2016 is finally over, and most of us are glad to see the back of it. With the new year upon us, many of us like to make new year’s resolutions to make sure we live a happier (usually healthier) lifestyle. Well, Amore Coffee would like to make a case for adding ‘drink more coffee’ to your list of resolutions. We want to say why coffee can improve your health, your happiness, and give you the boost to make sure you get the most out of 2017. Here are just a few reasons why you should drink more coffee in 2017.
Drinking More Coffee Will Improve Your Memory and Cognition
This is something we’ve touched on before on the Amore Coffee blog, but we thought we’d mention it again… in case you forgot. Coffee has been proven to drastically improve people’s memory, and it has even been proven to reduce or significantly prevent the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Johns Hopkins University did a study in 2014 that tested the effects of caffeine on 150 people, with some only receiving a placebo instead of caffeine. They discovered that people who had caffeine in their system where able to retain more information. They also discovered that coffee/caffeine improves people’s cognitive abilities, such as being able to differentiate between similar but not identical objects.
They also found that caffeine boosts memory consolidation – which is the process of taking a recent memory and making it more permanent. They tested this by giving participants caffeine after the study phase of their experiment, to see if caffeine helped participants convert what they’d learned into memory. The results overwhelmingly suggested that caffeine helps people store memories more completely.
In this experiment, the university discovered that there is an optimal dose of caffeine in which memory and cognitive ability is improved, and it is around 200mg – which is roughly what you’ll get in one strong cup of coffee or two weak cups of coffee.
So although we don’t know exactly why caffeine has such a positive effect on our memory and cognition, we know that it definitely does! And a strong cup of coffee when you’re working or studying should help you retain as much information as possible. You can watch a video about the Johns Hopkins experiment here.
Coffee Makes You Feel More Awake
Now we don’t think we’re telling you anything you don’t already know here, but it’s still worth emphasising: coffee makes you feel more awake. And as long as this is in the morning or early afternoon, then feeling more awake is definitely a good thing! The science behind coffee’s invigorating effects is fascinating, as there are two different things happening that wake you up.
Caffeine stimulates your adrenal glands slightly, making them produce a small amount of adrenaline. This adrenaline raises your heart rate a little and helps your lungs expand a little, allowing more oxygen into your blood stream. Both of these effects aid respiration, which makes you feel energised and awake.
Caffeine also connects to the part of your nerve cells usually reserved for adenosine (one of the hormones that makes you feel sleepy). Because the caffeine is connected to your nerve cell, adenosine can’t connect to it and make you sleepy. This effect, along with the increased adrenaline levels, will wake you up in the morning and makes sure you’re ready for the day ahead. It is also a great antidote to the two o’clock slump if you work in an office.
Coffee Can Improve Your Mental Health
Winter is the worst time for mental health in the UK. Not only is depression and anxiety at its highest point, but many people also suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder), which is depression caused by the lack of ample sunlight during winter. Coffee has been proven to help reduce stress and improve mental health.
As discussed above, coffee blocks adenosine from connecting with your nerve cells. This stops you from getting sleepy, but it also stops your cells from reacting to stimuli and causing a stress response. Stress is such a key contributor to depression and anxiety, so anything that reduces it should be seen as hugely beneficial. You can read more about the study that discovered this back in 2015 here.
Caffeine has been proven to exacerbate anxiety, however, so pay attention to your body’s reaction to coffee. If you feel anxious after your second or third cup, make sure you just have the one. If you are suffering from chronic anxiety problems, then it’s best to stick to decaffeinated coffee.
Coffee Can Improve Your Liver’s Heath
It’s also a little-known fact that coffee can help make your liver healthier. A study by Kasier Permanente, in California, found that drinking between 2 and 3 cups of coffee per day can help prevent your liver from developing scar tissue, also known as sclerosis – damage typically associated with alcohol consumption and liver diseases such as hepatitis. 2–3 cups of coffee per day can help prevent liver sclerosis by up to 40% and four or more cups of coffee can prevent it by up to 80%.
Obviously, another good new year’s resolution could be to reduce how much alcohol you produce, but it’s good to know that there’s a way to give your liver a much-needed boost – especially after Christmas and New Year, where many of us over indulge in a little too much tipple.
An important aspect of this health benefit is that it is unique to coffee. Unlike many of the health benefits, which are true across all caffeine-rich beverages, the positive effect on your liver’s health is something that only occurs in coffee drinkers.
Regular Morning Coffee Makes You… Regular
Coffee has a slight laxative effect on your body. Countless studies have attempted to prove why this is the case, but we still don’t understand it. However, back in 1990, one study proved conclusively that coffee really does stimulate our bowels, finding that some people can’t even get to the end of their first mug of joe without needing to pop to the loo. This effect, similarly to the liver health effect, seems to be unique to coffee.
Having regular bowels is massively beneficial to your bowel health, so finding a way to keep things running smoothly is definitely a positive. However, if you find that too much coffee is making you… too regular, then just make sure you lower your consumption a little.
Coffee Conclusion
There’s been a lot of science in this article, because we love reading and finding out more about coffee. But ultimately, another great reason to drink coffee in 2017 is because it’s one of the tastiest, most wholesome beverages in the world – especially when it’s made right, either by a trained barista or by one of our high-end bean-to-cup coffee machines.
Other than the flavour, we’ve discussed how coffee can improve your memory, your cognitive ability, your energy levels, your mental health, your liver health, and your bowl health. Obviously, you should always drink coffee in moderation and be careful about the quantity of caffeine you consume, but we hope you’ve also learned about the many benefits drinking coffee can provide you with. If you’re convinced, drink a little more coffee in 2017 and see how you get on!