The daily grind: How a good cup of coffee can keep you healthy

Most Pakistanis may prefer their chai but winter is the season to curl up with a big cup of hot coffee


Creative: Omer Asim December 23, 2014

Most Pakistanis may prefer their chai but winter is the season to curl up with a big cup of hot coffee. We are all guilty of loading up on some delicious brew to brace the cold breeze. But did you know that coffee has many other health benefits, apart from keeping us warm and energetic?

According to a study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine, there is a 13% decrease in the likelihood of death amongst women who consume two to three cups of coffee a day. And the golden beans don’t stop there! Read on to find out how your coffee addiction may actually prove to be healthy for you.

Some coffee during the day can keep the doctor away: Coffee beans are perhaps the greatest sources of antioxidants one can eat or drink. In fact, researchers have suggested that there are more antioxidants in coffee than most fruits or vegetables.

A stress-busting brew: You might have heard that just a little bit of coffee is enough to keep one up all night but according to scientists at Seoul National University, the aroma of freshly-ground coffee beans actually counters stress and promotes sleep. People across the world keep a bag of roasted coffee on their nightstands to calm their muscles and prepare them for a good slumber.

The new drink of intellectuals: All those overworked students and professionals who claim to survive on coffee aren’t lying. As it turns out, coffee is one of the few, non-alcoholic warm drinks which wakes us up and sharpens our senses, thereby making us more susceptible to information. Micheal Lemonick, a reporter for Time Magazine, once said, “When you’re sleep-deprived and you take caffeine, pretty much anything you measure will improve. Reaction time, vigilance, attention, logical reasoning — most of the complex functions associated with intelligence.”

Caffeine cures: From a medical point of view, coffee can be very helpful in preventing a variety of diseases. For instance, women who consume over three cups of coffee have been found to be less vulnerable to skin cancer than those who do not. Similarly, coffee and the ingredients found in it reduce risk of Type 2 Diabetes and curtail the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease — a progressive neuro disorder which hampers movement of the human body. In fact, the scientific news giant, Science Daily, reported in 2012 that caffeine actually promotes movement in people who already have the disorder. Caffeine also helps keep the brain healthy and alert and can not only reduce the risk but also delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.

Know what different types of coffees contain



 
SOURCE: WOMEN’S HEALTH MAGAZINE

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, December 21st, 2014.

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