Is Coffee Really Good for You

Coffee maybe your legal addiction of choice, but it provides many perks, so to speak, beyond simply waking you up to start your day. Many people feel that drinking something so good must be bad for you, but the truth of the matter is that coffee tastes good, and it is actually good for your health to boot. You no longer have to see coffee as a guilty pleasure, and many of the side effects of caffeine can provide added benefits on a daily basis.

So where do we begin?

• Drinking caffeine is actually good for you. Many people consider caffeine to be bad for you because it was once associated with smokers who metabolize caffeine twice as fast as non-smokers. Smokers are more likely to drink coffee, and they are also prone to having health problems. However, nicotine, not caffeine, is to blame. If you don't suffer from heart arrhythmia, high blood pressure, anxiety, or other health problems, then drinking coffee regularly will not pose any issue, as confirmed by the research psychologist of the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Harris Lieberman, PhD.

Caffeine will improve aerobic ability. If you want greater benefits from exercise, caffeine could be the perfect tool to increase your stamina. When you don't have caffeine, you will be somewhat sluggish mentally, and you will also have less energy physically. Caffeine can boost your exercise performance 10% to 15% longer, and it will prevent you from getting tired. Caffeine also provides analgesic benefits so that you can work out for a longer period of time before experiencing muscle soreness.

• Caffeine is a stimulant. 250 mg of caffeine is equivalent to 2 cups of Joe, and it can triple the adrenaline found in your bloodstream to increase your rate of respiration. Caffeine affects the brain by intercepting adenosine, which is a chemical that will slow down the signals that cause drowsiness. Caffeine will also work to increase dopamine in the body to stimulate pleasure, so it provides the ability to help you feel relaxed and alert at the same time.

Caffeine provides improved mental focus. Drinking coffee prior to a performance review or big meeting is a good idea because it will improve mental ability. If you drink an amount of caffeine that equals 2 cups of coffee, it can negate the side effects of sleep deprivation by improving memory and alertness by up to 60%.

• Caffeine will not increase blood pressure. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently dispelled the myth that caffeine causes a risk for hypertension, although sugary drinks and diet sodas do cause this risk. For anyone that has regular blood pressure, the change in heart rate is so small that it can't even be measured, and it will normally go away within a few minutes. If you have high blood pressure, reduce your caffeinated coffee drinking in moderation.