You will see on Instagram posts some stylish and rich celebs going out holding a cup of black coffee in their hands. It feels like black coffee is a fashion trend that reflects the hustle and rich side of a person. This is because the boost it gives to the brain and the intensity of the flavor is not something everyone would be willing to have first thing in the morning. However, science suggests otherwise. It turns out that the bitter and intense taste of black coffee is evidence of the hundreds of antioxidants and flavonoids present in it. You might want to include it in your diet too because of the amazing health benefits it gives you.
In this article, we will check the different health benefits that come with consuming black coffee.
1) Get a Better Liver Function
One of the main organs responsible for detoxifying our body is the liver. It is shown that coffee is great for liver function. It is filled with antioxidants and improves the function of the liver because of the anti-inflammatory properties it has, making the job of the liver easier. Drinking a good amount of black coffee on a daily basis will help in lowering the speed of cirrhosis as well. It is also shown that those who drink black coffee are at a lower risk of getting cancer in the liver.
Fatty liver disease and hepatitis are also some of the diseases which affect the organ, but taking a moderate amount of black coffee may help in reducing the damage.
2) Improves Concentration
Why is it that everyone likes having coffee for breakfast or right before doing some important work? It is because it has caffeine in it. Unlike other coffees, black coffee has the most readily available caffeine in it, which acts as a psychoactive stimulant in your body. The readily available stimulant directly gets absorbed in your blood through your small intestine. From there, it goes to your brain, blocking the adenosine. As a result, dopamine and adrenaline are activated, which makes you more alert than before. Ultimately, you get more concentration which makes you perform better at mental activities. Not only this, it gives you the clarity you need to perform better at fitness activities.
3) Improves Metabolism
If you have constipation, obesity, and an overall slow system that keeps you lethargic, then consider consuming black coffee. It is because most of these conditions point towards a slow metabolism, which means your body is utilizing the energy it gets slower than needed. Black coffee is one of the few natural substances which help in fighting against this slow metabolism, making your body more stimulated. It does so by improving blood flow through the vessels in your body, especially the digestive tract. As a result, the food gets absorbed and utilized at a faster rate and you are at a better phase overall.
What’s more, it is now scientifically proven that drinking black coffee helps you get a boost in your body metabolism as high as 15 percent than average. It is because of the readily available stimulant known as caffeine present in it. That is why a lot of weight loss products are centered around caffeine as it helps in accelerating your metabolism.
4) Improves Nutrient Availability
You get to have dozens of antioxidants by drinking a cup of black coffee. These substances help in fighting the oxidative damage in the body caused by free radicals which lead to inflammation. As a result, your body gets better resilience towards chronic conditions and associated symptoms such as pain and inflammation. Also, you have a better chance of avoiding the growth of cancer cells because of low oxidative damage in your body.
It’s not the only antioxidant thing that makes black coffee healthy. There are many other vitamins and minerals that make it quite nutritious. For example, black coffee is high in vitamin B2, vitamin B3, and vitamin B5. What’s more, black coffee is high in manganese, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. One of the best news is that all these nutrients are highly bioavailable. That means that your body doesn’t have to do much to extract these nutrients if it gets them from black coffee.
5) Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin resistance is the major key factor behind diabetes. Diabetes is becoming prevalent due to our lifestyle and habits, and if not controlled, it affects different body organ systems. The good news is there are many ways to prevent this insulin resistance, and one of these ways is consuming black coffee. It is because antioxidants, caffeine, and nutrients play an important part in improving insulin sensitivity, which significantly reduces the risk of a person getting diabetes. Scientifically, it has been shown that drinking moderate amounts of black coffee in a day lowers the risk of getting diabetes by up to 30 percent.
6) Lowers Parkinson’s disease Risk
Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the nervous system which affects the mobility of the body. With low amounts of dopamine in the body, the overall risk of getting Parkinson’s disease increases. It has been previously mentioned that black coffee activates dopamine in the brain, which helps us perform better at our work. It has now been shown that drinking coffee regularly helps us in lowering the risk of developing it by up to 40 percent.
7) Improves Mood
One of the key factors behind depression is a disturbance in the level of neurotransmitters in the brain. Dopamine is associated with happiness, and if a person with depression is struggling with it, it means they need help with their dopamine levels. While medicines are helpful in retaining a healthy balance among dopamine and neurotransmitters, it has been shown that black coffee helps in improving the pleasure chemical in the brain as well. Drinking black coffee moderately decreases the chance of depression by up to 20 percent. It has also been shown that black coffee drinkers have an overall 26 percent decreased chance of committing suicide than people who don’t drink black coffee.
8) Lowers Cancer Risk
Cancer is uncontrolled cell growth in which the mutations in the genetic composition of the cell continue, making the cells harmful to the body. Oxidative damage plays a massive role in provoking these mutations. While there are many environmental factors causing this oxidative damage, we know now that this damage can be prevented, and even fought with the right agents. These are known as anti-inflammatory agents otherwise known as antioxidants. The black coffee bean is rich in antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are effective in fighting this oxidative damage.
Scientifically, it has been shown that drinking moderate amounts of black coffee a day helps in lowering the chances of getting colorectal cancer by 15 percent, liver cancer by 40 percent, skin cancer by 20 percent, and the list goes on as the studies continue.
9) Reduces Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Consuming black coffee helps in reducing the risk of developing strokes, heart failure, and coronary artery disease. People who drink moderate amounts of black coffee lower their chance of getting heart failure by 8 percent, stroke by 7 percent, and coronary artery disease by 5 percent.
What’s more, the substance also has caffeine in it which helps in increasing the heart rate. Also, it has a lot of different phytochemicals present in it that fight actively to reduce inflammation in the blood vessels, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. It has also been shown that black coffee consumption has similar benefits as aerobic exercises, however, it doesn’t mean you replace your walking with coffee.
10) Cleans the System
Black coffee is considered a diuretic, which is an agent that helps in improving the urge to urinate and defecate. That means it helps in clearing out the toxins in your body. While the kidney and your large intestine are responsible for clearing out waste from the body, black coffee can enhance the overall action, making it difficult for the toxins to remain in your system. Also, it will help keep the pathogens at bay. That way, you will fall sick less often.
It has also been revealed that consuming black coffee in moderate amounts helps in reducing the relative risk of developing gout or uric acid crystals in your joints by up to 60 percent.
Final Words
As you can see, there are numerous benefits of drinking black coffee. It is because of the many nutrients found in it. Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant found in black coffee that helps with heart and brain health. On the other hand, it helps flush out toxins from your body. The nutrients and antioxidants in black coffee help in preventing cancer growth, diabetes, liver disease and failure, and many other conditions. However, be sure to consume it only in moderate amounts.
References:
1) Evans, J., Richards, J. R., & Battisti, A. S. (2022). Caffeine. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30137774/
2) Caffeine induces neurobehavioral effects through modulating neurotransmitters. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7132598/
3) Effects of caffeine on neuromuscular fatigue and performance during high-intensity cycling exercise in moderate hypoxia. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27864638/
So.. if you put sugar and creamer in your coffee you don't get the same benefits?
You’re right. If you put creamer and sugar, it doesn’t have the same benefits anymore. Please try just black coffee without sugar. Hope this helpful
Always so helpful-many tahnks. NM.
Excellent article. I drink 2 cups of black coffee a day and occ 3. Love it!
What about decaffeinated coffee? Is it better or worse?
It still good as long you are not putting creamer or sugar into it.
Great Information!❤️