Collection: Coffee

Coffee isn’t just tasty and energizing — it may also be extremely good for you. In recent years and decades, scientists have studied the effects of coffee on various aspects of health. Their results have been nothing short of amazing. First, caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which has a stimulating effect. Controlled studies show that caffeine improves both mood and brain function. 

Caffeine raises metabolic rate and helps mobilize fatty acids from fat tissues. It can also enhance physical performance. Drinking coffee is associated with a drastically reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. People who drink several cups per day are the least likely to develop diabetes. Coffee is associated with a much lower risk of dementia and the neurodegenerative disorders Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Coffee appears to be protective against certain liver disorders, lowering the risk of liver cancer by 40% and cirrhosis by as much as 80%. Drinking coffee has been associated with a lower risk of death in prospective observational studies, especially in people with type 2 diabetes. 

Coffee isn’t just black water. Many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink, which actually contains a decent amount of vitamins and minerals. One cup of coffee contains:

• 6% of the RDA for pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
• 11% of the RDA for riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• 2% of the RDA for niacin (B3) and thiamine (B1)
• 3% of the RDA for potassium and manganese

Coffee is also one of the biggest sources of antioxidants in the modern diet.