EVER have a significant other or friend say “again?” when you reach for your third or fourth cup of coffee? Here’s good news for coffee drinkers everywhere: Having a daily coffee habit may actually be a good thing.

“Coffee is one of the most plentiful and consistent sources of cell-protecting antioxidants, since many people consume it daily,” says Dana Angelo White, a certified athletic trainer in Fairfield, Connecticut, the United States. Indeed, coffee is one of the main sources of antioxidants in the Western diet, per a 2014 study in antioxidants. A cup of Joe is a very complex substance, containing more than 1,000 compounds with high-antioxidant capacity.

Both regular and decaf coffee have similar amounts. However, it seems that the caffeine extraction process may somewhat reduce the amounts of phenolic acids and antioxidant capacity in decaf coffee.

A major benefit of consuming antioxidants on the daily: Doing so may help reduce inflammation. “Most of the reported health benefits of coffee bank on the premise that coffee may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that, over time, may reduce inflammation,” says Shahzadi Devje, a certified diabetes educator in Toronto, Canada. Wondering what reducing inflammation accomplishes? It may ultimately decrease your risk of chronic disease, per a 2017 review study in Annual Review of Nutrition that found that coffee intake was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, among other conditions.

“Observational studies have linked coffee consumption with a probable decreased risk of breast, colorectal, colon, endometrial, and prostate cancers,” says Devje, referring to the previously mentioned Annual Review of Nutrition study. Drinking 4-5 cups of coffee a day was associated with lower risk of developing some cancers.

Some research also suggests that drinking java is linked to a lower risk of depression. A large longitudinal Harvard study with more than 50,000 women found that women drinking moderate amounts of coffee had a lowered risk of depression. In the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, women who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of depression than women who drank one or fewer cups per week.

Drinking decaf coffee wasn’t connected with a lowered risk of depression in the study.

Here’s great news to anyone with a family history of heart health problems: Having a coffee habit may lower your risk of heart disease. A review study in Circulation found the biggest benefit to fall at three to five cups of coffee a day.

And finally, sipping java may help reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation, which the American Heart Association notes may lead to stroke.

Regularly consuming up to 300 milligrams a day of caffeine may be protective against heart rhythm disorders, according to a 2018 study in the JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology.

“Caffeine improves performance on simple and complex attention tasks, as well as alertness,” says Devje. A small March 2020 study in Consciousness and Cognition found drinking coffee may improve your concentration, but not your creativity. Caffeine has the power to enhance athletic performance and aid in muscle recovery post workout.

Now that you’re well aware of coffee’s benefits, it would help to know how much should you be drinking a day. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration advises capping intake at 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which typically equates to three to five cups. Pregnant women should limit intake to no more than 200 milligrams per day.

Of course, if you’re not already a coffee drinker, you don’t need to start a java habit. One of the most interesting benefits is that it has antioxidants. You could get those from tea or from other foods like fruits and vegetables.

(SD-Agencies)