10 Things Coffee Does To Your Body

We all love to wake up with a nice steaming cup of coffee to get us started. In fact, this writer is happily sipping one right now.

But did you ever stop to think just what that morning coffee is actually doing to your body? Well, we’re here with the answers, and you’ll be surprised just how much that little cup is positively changing your body.

1. Improves Energy And Brain Function

If you always feel a little bit more on your game after a cup of coffee, there’s more at work than you first thought. Thanks to the caffeine present in coffee, every cup you drink gives you an energy boost. But as well as bettering your energy levels, it also improves vigilance, reaction times and general cognitive function. That’s right, your morning coffee makes you a smarter and more effective thinker, as well as giving you the mental energy to get your day started. Bonus!

2. Burns Fat

There isn’t too much better than that little jolt of energy you get after consuming your first cup of piping hot brew with the rising sun. It turns out that little jolt isn’t just waking you up, it’s kick starting your metabolism.

A 2013 study found that having some coffee before physical activity pushes your body into fat-burning mode, instead of energy burning. So if you’re a workout person, get a coffee before you start, and focus on fat-burning in the first part of your workout to get the most out of it.

3. Boosts Antioxidants

Most people don’t know this, but coffee is packed full of antioxidants. Antioxidants have a hand in everything from skincare to cancer defence, and your morning brew means that you’re getting a full dose. If you’re wondering about the benefit of this, consider having a read up of this study from the University of Scranton that suggests a morning cuppa can help fortify you against cancer, Alzheimer’s and even heart disease.

4. Improves Effect of Pain Killers

You’ve probably already seen painkillers on the shelf with ‘added caffeine’. The good news is, if you’ve got a headache, you don’t have to go out and spend more on these newfangled painkillers. Instead, just wash down the ones you have with a cup of coffee.

A study into the phenomenon showed that there was a significant statistics benefit to the effectiveness of painkillers when they were taken with 100 milligrams of caffeine. This is around the same amount in a mug of coffee, so slurp away!

5. Boosts Mood

We already know that coffee gives your body a pick-me-up, but did you know it can also give your mood a boost?

A study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that drinking a cup of coffee has similar effects to an antidepressant and can radically reduce suicidal tendencies. The study suggested that between two and four cups a day was ideal to get the benefits.

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