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The health benefits of drinking coffee

coffee
Hmmm, good coffee, *

I drink coffee.  It helps me wake, it helps me focus.  It helps me write.

I love the smell.  (I don’t think I have ever had a coffee that tasted quite as good the smell.)  Coffee smells good.

On a good day, I’ll have 3.  On a tough day, where my concentration is not good, where I have been woken a few times during the night by my visiting daughter…  I’ll get up to 5.

And when its really bad…  I can make it to 7.

I drink expresso.  Here in Spain it’s called “Cafe solo”.  Sometimes I’ll go for a long black, in spanish “cafe americano”.

As I think about whether I should decrease my coffee drinking as part of my 2015 resolutions, I decided to do a quick study on the health effects of caffeine.

It looks like good stuff.  Maybe I should keep drinking 3-4 cups a day?

How much do you drink?

Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee

I found that coffee can help you…

[Edit] Contrasting Viewpoints and Other Perspectives

Readers have shared a few views from the other side:

 What else does caffeine do for us?  Have I missed anything?

 Photo Credit

* Photo Credit: Rsms via Compfight cc

13 responses to “The health benefits of drinking coffee”

  1. Thanks for the interesting article about drinking coffee. I had no idea that it could actual improve and boost someone’s capillary blood flow. I’m interested to learn if this could be beneficial for someone that struggles to have a consistent blood flow or similar problems.

  2. I know Sarah from Health Home Economist mentioned she has a sensitivity specific to coffee, and that she can have tea or other caffeinated beverages without a problem. So Coffee itself may not work for some individuals. But the interesting idea is that the caffeine in coffee could be the link to some of its benefits, so caffeine from other sources could also provide some benefits.

  3. And recent studies are showing a link between coffee and a reduction of endometrial cancer.

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  5. I am reading this … over a cup of coffee.

    A nice post. Here are some personal observations:

    1. I started drinking coffee years ago at university in Canada. Always added sugar and milk. Quickly weaned myself off sugar. Then, soon after moving to Europe in 1998, I stopped using milk. Since then, I always drink my coffee black, though I will enjoy a cappuccino every now and then.

    2. I now find the coffee in Canada and the US virtually undrinkable. It is not that it is “bad” coffee; it’s just that it is far too weak for me after drinking great coffee here in Europe. Yes, I have become a coffee snob.

    3. I don’t get headaches often, but when I do, they tend to radiate down the back of my neck. A cup of coffee helps reduce the pain.

    4. Coffee and I have a very good relationship. I love a cup or two in the morning and will occasionally have one in the afternoon or evening. But I can go without coffee for days and not have any withdrawal and then turn around and have a double espresso at 10:00 pm and sleep like a baby. In this regard, I am lucky compared to most coffee drinkers I know.

    5. Here’s a productivity boost tip I discovered last year (though I have only used it a couple of times). If you need that afternoon boost, have an espresso and then take a 20-minute nap. It takes about 20 minutes for the caffeine to fully enter your system and 20 minutes is the ideal time for a nap. When you wake up, you will have rested and the caffeine is just kicking in.

    6. Finally, here is a link to The Oatmeal’s great site and an interesting / humorous post on coffee: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/coffee

    That’s it! A very Merry Christmas to you, Ekaterina and Alexandra! I am off to get a second cup!

    John

  6. Reblogged this on Health Continuum and commented:
    As a New Year’s resolution, Conor was contemplating decreasing his coffee intake. He really likes coffee; the smell, the taste. If you’re thinking of decreasing or even quitting coffee, here’s an interesting post by Conor on the health benefits of coffee. In my opinion, 3-4 cups of coffee a day is fine. Coffee contains antioxidants and other properties that are good for your health. So, if coffee gives you pleasure and it tastes good and is also good for your health (when consumed in moderation), then perhaps think about not quitting but just reducing your intake.

  7. * Just noticed my error above – Should be *women not *woman.
    All the very best for Christmas!

    1. Likewise, have a great Christmas and best for 2015. Hasta pronto!

  8. Cool stuff, you covered most of it. After a little digging it was interesting to note that men drink coffee to “get the job done, and woman drink coffee to “relax”. Did you know that 2.5 Billion cups of java are consumed daily? That’s a lot of coffee!

    I would add to your list: Coffee brings people together – “Let’s meet for a coffee”. If the company and the coffee are good, one is quite likely to feel happier in general – a health benefit.

    p.s. Interesting that you used “expresso” not “espresso”.

    1. Nice – the social benefits of coffee… I had only looked at the chemical effects, not the social benefits!!!

  9. Evening Conor,

    Many years ago I opted for tea for overall health reasons. I seldom drink coffee. A review of Google
    articles on the subject of coffee versus tea are inconclusive. See: http://www.salon.com/ the truth about coffee and tea…which is really the better ?. (Institute of Health).

    Enjoy.

    Best wishes.

    John

  10. I miss coffee 🙂
    Love this post 🙂

  11. As a writer, you should know….
    You have NEVER been “woken” during the night. You have ALWAYS been “awakened”!!
    Please…no more grammatical fingers on chalkboards. Have another cup of coffee! 🙂

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