13 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science

Coffee is actually very healthy.

It is loaded with antioxidants and beneficial nutrients that can improve your health.

The studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of several serious diseases.

Here are the top 13 health benefits of coffee, that have been confirmed in actual human studies.

1. Coffee Can Improve Energy Levels and Make You Smarter

Coffee can help people feel less tired and increase energy levels (1, 2).

This is because it contains a stimulant called caffeine, which is actually the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world (3).

After you drink coffee, the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, it travels into the brain (4).

In the brain, caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine.

When that happens, the amount of other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine actually increases, leading to enhanced firing of neurons (5, 6).

Many controlled trials in humans show that coffee improves various aspects of brain function. This includes memory, mood, vigilance, energy levels, reaction times and general cognitive function (7, 8, 9).

BOTTOM LINE:Caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which leads to a stimulant effect. This improves energy levels, mood and various aspects of brain function.

2. Coffee Can Help You Burn Fat

Did you know that caffeine is found in almost every commercial fat burning supplement?

There's a good reason for that... caffeine is one of the very few natural substances that have actually been proven to aid fat burning.

Several studies show that caffeine can boost the metabolic rate by 3-11% (10, 11).

Other studies show that caffeine can specifically increase the burning of fat, by as much as 10% in obese individuals and 29% in lean people (12).

However, it is possible that these effects will diminish in long-term coffee drinkers.

BOTTOM LINE:Several studies show that caffeine can increase fat burning in the body and boost the metabolic rate.

3. The Caffeine Can Drastically Improve Physical Performance

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, causing it to send signals to the fat cells to break down body fat (13, 14).

But caffeine also increases Epinephrine (Adrenaline) levels in the blood (15, 16).

This is the "fight or flight" hormone, designed to make our bodies ready for intense physical exertion.

Caffeine makes the fat cells break down body fat, releasing them into the blood as free fatty acids and making them available as fuel (17, 18).

Given these effects, it is not surprising to see that caffeine can improve physical performanceby 11-12%, on average (20, 29).

Because of this, it makes sense to have a strong cup of coffee about a half an hour before you head to the gym.

BOTTOM LINE:Caffeine can increase adrenaline levels and release fatty acids from the fat tissues. It also leads to significant improvements in physical performance.

4. There Are Essential Nutrients in Coffee

Coffee is more than just black water. Many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink.

A single cup of coffee contains ( 21):

• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA.
• Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.
• Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA.
• Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA.

Although this may not seem like a big deal, most people are drinking more than one cup per day. If you drink 3-4, then these amounts quickly add up.

BOTTOM LINE:Coffee contains several important nutrients, including Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin.

5. Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Type II Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a gigantic health problem, currently afflicting about 300 million people worldwide.

It is characterized by elevated blood sugars in the context of insulin resistance or an inability to secrete insulin.

For some reason, coffee drinkers have a significantly reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The studies show that people who drink the most coffee have a 23-50% lower risk of getting this disease, one study showing a reduction as high as 67% (22, 23, 24, 25, 26).

According to a massive review that looked at data from 18 studies with a total of 457,922 individuals, each daily cup of coffee was associated with a 7% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes (27).

BOTTOM LINE:Several observational studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of getting type II diabetes, a serious disease that currently afflicts about 300 million people worldwide.

6. Coffee May Protect You From Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease and the leading cause of dementia worldwide.

This disease usually affects people over 65 years of age.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Alzheimer's.

However, there are several things you can do to prevent the disease from showing up in the first place.

This includes the usual suspects like eating healthy and exercising, but drinking coffee may be incredibly effective as well.

Several studies show that coffee drinkers have up to a 65% lower risk of getting Alzheimer's disease (28, 29).

BOTTOM LINE:Coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of getting Alzheimer's disease, which is a leading cause of dementia worldwide.

7. Caffeine May Lower The Risk of Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, right after Alzheimer's.

It is caused by death of dopamine-generating neurons in the brain.

Same as with Alzheimer's, there is no known cure, which makes it that much more important to focus on prevention.

In studies, coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, with a reduction in risk ranging from 32-60% ( 30, 31, 32, 33).

In this case, it appears to be the caffeine itself that is causing the effect. People who drink decaf don't have a lower risk of Parkinson's (34).

BOTTOM LINE:Coffee drinkers have up to a 60% lower risk of getting Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder.

8. Coffee Appears to Have Protective Effects on The Liver

The liver is an amazing organ that carries out hundreds of important functions in the body.

Several common diseases primarily affect the liver, including hepatitis, fatty liver disease and others.

Many of these diseases can lead to a condition called cirrhosis, in which the liver has been largely replaced by scar tissue.

It turns out that coffee may protect against cirrhosis. People who drink 4 or more cups per day have up to an 80% lower risk (35, 36, 37).

BOTTOM LINE:Coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of developing cirrhosis, which can be caused by several diseases that affect the liver.

9. Coffee Can Fight Depression and Make You Happier

Depression is a serious mental disorder that causes a significantly reduced quality of life.

It is incredibly common and about 4.1% of people in the U.S. currently meet the criteria for clinical depression.

In a Harvard study published in 2011, women who drank 4 or more cups per day had a 20% lower risk of becoming depressed (38).

Another study with 208,424 individuals found that those who drank 4 or more cups per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide (39).

BOTTOM LINE:Coffee appears to lower the risk of developing depression and may dramatically reduce the risk of suicide.

10. Coffee Drinkers Have a Lower Risk of Some Types of Cancer

Cancer is one of the world's leading causes of death and is characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the body.

Coffee appears to be protective against two types of cancer... liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the world, while colorectal cancer ranks fourth (40).

Studies show that coffee drinkers have up to a 40% lower risk of liver cancer (41, 42).

One study of 489,706 individuals found that those who drank 4-5 cups of coffee per day had a 15% lower risk of colorectal cancer (43).

BOTTOM LINE:Liver and colorectal cancer are the 3rd and 4th leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of both.

11. Coffee Does Not Cause Heart Disease and May Lower The Risk of Stroke

It is often claimed that caffeine can increase blood pressure.

This is true, but the effect is small (3-4 mm/Hg) and usually goes away if you drink coffee regularly (44, 45).

However, the effect may persist in some people, so keep that in mind if you have elevated blood pressure (46, 47).

That being said, the studies do NOT support the myth that coffee raises the risk of heart disease (48, 49).

In fact, there is some evidence that women who drink coffee have a reduced risk of heart disease (50).

Some studies also show that coffee drinkers have a 20% lower risk of stroke (51, 52).

BOTTOM LINE:Coffee may cause mild increases in blood pressure, which usually diminish over time. Coffee drinkers do not have an increased risk of heart disease, but a slightly lower risk of stroke.

12. Coffee May Help You Live Longer

Given that coffee drinkers are less likely to get many diseases, it makes sense that coffee could help you live longer.

There are actually several observational studies showing that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death.

In two very large studies, drinking coffee was associated with a 20% lower risk of death in men and a 26% lower risk of death in women, over a period of 18-24 years (53).

This effect appears to be particularly strong in type II diabetics. In one study, diabetics who drank coffee had a 30% lower risk of death during a 20 year study period (54).

BOTTOM LINE:Several studies show that coffee drinkers live longer and have a lower risk of premature death.

13. Coffee is The Biggest Source of Antioxidants in The Western Diet

For people who eat a standard Western diet, coffee may actually be the healthiest aspect of the diet.

That's because coffee contains a massive amount of antioxidants.

In fact, studies show that most people get more antioxidants from coffee than both fruits and vegetables... combined (55, 56, 57).

Coffee is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. Period.

Soy Breasts: This is What Soy Does to Men and Women

If you carefully look at all the studies published on soy you will realize how bad soy is for you.  And yet, most people still believe that soy products are healthy. You have to realize that everything you think you know about soy is the result of effective smart mass marketing that made people believe that soy is a superfood.  And unfortunately, you’ll find that almost every packaged product is soy based.

So What’s  So Bad About Soy?

Soybeans are high in phytic acid

Phytates actually bind to the magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron in your intestines and take them OUT of our bodies. The soybean has one of the highest phytate levels of any grain or legume that has been studied.

Soy contains goitrogens

Soy contains goitrogens which lead to depressed thyroid function.  The way that goitrogens work is that they inhibit iodine metabolism. When it comes to thyroid health, iodine is vital in the formation of thyroid hormone. As a result, if iodine cannot be properly utilized by the thyroid gland, then the formation of thyroid hormone can’t happen.

Soy is loaded with phytoestrogens

Did you know that phytoestrogens block the hormone estrogen and have distracting effects on human tissues? Estrogen is a steroid hormone that is often affected by the consumption of these specific isoflavones, which are also  referred to as phytoestrogens. These phytoestrogens have been found to cause breast cancer.

For Men

Improper balance of testosterone to estrogen in men can lead to a lower libido, fat accumulation around the waist and loss of energy, stamina and virility and even man boobs (gynecomastia).

For Women

Having abnormally high levels of estrogen doesn’t mean you’ll be more of a woman. It could disrupt your periods, fertility and put you at risk for breast cancer.

Did you know that soy can cause:

• Thyroid problems, including weight gain, lethargy, malaise, fatigue, hair loss, and loss of libido
• Cancer
• Brain damage

• Premature puberty and other developmental problems in babies, children and adolescents

• Reproductive disorders
• Allergies

Additionally, about 80 percent or more, is also genetically modified, which causes many other health issues.

16 Ways to Increase Your Appetite

A loss of appetite occurs when you have a low desire to eat. Different factors can cause poor appetite, including mental and physical illness.

If your lack of appetite lasts for more than a couple of days, it can cause weight loss or malnutrition.

Not having an appetite can be frustrating for anyone, especially people who are underweight and trying to gain weight or build mass.

This article lists 16 easy ways to increase your appetite.

1. Eat Small Meals More Frequently

Eating three full meals might seem like a challenging task when you don't have a healthy appetite.

A more motivating way to eat is to divide your three main meals into five or six smaller meals.

As your appetite improves, you can start increasing the portions of these meals, or adding more ingredients to consume more calories throughout the day.

For example, if you're eating a tuna sandwich, incorporate some veggies and cheese to add more calories and nutrients.

SUMMARY:Have five or six smaller meals per day instead of three large ones. As your appetite improves, you can start increasing portions and adding more ingredients.

2. Eat Nutrient-Rich Foods

People with poor appetites tend to eat empty calories like candy, chips, ice cream and baked goods to gain weight.

Even though these kinds of foods might seem more appetizing and contain high amounts of calories, they’re a bad idea since they provide very few nutrients.

Instead, concentrate on foods that provide you with calories and a wide array of nutrients like protein and healthy fats.

For example, instead of ice cream for dessert, you can eat 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt. Add some berries and cinnamon for sweetness.

Similarly, if you feel like eating pizza, you can make your own and add extra veggies and some protein for extra nutrients.

SUMMARY:Decrease your intake of empty calories. Instead, make easy substitutions to focus on more nutritious foods that contain protein, healthy fats and whole grains.

3. Add More Calories to Your Meals

Another way to increase your appetite and ensure you’re eating enough during the day is to add more calories to your meals.

One way to do this is to cook your foods with calorie-dense ingredients like butter, nut butters, olive oil or whole milk.

For example:

• Add 45 calories: Cook your eggs with butter.
• Add 80 calories: Cook your oatmeal with whole milk instead of water.
• Add 80 calories: Add some olive oil and avocados to your salads.
• Add 100 calories: Spread some peanut butter on apple slices for a snack.

Simple additions like these can pack more healthy calories into your meals and increase your total calorie intake.

SUMMARY:Add calorie-rich ingredients as you’re preparing your meals to consume more calories throughout the day.

4. Make Mealtime an Enjoyable Social Activity

Cooking and eating a meal with others may help stimulate your appetite more than eating alone.

To make foods more pleasant to eat, you can invite friends and family over for meals. If they cannot come over to keep you company, try eating while watching TV.

These strategies can help by turning your attention away from the food. In fact, a study showed that eating with friends can increase food intake by 18%, and eating while watching TV could increase it by 14% (1).

Turning meals into occasions for socialization and entertainment may help you enjoy your food more and could increase your appetite.

SUMMARY:Having meals with friends and family, or eating them in front of the TV, can distract you from the food you are eating and lead you to eat more.

5. Trick Your Brain With Different Plate Sizes

If you have a poor appetite, seeing big portions of food can be overwhelming and discouraging.

A way to avoid feeling overwhelmed is to trick your brain into thinking you are still eating small portions. You can do this by serving your food on a big plate instead of a small plate.

Some studies have shown that increases in plate size can make you serve larger food portions. This is true even when you do not like the food all that much (2, 3).

In other words, you could eat more food if you serve it in a larger dish. This could increase your daily calorie intake, especially if you eat high-calorie foods.

SUMMARY:Serving your food on larger plates could help you serve yourself larger portions and eat more.

6. Schedule Meal Times

Hunger usually cues people to eat. However, if you do not get hungry, you might not be able to rely on your appetite to remind you when to eat.

If this is the case, try scheduling your meals and setting a reminder at each mealtime to make sure you’re eating regularly.

Additionally, having a regular meal schedule is important for stimulating appetite, helping you consume enough calories and nutrients every day.

SUMMARY:Scheduling and setting reminders for meals can help you promote appetite and keep track of your food intake.

7. Don't Skip Breakfast

Consuming breakfast on a daily basis is important when you want to increase your appetite and gain weight.

A review study showed that skipping breakfast can lead you to eat less throughout the day, which is the opposite of what you want (4).

Furthermore, breakfast helps increase the body's thermogenesis effect, making you burn more calories throughout the day. This can increase your appetite (5).

If you’re trying to eat more, having breakfast every day is as important as having regular meals throughout the day.

SUMMARY:Eating breakfast every day could promote your appetite and increase thermogenesis, which could motivate you to eat more.

8. Eat Less Fiber

High-fiber diets have been proven to promote feelings of fullness and decrease calorie intake for those looking to lose weight (6, 7, 8).

Even though high-fiber foods are recommended in a balanced diet, they can slow down digestion and keep you feeling full for longer. Thus, you may want to moderate your intake if you’re looking to increase your appetite.

Eating a low-fiber diet could prevent you from feeling too full, and might help you eat more during the day.

SUMMARY:Decreasing the amount of fiber in your diet could reduce feelings of fullness and make you eat more food during the day.

9. Drink Your Calories

Drinking your calories might be a more motivating way to increase your calorie intake than having to chew your food when you do not feel too hungry.

A practical way to drink your calories is by replacing some of your meals with nutritious, high-calorie drinks.

Smoothies, milkshakes and juices can all be good meal-replacement drinks. Try making them using nourishing ingredients like fruits and vegetables.

You can also add good sources of protein like whole milk, yogurt or protein powder for extra calories and nutrients.

SUMMARY:Drinking your calories and nutrients instead of eating them could help motivate you to consume your food.

10. Incorporate Healthy Snacks

Eating big meals can be intimidating, whereas small and easy-to-eat snacks can be more convenient and take less effort to increase your food intake.

Snacks can also be helpful while you are on the go.

However, snacks are not meant to replace your big meals, but rather to complement them. So avoid eating snacks close to mealtime, because it could affect your appetite.

Here are some examples of healthy snacks:

• Fruits like bananas, apples and oranges
• Protein bars or granola bars
• Greek yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit
• Nut butter and crackers
• Salty snacks like popcorn or trail mix

SUMMARY:Eating small, healthy snacks throughout the day can help boost your calorie intake and increase your desire to eat.

11. Eat More of Your Favorite Foods

The logic for this rule is pretty simple — choose foods you like.

When you sit down in front of a meal you know you will enjoy, you’re probably much more inclined to eat it than a dish you find unappealing (9).

In fact, research shows that if you can choose what to eat, you will tend to eat more of it and more often than if you did not have the option to pick your foods (9, 10).

To ensure you consume more of those foods, it is important you take some time to plan and prepare them ahead of time so you can always have them available.

However, if your favorite foods are not healthy — such as from fast food restaurants — you can try cooking or serving them with more wholesome ingredients to make them more nutritious.

SUMMARY:Eat more of the foods you like. This will help motivate you to eat and stimulate your appetite.

12. Use Herbs and Spices

Some foods can delay digestion and produce gas, which can result in a "heavy stomach" feeling and reduce your appetite.

A type of seasoning called carminative herbs and spices can help reduce bloating and flatulence and improve your appetite. They can also stimulate the production of bile to facilitate fat digestion (11).

Some examples of carminative herbs and spices are fennel, peppermint, black pepper, coriander, mint, ginger and cinnamon (11).

As well as helping reduce the "heavy stomach" feeling, these herbs and spices can help make your meals more appealing. When your food has a pleasant smell and taste, it can trigger your appetite (12).

Bitters tonics are another type of herb preparation, which can help increase appetite by stimulating the production of digestive enzymes. Examples of bitters tonics include gentian, blessed thistle and centaury (13).

You can introduce some of these herbs, spices or bitters into your diet by cooking with them, or you can consume them as teas or tinctures.

SUMMARY:Some herbs, spices and bitters tonics can improve your appetite by aiding digestion and reducing flatulence while making your food more appealing.

13. Exercise More

During exercise, your body burns calories to sustain your energy levels. Physical activity can increase your appetite to replenish the calories burned (14, 15).

In fact, one study put 12 people through 16 days of continuous training. After this period, they burned 835 extra calories a day, on average.

Additionally, they increased their food intake and were able to replenish 30% of the calories they had burned during exercise (16).

However, your appetite is more likely to improve after several days of exercise, not after just one day (16, 17).

Also, physical activity can influence several processes in your body that have been shown to stimulate hunger. These include increased metabolic rate and muscle mass, as well as changes in hormone production (15).

SUMMARY:Physical activity can make you burn more calories and stimulate your appetite by increasing metabolic rate and hormone production.

14. Limit Beverages With Meals

Drinking fluids prior to or during your meals could affect your appetite negatively and make you eat less (18).

In fact, studies have shown that consuming water prior to meals can reduce calorie intake and help with weight loss (18, 19, 20).

This seems to affect older adults more than younger adults (21).

In contrast, refraining from pre-meal water intake could increase your calorie intake by 8.7% (22).

Therefore, try to limit your water intake 30 minutes before meals and see if your appetite improves.

SUMMARY:Drinking water or other liquids before or during meals can affect your appetite and make you eat less. 

15. Some Supplements Could Also Help

A deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals could be reducing your appetite.

If you would like to increase your appetite, consider including some of these supplements in your diet:

• Zinc: A lack of zinc in the diet can lead to appetite loss and taste disturbances that could promote a low desire to eat (23, 24).
• Thiamine: A thiamine deficiency could cause decreased appetite and increased resting energy expenditure, leading to weight loss (25).
• Fish oil: Some studies have shown that this supplement may increase appetite and reduce feelings of fullness in women after meals (26, 27).
• Echinacea: Echinacea is an herb used for its ability to boost the immune system and fight diseases. Studies have shown it also contains compounds called alkylamines, which can stimulate your appetite (28, 29, 30).

SUMMARY:Some vitamin and mineral deficiencies can produce a lack of appetite. Taking certain supplements may give you an appetite boost.

16. Keep a Food Diary

Keeping a food diary can help you track your meals and ensure you are consuming enough calories throughout the day.

Recording your food intake and hunger levels can also help you understand how your appetite is progressing.

Aim to record every meal and snack, no matter how small it is. When your appetite is poor, every calorie counts towards your daily goal.

SUMMARY:Keeping a food diary can help you track your food intake and promote better eating habits and appetite.

The Bottom Line

Many factors can affect your appetite, including physical conditions, mental conditions, medications and vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

However, small changes can make a big difference.

You could try increasing your appetite by inviting people over for meals and cooking with new recipes using spices, herbs and high-calorie ingredients to make food more appealing and nutritious.

Try limiting your beverages before and during meals, and moderate your intake of high-fiber foods, since they can sap your appetite. If you find large meals daunting, motivate yourself to eat by having frequent, small meals instead.

Another trick is to eat your largest meal when you are the hungriest. The rest of the time, you can incorporate smoothies and high-calorie drinks that can be easier to consume.

If you have a hard time eating, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor, who can advise you about boosting your hunger and gaining some healthy pounds.