Here’s why your morning cup of joe is much more beneficial to your health than you might think!

From the desk of Miles Everson:

I hope you’re doing great!

Every Friday, I tackle topics about health, wealth, well-being, happiness, the future of work, book reviews, marketing, tips, etc. in the hopes of helping you take your personal life and career life to the next level.

Today, I want to talk about coffee and why it’s not just an aspect of one’s morning ritual.

Curious?

Continue reading below to know the relationship between coffee and aging gracefully!

Here’s why your morning cup of joe is much more beneficial to your health than you might think!

For many, a morning cup of coffee is considered a part of their daily morning routine.

The morning “cup of joe,” as it’s fondly called, serves as a pick-me-up drink that enables many to go about their day.

In fact, coffee consumption has grown steadily throughout the years, with 66% of Americans drinking coffee each day.

However, did you know that coffee is more than just a part of one’s morning ritual?

Instead, the morning cup of coffee most of you tend to be so fond of can actually help you stay mentally sharp as you age.

According to a long-term study, those who consumed about 315 mg of caffeine per day (equal to around one and three cups of coffee) had higher chances of reaching age 70 without suffering from any chronic conditions, maintaining physical function, being in good mental shape, and without suffering from any cognitive impairment or memory issues.

The 30-year study conducted by researchers included over 47,500 women, with dietary and health data collected since 1984.

Researchers conducted follow-ups with the participants every four years. By 2016, over 3,700 individuals in the study met all the requirements to be considered “healthy agers” and were found to have typically consumed an average of 315 mg of caffeine per day, with more than 80% of consumption being driven by coffee drinking.

For women in the “healthy agers” group, each extra cup of coffee drank each day amounted to a 2% to 5% higher chance of doing well later in life.

Researchers who conducted the study were not able to find any significant association between drinking decaffeinated coffee or tea with an increased likelihood of healthy aging.

… but wait, coffee isn’t the only source of caffeine, so how about beverages like sodas? Will it yield the same health benefits?

Unfortunately, it won’t. Consumption of soda was linked to a 20% to 26% lower likelihood of healthy aging.

Said another way, not all sources of caffeine provide the health benefits outlined in the research conducted by Dr. Sara Mahdavi and her colleagues.

So, it’s clear that drinking coffee can do wonders for you as you age, but what are the other things you should look out for?

According to the researchers, in general, up to two cups of coffee each day should be safe and potentially beneficial for most individuals. Beyond that, consuming more may be beneficial for some but may not be healthy for others.

In another related study conducted by Dr. Mahdavi and her colleagues discovered that genetic variation can influence the relationship between caffeine intake and health benefits, so more caffeine isn’t always better, especially if you have lower caffeine tolerance or have specific genetic susceptibility.

It should be noted that it’s not currently known if non-coffee drinks could get the same benefits if they’ve suddenly started drinking coffee.

Coffee and Its Other Health Benefits

Beyond the discovery made in the research we mentioned above, coffee intake has been found to block adenosine, the neurotransmitter responsible for making you feel tired and enabling you to be more alert.

Consumption of this drink has also been associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

With that said, it’s easy to assume that all you need to do is drink coffee to get all of the health benefits it can offer.

… but not so fast, though!

A distinction has to be made in the type of coffee drink you’re consuming.

As mentioned above, coffee consumption has seen a dramatic rise for the past few years. However, this has also led to the rise of beverages loaded with artificial sweeteners like syrups, sauces, and sugar.

Medical experts have cautioned against adding sweeteners to coffee as this can increase the risk of diabetes and obesity instead of providing health benefits.

Simply said, the health benefits associated with coffee thus far is attributed to black coffee—a beverage that contains no sugary additives .

Another thing you should watch out for is overconsumption.

Drinking too much coffee can negatively impact your sleep and inadvertently increase your stress, which can snowball into a bunch of harmful health conditions.

So, before you rush to grab your cup of coffee, we hope you take the time to remember the insights we shared with you today!

If you drink your coffee moderately (and without sugar and artificial sweeteners), you should be able to reap the health benefits it has to offer!

Of course, if you have any health conditions that can be exacerbated by caffeine intake, be sure to consult with your doctor first.

After all, there’s more than one way to age gracefully if you’re not a natural coffee drinker or your health conditions preclude you from doing so.

We hope you learned a lot from today’s article!

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