For many of us, coffee is a staple of our mornings. We grab a cup to wake us up for the day’s adventures and maybe another cup later on to keep us energized. With September 29th being National Coffee Day, here are some health benefits of drinking coffee to celebrate.

As we all know, the caffeine that’s in coffee is a stimulant that will speed up your central nervous system. That causes the alertness and less fatigue that we want when we have our morning coffee. Besides enhancing your energy level, this stimulant could also improve brain functions, such as memory, mood, and vigilance. This is because caffeine blocks the inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine, allowing other neurotransmitters to increase in production, like dopamine. It will also increase epinephrine levels, otherwise known as adrenaline, releasing fatty acids from fat tissues, and positively impacting physical performance.

Coffee beans contain a lot of essential nutrients that will be included in our drink. Potassium, magnesium, riboflavin, and niacin are a few. It also helps provide antioxidants and fiber.. Along with getting your daily vitamins, studies have shown that coffee could prevent certain serious illnesses. Coffee drinkers are shown to have a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, and multiple sclerosis. The drink may also protect your liver from cirrhosis and liver cancer. While coffee may briefly increase your blood pressure, it’s not believed to raise your risk of heart disease. Rather, while drinking in moderation, it may actually reduce your risk, particularly with strokes and blood pressure. The reduced risk of these illnesses has lead to possible conclusions that drinking coffee may help life longevity. 

Studies have also shown that those who drink four or more cups of coffee per day had lower risks of mild to moderate depression and suicide. This may also be dependent on how caffeine affects each person individually, but the stimulant is linked to enhancing positive emotions such as kindness, happiness, and calmness due to helping the release of dopamine be more effective.  It’s also important to drink in moderation as excessive caffeine could cause side effects such as trouble sleeping, jitters, anxiety, and irritability. 

It’s also worth noting that while coffee contains a lot of health benefits, adding sugar, cream, or flavored creamers may negate these benefits. This makes sense when thinking of how black coffee may protect against cavities and periodontal disease, but additional sweeteners would reduce this protection. Whichever way you drink your coffee, you’ll be getting some positives to your health, but be sure to note any side effects and consider cutting back to a moderation that suits you.