of cancer! All of this is great news for any regular coffee drinkers, but that isn’t all the benefits of the liquid. For those of you competing in sports, regularly training, or just looking to improve your general fitness. Our next experts have some important insights for you.

Amanda Dale

Amanda has an incredible 12 years of working experience as an ACE-certified personal trainer, AFAA-certified exercise instructor,  Precision Nutrition (Pn)-certified sports nutritionist and health coach and holds two Masters degrees. She also manages the lifestyle brand ThisFitBlonde and runs DISCREET Private Fitness Institute.

You can find her on both Instagram or Twitter with the handle @thisfitblonde

“As a health coach, I tout the benefits of good old-fashioned coffee not only as a pick-me-up but as an actual performance enhancing supplement.  The caffeine in coffee not only increases alertness and speed in athletes, but there is evidence that the mineral compounds in coffee can actually delay the depletion of glycogen stores, meaning that athletes can go harder, faster, and longer than they might without coffee.

Choosing fresh and organic beans limits your potential exposure to harmful chemicals, helps the environment through better farming practices, and generally tastes better than chemically treated beans.”

James Goodwillie

James Goodwillie is the owner of One To Multi which covers everything from running to obscure multi-sport events. A passionate multisport athlete himself, he has represented the USA at the world level in the Aquathlon. Always the nerd, James enjoys diving deep into scientific journals and articles to better understand and write about the topics of health, nutrition, and exercise. 

For more follow James on Instagram or Twitter with the handle @OneToMulti

“Coffee, and more specifically organic coffee, has tremendous benefits when consumed. Sure it gives you energy but there is much more to organic coffee that positively impacts something that everyone should be doing: exercise. For starters, coffee has been scientifically proven to make exercise more enjoyable. So if you are dreading that run try a cup of joe. 

At its most basic level coffee acts as a stimulant through the chemical compound of caffeine. Not like those neon colored battery-acid tasting drinks that power-lifters chug before dead-lifting 500 pounds - but a natural and easy to process stimulant. It helps get your heart pumping, your muscles primed, your mind focused, and can even increase the release of dopamine and other "feeling awesome" neurotransmitters. 

The benefits that an organic coffee has on exercise comes in the form of key nutrients. Organic coffees aren't "babied" with pesticides, chemical fertilizers and grow-houses so they are left to fend for themselves in a way. This is good for the consumer because the plant produces more vitamins and intakes more minerals in order to grow strong enough to withstand the elements and outside factors. So organic coffee contains much higher levels of B vitamins, antioxidants, and other key nutrients like potassium. 

B vitamins are extremely important for humans but even more so for those who exercise. While they are great for the cardiovascular system, they are even more important in people who exercise because they are necessary for the body to convert sugars and protein into energy. B vitamins directly impact performance. Don't have enough B vitamins? You won't be able to run as far or finish that last set at the gym. They are also tremendously important after exercise because they play a vital role in the body's ability to repair itself after breaking down.

Antioxidants are important for people who exercise because they help decrease inflammation and aid in recovery. So after leg day coffee may be part of the reason you don't have to waddle for the next couple days. Potassium everyone knows because it's that thing in bananas. But more importantly, it is one of the key electrolytes for the human body. That means it is used by the body to help in everything from sweating to fluid management to blood pressure.”

So our experts are in agreement, coffee is a wonder for health and wellbeing. Considering how easy it is to up your coffee intake (but not past that 4th cup!) it is really something we should all look at doing to improve our health. As John Vercelletto touched upon, many of us have always been told that coffee isn’t good for us, that we should be looking to substantially reduce our caffeine intake, but it seems like the data just isn’t there. From reducing the risk of cancer to protecting your liver and actually decreasing the chance of liver damage, coffee really is a nectar of the gods!

Of course, coffee is no substitute for a generally healthy diet and lifestyle, no-one is saying that, but considering we normally expect to sacrifice pleasure for health in the food and drink department it is nice to know that this is not one of those instances! Most importantly, you can sit back and enjoy those extra cups without feeling any guilt, it is a nice, simple way to start improving your health today.

It was interesting to see some of our experts touch upon the idea that organic coffee is considerably better for us than non-organic, and it makes sense, right? Pesticides and other chemicals sprayed on coffee beans cannot be good for us, but without transparency in the coffee supply chain, it is difficult to be sure of this.

At Co-fe, our main goal is to create a supply chain that removes farmer exploitation by creating direct and transparent transactions between the consumer and the farmer. The main benefit is that, through the reduction of unnecessary middle-men, coffee farmers receive a fair amount for their work and consumers can be comfortable they contributed to this process. However, this isn’t the only benefit. In a supply chain that is truly transparent, where consumers deal directly with the farmer, consumers can not only be sure as to what farming processes are used, but they can directly influence the process.

If you are interested in finding out more about how Co-fe is using the blockchain and cryptocurrency to revolutionise the coffee supply chain then visit our website where you can find our whitepaper and other information. For all the latest news on our ICO (what is an ICO?) or just to stay up-to-date with the progress of the project, you can subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Twitter where we are @CofeProject.

I would just like to say thank you to all our experts who contributed to this article, and I urge any reader looking to improve their health or well-being to visit the sites of our experts for some great insight!

Cofe-Project.com