17 Surprising Facts and Benefits of Drinking Coffee
Some of us just can't make it through the day without our cup of coffee, and I can't say it's hard to see why. People call coffee "the fuel of the modern man" as a joke, but it's not really too far from the truth. Take a look at any office during the morning hours and the majority of people will be drinking coffee. While I also love tea, there is still much to be said about the benefits and the facts you never knew about coffee:
1. Your body doesn’t need coffee when you wake up.
We naturally produce a hormone called
cortisol which has a very similar effect to caffeine. This hormone is
made at certain times of the day based on our circadian rhythm. It's
important to identify the best time to drink your coffee so you can
enjoy its maximum efficacy.
2. Coffee isn’t as dehydrating as people think.
Caffeine was once thought to be a significant diuretic, but it's really
not true unless it’s consumed in large quantities. In fact, studies have
shown that urine output isn’t significantly changed when a person
drinks a caffeinated drink or a non-caffeinated drink. So as long as you
enjoy your coffee in normal amounts, there’s no reason to fear
dehydration.
3. The "powers" of coffee were discovered
by goats.
According to legend, Ethiopian shepherds were the first to notice the
caffeinating effects of coffee. They were herding their goats in the
area where the coffee plants grew and noticed their goats started
“dancing” after eating coffee berries.
4. Coffee can lead to a longer and healthier life.
Coffee- Drink -Facts
Coffee has lots of antioxidants that help our body fight chemicals
called “free radicals”. Thanks to that, coffee drinkers are at a lower
risk of diseases such as Parkinson’s, Type II Diabetes, and certain
heart problems. However, coffee drinkers are also more likely to have
unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol. The study shown
above has been adjusted to show what could happen if these other factors
weren’t in effect.
5. Coffee contains important nutrients.
A single cup of coffee contains 11% of the daily recommended amount of
vitamin B2, 6% for vitamin B5, 3% of Manganese and Potassium, and much
more. As long as you drink good coffee, with no added chemicals or too
much sugar, you're doing your body a favor.
6. Coffee can help you burn fat.
Studies have proven that caffeine can increase your metabolism by 3% to
11%. It’s one of the few natural chemicals that have the power to
encourage the process of burning fat.
7. All coffee is grown in "The Coffee Belt".
All the regions that have the conditions
needed for coffee growing are located in The Coffee Belt. The plants
require lots of sunshine and warmth and the tropical belt has plenty of
those.
8. There's a reason why iced coffee is more expensive.
The resources needed for iced coffee are more numerous and expensive
than your regular coffee drink. From plastic cups, extra napkins, double
brewing, and extra electrical power to make it all work. Those things
add up, and so establishments charge more for their iced drinks.
9. Caffeine is a crystal
The true form of caffeine isn’t liquid but rather tiny 0.0016-inch
crystals. As small as they are, they still have a powerful energizing
effect on us.
10. Coffee is great for your liver.
People who drink four cups of coffee a day
are 80% less likely to develop cirrhosis, a condition that develops from
several diseases affecting the liver. However, four cups of coffee is a
lot, so don't drink that much. Even in smaller amounts, coffee can
still help protect your liver.
11. Caffeine kicks in quickly.
It takes as little as ten minutes for you to start feeling the effects
of caffeine after you take a sip of coffee. It's one of the fastest
effecting foods we eat and drink!
12. Coffee can help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Several studies have shown that people who drink coffee are up to 65%
less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease, and, as a result, are also less
likely to suffer from dementia.
13. The most expensive coffee on Earth is made from poop.
The most expensive coffee types in the world are made from beans that
have been digested. Black Ivory costs $50 per cup and is made from
elephant poo. Luwak, aka civet, coffee is made by feeding coffee beans
to mongoose, it costs $160 per pound.
14. Coffee beans were once red berries.
Those red berries in the picture are the
coffee berries, they grow on trees and from them, we get the coffee
beans we need to make our favorite drink.
15. The first webcam in the world was
invented for coffee.
The first known use of a webcam dates back to 1991, at the University of
Cambridge. Scientists set a camera on their coffee pot and streamed the
footage live on the web so that they would be able to see if the pot
was empty or not. We should all be very happy that lazy people who want
coffee exist in our world.
16. Coffee houses were once banned in England.
In 1675, King Charles II banned coffee
shops and issued closing warrants, because he thought people were
meeting in coffee houses to conspire against him.
17. Caffeine improves your performance when working out.
Another benefit of caffeine is that it increases your levels of
adrenaline and releases fatty acids from fat tissues. This leads to
better physical performances by those who consume caffeine before
working out.