Growing up, I could never understand why my Dad would drink a minimum of two cups of coffee every morning. As I got older, it became clearer that he needed the caffeine to wake him up before work in the morning. Now that I am in college, I have realized that it is not just my Dad who has multiple cups of coffee everyday. Walking to class, you will definitely find many students and adults with a coffee cup. Personally, I have never liked drinking coffee but after seeing so many people “obsessed” with their morning coffee, I wonder if I should start drinking it too.
I have been trying to decide if I should make a cup of coffee apart of my daily routine and by researching it, I have found that there are a lot of advantages to drinking coffee. The Huffington Post shared an article explaining eleven advantages to drinking coffee. Some of their reasoning really stood out to me. Boosting your mood is one of the perks that was listed in the article. Coffee contains antioxidants which allow people to feel happier when they drink it. In addition, people who drink four or more cups of coffee a day are 10% less likely to be depressed and drinking coffee is linked to lower levels of suicide. Suicide reduces up to 50% with people who drink coffee daily. It has even been proven that just smelling coffee can make you feel less stressed.
Drinking coffee also has perks that will directly interest college students. According to the article from Huffington Post, coffee may make you more intelligent. People are prone to drinking coffee when they are sleep deprived because the caffeine makes them feel awake. Coffee allows your brain to work in a much more efficient way. Also, coffee can make you a better athlete. If you are at Penn State to play a sport, try drinking coffee before you perform because caffeine is known for jolting athletic performance. Coffee is also great for your liver, especially if you drink alcohol. People who drink a cup of coffee a day are 20% less likely to develop liver cirrhosis. This disease is caused by excessive alcohol consumption but drinking coffee can lower your chances of getting it.
Coffee may also have a big impact on long term effects for us. According to Authority Nutrition, coffee can lower your risk of getting type II diabetes, it may protect you from getting Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, it could lower your risk of getting Parkinson’s disease, it can lower your chances of having a stroke and it can even help to prevent you from getting certain kinds of cancer. It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to reduce our chance of getting any of these diseases and according to this article, maybe coffee can help!
After reading through these advantages, I have concluded that I this popular beverage is something I should try. But first, I must acquire a taste for it! What are your thoughts on coffee consumption?
Your post was very interesting so I did some further research on the link between coffee and intelligence this article talks about how scientists have found that coffee does indeed make you smarter. You should read this article I think you would find it interesting.
http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2012/01/19/caffeine-intake-may-boost-intelligence-study-shows
It is interesting that you bring the topic of coffee up because not too long ago, I actually made it a habit to drink coffee every morning. In high school, I was not a big coffee drinker because I did not like the way it tasted and found it a hassle to have to make it in the morning when I barely had time to get dressed for school. Prior to coming to Penn State I thought it would be very beneficial to start drinking coffee due to the amount of stress and school work that I would acquire. Ever since I started to drink coffee, I have been feeling extremely awake, alert, and motivated to get through my classes and school work for the day. Before reading your blog post, I was not aware of all of the other positives that came along with drinking coffee such as the fact that it makes you a better athlete and can lower your risk of getting Type II diabetes. However, while coffee brings about many benefits, it is important to be aware of the downsides that it has. According to the article I listed below, coffee can cause wrinkles and can even lead to osteoporosis. In addition, coffee can induce weight gain from the blood sugar fluctuations that caffeine brings about, leading to food cravings.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-coffee-pros-cons.html
I LOVE this topic. As a caffeine and coffee addict myself, I love hearing how awesome coffee is for me. Another pro for coffee is that it actually jolts your metabolism. Last year around February, I weighed a hefty 215 pounds. No longer playing football or training to be big, I realized I should really drop some weight. Along with a strict low carb diet and cardio oriented workout program, I drank tons of coffee. Never being a huge coffee guy beforehand, I immediately experienced the pros. By July, I had lost 30 pounds, dropping down to a much leaner 185 pounds. I feel great, and I attribute a lot of that to the benefits I’ve experienced from drinking coffee. However, I’m interested in the cons of coffee. Aside from the obvious problems of yellow teeth and using the bathroom all the time, what other problems could arise from frequent coffee consumption? Maybe that would be a great topic for your next blog.
I liked that you brought up this topic with the coffee. A year ago one of my best friends tried to get me into coffee but the only way I can drink it is half coffee half milk and tons of sugar. Drinking coffee has a lot of advantages just what you said but what I don`t like is that after some time you body starts to feel different if you don`t get your cup or two cups of coffee in the morning. I don`t like being attached to things and special if my body feels that something is “missing” and I think that people will agree with me on that.
Even thought, this one study showed that with two large cups of coffee which is 3mg/kg body weight of caffeine, cerebral blood flow mesuarements showed that caffeine did not activeta the brain circuit of dependence in humans, but activated regions involved in attetion, vigilance, and anxiety.
So I think it depends if you drink it because you need it or you just enjoy drink coffee.
http://www.coffeeandhealth.org/research-centre/overview/caffeine-and-dependence-2/
I don’t drink coffee everyday, but when I do, I feel a lot more energized and ready for the day. The caffeine in it makes me attentive and helps me focus a lot better. My parents and grandparents all drink coffee every day. During my junior year, I would bring a cup of coffee to school every morning and on mornings when I didn’t bring coffee, I would get headaches, so I had to stop bringing coffee.