13 Surprising Health Benefits of Coffee

For a very long time, medicine and science believed that ingesting coffee, or the caffeine in coffee to be precise, would have a negative effect on a person's health. Of course the majority of us ignored these claims and most of us continued to consume our favorite beverage.

The good news is that recent research carried out by numerous medical professionals from universities and health care institutes have shown that caffeine actually has many benefits to our minds and bodies. The caffeine present in a daily coffee can help us to live longer, increase our mental ability and focus, fight depression, and even help us to lose weight. So what's not to like about the nation's most popular drink?

The following infographic gives 13 reasons why a daily fix of coffee is a good thing. Additional information for each point can be found underneath.

1. Caffeine Boosts Your Energy Levels
Caffeine can boost our energy levels by affecting the adenosine receptors in our brains. These receptors bind within our neural membranes which decreases and slows down our neural activity, making us feel lethargic. When we consume caffeine, this binds with the neural membranes instead, leaving less room for the adenosine receptors, therefore, decreasing our tiredness.

Caffeine also has an impact on our adrenal glands. When stimulated, our adrenal glands produce adrenalin, commonly known as the flight or fight hormone, which gives us an energy burst.

2. Caffeine Reduces Suicide Risk and Depression
A study that was carried out by medical researchers at Harvard University over a period of 24-years has shown that the risk of depression in women is significantly reduced by ingesting caffeine. This study measured the caffeine intake of 50,739 women and compared this with their depression levels using the Cox proportional hazards regression model.

Although Harvard have pointed out that further research is required, early conclusions suggest that a higher caffeine intake does indeed reduce the risk of depression, and by association suicide, in women.

3. Caffeine Strengthens DNA

DNA strands break naturally and our bodies usually repair them, but it isn't always that simple. For example, a double strand break can cause a toxic legion which in turn can cause your body to produce mutated cells which are often cancerous. Naturally, this is something we definitely want to avoid and a recent study by the European Journal of Nutrition has revealed that caffeine strengthens DNA strands and helps to prevent dangerous breakages.

The month-long study involved healthy males with similar weights and diets going for a run. After the run, the control group were given 750ml of water to drink and the test group were given 750ml of dark roast coffee to drink. The results showed that DNA strand breakages increased slightly in those who were drinking water and decreased significantly in those drinking coffee. In fact, there was a 27% difference between the two groups. The test conclusively proved that caffeine can help to stabilize DNA.

4. Caffeine Reduces Cravings
Consuming caffeine can help to curb cravings and suppress your appetite. When coupled with the energy boost that means you can still exercise, or at the very least go about your daily life, with no adverse effects or sluggish feeling, this can greatly help anyone who is trying to keep their weight down.

The Griffith University in Australia is currently doing research on this area. The participants are given a drink with breakfast and another two hours later, and their hunger or fullness is monitored over a four-five-hour period.

One group is given caffeinated coffee, one water, and interestingly, the third group is given decaffeinated coffee which means that the test can prove whether a mind over matter mentality has an effect on hunger. The group taking the caffeinated coffee are reporting significantly less hunger pangs and cravings through the morning than the groups who are drinking decaffeinated coffee and water.

The study is still in its early stages and more research is being carried out, but early results suggest a definite trend between consuming caffeine and keeping cravings away.

5. Caffeine Burns Calories
The American Society for Clinical Nutrition conducted a study where the aim was to prove that caffeine stimulates thermogenesis in humans. Thermogenesis is the production of heat, and this heat allows the body to burn calories a lot faster. It is enhanced by exercise, and if you combine this with caffeine, the effects are a lot more noticeable.

The study found a positive correlation between caffeine intake and thermogenic responses. In other words, those who consumed caffeine burned more calories when exercising than those who did not.

6. Caffeine Improves Your Focus

The anterior cingulate and the anterior cingulate gyrus in the pre-frontal lobe of your brain work together to control your attention span.

A 2005 study carried out at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria showed, using MRI scans, that caffeine promoted an increase in brain activity. Although the study's results were unclear as to how long this effect lasts, even a short time boost on your focus can help in your productivity each day.

7. Caffeine Stimulates the Central Nervous System
The central nervous system can be negatively affected by caffeine as it can cause a mobilization of intercellular calcium and an inhibition of essential phosphodiesterases. However, the National Institute of Health has discovered that in order for caffeine to have these adverse effects, it would need to be consumed in larger quantities than is possible when drinking it.

When consuming caffeine in the normal way - through coffee, energy drinks, and naturally occurring caffeine - it activates non-adrenal neurons and stimulates the brain's production of serotonin and dopamine through the methylxanthine present in the caffeine. In simpler words, the release of these hormones will make you feel happy and will have a positive effect on the brain's ability for learning and memory. It can also improve your coordination.

8. Caffeine Could Be a Lifesaver
As has already been discussed, caffeine lowers the risk of depression and suicide and also helps to maintain a healthy weight - meaning you are less likely to die from obesity related diseases such as diabetes. Your risk of developing liver and cardiovascular disease can also be reduced by consuming caffeine regularly.
A 2005 study, published in the AHA Journal, showed a direct correlation between drinking coffee and living longer. The study, which was carried out on over 200,000 people, found that drinking 1-5 cups of coffee a day could lower your risk of early death by up to 15%.

9. Coffee is Healthy
Although caffeine can be consumed in many forms, most of us get our fix by drinking coffee. Coffee doesn't just contain caffeine - it contains a whole host of other minerals and compounds that make it one of the healthiest drinks to consume. It is full of natural anti-oxidants which help your body function in a healthy manner.

10.  Caffeine Reduces the Risk of Some Diseases
Consuming caffeine has been clinically proven to reduce the risk of:
Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia: The National Institute of Health carried out a number of CAIDE studies. In three out of every five studies, the results indicated that drinking 3-5 cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer's and Dementia by 65%.
Heart Disease: Studies carried out by the American Heart Association have found that 1-2 cups of coffee a day can perhaps reduce the risk of Heart Disease.  They do point out that some results were conflicting, but as there is no adverse effect of drinking coffee in moderation, they advise it as good practice.
Gout: A study carried out on 46,000 men found that effects of caffeine on warding off gout are very significant. While drinking 1-3 cups of coffee a day only reduced the risk by 8%, this figure shot up to 40% for those who drank 3-5 cups per day. As for those who drink more than 6 cups, the risk of getting gout is reduced to 60%.
Type 2 Diabetes: Harvard University carried out a study on 128,000 people. This study revealed that those who drank 3 or more cups of coffee a day were 37% less likely to develop type 2 Diabetes than those who only drink 1-2 cups per day. It also showed that for each cup of coffee you eliminate from your diet increases your risk of developing type 2 Diabetes by 11%.

11. Caffeine Brightens Your Mood and Vigilance
As discussed earlier, caffeine consumption increases your brain's production of dopamine and serotonin (the happy hormones). These hormones combine to increase our mood and give us an energy boost, which in turn boosts our mood.

12. Caffeine Improves Your Short Term Memory
Recent research carried out at John Hopkins University found a direct positive correlation between caffeine consumption and short term memory.
A control group were given a placebo, while the test group were given a tablet containing 200 mg of caffeine five minutes after studying a series of images. The next day, the participants were tested to see how many of the images they remembered. The group who consumed the pills performed a lot better that the control group.

13. Coffee is the Biggest Source of Anti-Oxidants
As mentioned previously, coffee contains a large range of anti-oxidants. These can help protect us from free radicals which many medical experts believe can lead to cancer and other diseases.

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The Numerous Health and Beauty Benefits of Rosehips

Rosehips have been known for their outstanding resilience for millennia, as these fruits are among the few that can resist the winter colds and typically only ripen once the first frost hits. But what is the secret of this resilience and could we borrow it from them? It turns out we can, and the traditional use of rosehips in medicine is now being further and further confirmed by the scientific method, discovering the many health benefits this humble red fruit hides beneath its shell.

Don’t be mistaken, however, as rosehips are not real fruits, they are what biologists call a pseudofruit or an accessory fruit, as the fragile seeds are being protected from harsh climatic conditions by a sturdy, vitamin-rich shell that forms from the floral cup that once hosted the delicate Dog Rose flower (see photo below).

It is exactly this shell that can be used to prepare a sweet cup of rosehip tea that boasts of having both anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, pain-relieving, and weight loss benefits. The seeds of the plant are covered in sharp needle-like fibers, so they cannot be used to prepare tea, but they are used to prepare rosehip seed oil that is particularly beneficial for the skin. Below, we go through the health benefits of both rosehip tea and rosehip seed oil separately, as well as explain how to prepare and use them.

The Health Benefits of Rosehip Tea

Rosehip tea is by far the most simple and delicious way to reap the health benefits of rose hips, as all you need is some dried rosehips and boiling water. You can either use them whole, use a dried and cleaned variety or cut them in half and remove the seeds and prickly fibers out of the shell and discard them before preparing the tea.

Here is how to make the tea: simply place 1.5 - 2.5 teaspoons of rose hips (around 7 pieces) into a cup and steep them in boiling water for 10 minutes. This nutritious tea is packed with vitamin C, E and β-Carotene, as well as polyphenol antioxidants, galactolipids and triterpene acids that account for its beneficial health effects. Rosehip tea has been found to have the following health benefits:

1. Reduces Pain and Inflammation

One of the most well-founded health benefits of rosehip is its anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing effect, with some doctors even claiming that rosehip supplements are comparable to NSAIDs. The majority of studies have been on patients experiencing chronic back pain, neck and shoulder pain, as well as osteoarthritis.

 A new articleshowed a significant reduction in pain compared to a placebo after 3 months of treatment. So, if you suffer from chronic pain, especially joint pain, drinking rosehip tea regularly or taking a rosehip supplement may reduce its intensity.

Apart from that, the tea and supplements may also have an anti-inflammatory effect for the joints, as the berries contain a type of plant-based fats called galactolipids.

2. Helps Weight Loss

If you have a high-fat diet, especially one that is rich in saturated animal fats, such as butter, bacon and other fatty meat and dairy produce and you’d like to shed a few inches off your waistline, drinking rosehip tea or taking a supplement may help you reach your weight loss goal a little bit faster. Both animal and human studies have shown that rose hips have a fat-burning effect, likely thanks to an antioxidant compound called tiliroside naturally existing in rose hips.

3. Boosts Immunity

Antioxidants are particularly important for our immune system, as they prevent the cells throughout our body from being damaged by free radicals and therefore strengthen our immune system. And the list of antioxidants in rose hips is just impeccable, as these small berries are packed with polyphenols, vitamin A and E.

But probably the main star of the show is vitamin C of which rosehips have plenty. In fact, according to some estimations, rose hips contain the most vitamin C per milligram than any other fruit or vegetable, with fresh rose hips containing as much as 1157.88 mg per 100 g. For comparison, an average lemon contains only 53 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, almost 22 times less than rosehip.

Unfortunately, vitamin C isn’t particularly stable and degrades during drying, but even so, a cup of rosehip tea remains rich in the vitamin. And while we know by now that vitamin C cannot prevent colds, it can prevent possible complications nad has many more health-strengthening benefits.

4. May Help Prevent Acquired Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is on the rise, and as any degenerative condition, it can be alleviated by antioxidant-rich foods and drinks, at least conceptually. Although scientists don’t know the exact mechanism of how rose hips can help prevent diabetes, there is some evidence showing it can.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of scientific studies conducted on human diabetes patients, but supplementing with rosehip has been shown to lower blood glucose levels, fasting insulin levels and liver lipid generation in mice. These diagnostic criteria for diabetes are the same in mice and humans, and so rosehip tea may be an extra preventative measure that can help reduce one’s chances of suffering from this dangerous condition.

5. Promotes Heart and Cardiovascular Health

Poor blood circulation is another one of those seemingly-inevitable conditions that we are more and more likely to suffer from as we age, be it caused by heart problems or atherosclerosis. Luckily, we have rosehip that could potentially help with both.

A diet rich in vitamin C, for example, has been associated with a lower blood level of triglycerides and the bad type of cholesterol (LDL), both of which contribute to atherosclerosis. Apart from that, rosehips are rich in flavonoid antioxidants, which were reported to reduce blood pressure and improve blood flow.

Health Benefits of Rosehip Oil

As mentioned previously, rosehip seed oil is derived from the seeds and not the entire rosehip. Like the pulp, these seeds are particularly rich in vitamin C and A, but also have beneficial plant-derived fatty acids that are particularly beneficial to the skin.

How to use: Rosehip oil is a carrier oil and not an essential oil, so it doesn’t have to be diluted and can be applied topically on the skin. It is also a so-called dry oil, meaning that it absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving an oily film on your skin. It’s best to purchase rosehip oil sold in a dark glass bottle, as exposure to the light may degrade the vitamins the oil contains. Rosehip oil is capable of boosting one’s skin health and youthful appearance.

Rosehip oil is very rich in vitamins C and A, the two staples of anti-aging creams and serums. Vitamin C works wonders for the skin, being capable of brightening hyperpigmentation and preventing sun damage. There is even some evidence that vitamin C can speed up wound healing and help treat atopic dermatitis.

Vitamin A, in turn, has been associated with wrinkle smoothing, reversing sun damage and treating acne. To use rosehip oil on your skin, simply apply a few drops as the last step in your skincare routine or instead of a moisturizer. 

Precautions and Interactions with Drugs

Rosehip rarely causes any allergic reactions and can usually be safely taken as a supplement in either form. However, it can increase the likelihood of developing kidney stones in some individuals, as well as lower the effectiveness of some drugs, so we highly recommend talking to your health provider if you’re considering adding rosehip to your diet or supplement regimen. Finally, pregnant and breastfeeding women should consult their doctor before drinking rosehip tea.

 

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