There is a lot of conflicting health information about coffee.
But just like anything, it really does have some good health qualities and some not-so-awesome ones too.
Let’s breakdown some of the key ways that coffee actually affects your body, in both the good and the bad, to give you a better understanding of it’s impact.
Hey, you can’t make healthy choices for your body if you don’t know what your choices are, right?
Here’s what you need to know about how coffee affects your body:
IT STIMULATES THE BRAIN
The caffeine in coffee competes with adenosine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that helps with sleep, by blocking its receptors and allowing your brain to be stimulated.
While this can help to improve focus, memory, and alertness in the short term, this isn’t without other consequences on your central nervous system which can cause problems like anxiety and insomnia.
IT IMPACTS DIGESTION
Whether you’ve used coffee as a laxative on purpose, or found out accidentally, chances are you’ve already experienced coffee’s ability to stimulate your bowels.
While this may seem like a good thing (especially if you struggle with constipation), I would advice against using it as a laxative because it can affect the absorption of minerals such as magnesium, which is responsible for over 300 enzyme functions in your body.
IT ALTERS YOUR MOOD
If you feel like your daily dose (or four) of coffee helps improve your mood, you might be right. Studies have shown that a small dose of caffeine can perk you up (see what I did there?!).
Keep in mind that too much caffeine has been shown to negatively alter mood with feelings of anxiety or depression.
The fact is, there is plenty of evidence that point towards the healthy and not-so-healthy components of coffee.
So while the jury is still out (evidence is still being gathered!), I’d say it’s probably safe to enjoy your coffee in moderation so long as it’s not affecting your mood, sleep, or nutrition and you aren’t struggling with hormonal imbalances, leaky gut, fatigue, and are not pregnant.
