Who knew your morning cup of coffee came with amazing health benefits! No matter how you take it, caffeine can have some significant impacts on the body, keep reading to find out what it might be doing for you! Check it our how caffeine works to:
1. Reduce Muscle Pain
Did you know that caffeine is one of the main ingredients in effective pain relief medications like Anacin and Excedrin? Caffeine can be helpful in reducing pain for acute situations like after a hard workout, due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Research has even shown that caffeine can reduce post-exercise muscle pain by a whopping 50%!
However, caffeine tolerance may impact the effectiveness of pain relief or increased pain. If you consume a lot of caffeine where after suddenly stopping, this may worsen your condition. If you do not consume a lot of caffeine and start consuming too much, you may become reliant, therefore it’s important to use caffeine in moderation!
2. Improve Memory & Protect the Brain
As we know, caffeine can be very stimulating, especially for the brain -- that’s why we love to start our mornings off with a big cup of fresh brew! Research has proven this type of stimulation helps increase mental alertness, wakefulness and specifically boosts long-term memory.
These reasons are most likely why we crave caffeine, especially when we have had a lack of sleep! Recent studies also show that caffeine can have protective effects on the brain against degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Dosage and timing play a role in its effectiveness as well -- moderation is key when consuming caffeine. Overconsumption can result in irritability, poor sleep, anxiety, increased heart rate and inability to concentrate, be sure to start slow!
3. Lower Risk of Deadly Diseases
There is significant evidence that links caffeine consumption to a reduced risk of developing harmful diseases like heart disease and even cancers such as prostate and liver.
This is partly due to caffeine’s anti-inflammatory properties, high antioxidant content and ability to increase the speed of carcinogens through the digestive tract, resulting in minimal gut exposure.
There are a handful of other additional compounds that have been found in caffeine displaying anticarcinogenic, chemoprotective and anti-tumor effects. Thanks to coffees popularity, more and more research is being done relating caffeine and disease.
4. Help Manage Weight
Studies have shown that caffeine may stimulate brown adipose tissue (fat cells) which increase metabolic rate, therefore burning more calories. Caffeine can also assist you in staying on track with your dietary goals as it’s known to reduce appetite, helping you eat less and cut cravings.
In addition to achieving your goals, caffeine increases energy and may improve performance when properly hydrated during physical activity, which can give you the extra push you need to stay focused and motivated during your workouts.
5. Reduce Chronic Inflammation
Evidence from a Stanford University study has shown that in certain individuals, caffeine blocks a specific pathway that is responsible for age-related chronic inflammation.
This type of inflammation can build up leading to serious damage in the body like high blood pressure, hardening of arteries and even heart disease. Regular caffeine consumption is said to have a higher impact in reducing this type of inflammation.
For these 5 reasons and many more, consider adding a healthy dose of caffeine to your diet! This can be done through supplementation, healthy caffeinated beverages like organic coffee, matcha or tea AND even chocolate!
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