10 reasons you should NOT feel bad about your coffee addiction

Few liquids holds the same power over us as coffee.

Seriously; even the thought and smell of it alone can be enough to drag even the most sleep deprived parent out of bed. It is the backbone of the success of countless professionals, and is what instills passion in every creative to fuel their endeavors. And if coffee is what gives you a reason to breathe every morning, don't feel bad. There is actually a lot of reasons why you should be thankful for your addiction and not ditch the caffeine: 1. Drinking coffee everyday gives you a healthier liver Unlike drinking alcohol every day, drinking coffee every day actually improves your liver. It’s been shown that people who drink four or more cups of coffee a day have as much as an 80% lower rate of cirrhosis of the liver. People who drink this same amount also have as much as a 40% lower rate of developing liver cancer. 2. Drinking black coffee everyday makes you smarter No really, it’s science! Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant. When you drink coffee, the caffeine travels into your digestive system, then into your blood stream, and eventually to your brain (this takes roughly 30-45 minutes). When it hits your brain, it blocks one of your inhibitory neurotransmitters, Adenosine. This leads to an increase in other neurotransmitters (norepinephrine and dopamine), causing the neurons in your brain to fire more rapidly. All these chemicals and neurons conglomerate to boost your mood, energy, memory, response times, and general cognitive functioning. We knew we felt way smarter after coffee! 3. Drinking black coffee everyday can boost your metabolism by 11% As one of the few substances to ever be directly associated with burning fat, caffeine is found in nearly every fat burning or weight loss supplement. This doesn’t mean you should drink coffee instead of working out. You should probably still do both. 4. Drinking black coffee everyday lowers your risk of Parkinson’s Parkinson’s is associated with a drop in dopamine. And since caffeine boosts dopamine levels in the brain, drinking black coffee reduces the chances of you developing Parkinson’s. Regular coffee drinkers have been shown to have a 32-60% reduced chance of developing this disease. 5. Drinking black coffee everyday fights against depression and generally makes you happier Caffeine, which coffee is full of, increases dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is commonly known as the “pleasure chemical,” so it makes sense that consuming anything to increase dopamine will make you happier and keep you less depressed. See, no wonder we are grumpier before our morning coffee! People who drink four or more cups of black coffee a day have a 20% lower chance of becoming depressed, and are over 50% less likely to commit suicide! Mind blown! Like; drinking coffee is literally a life saver! 6. Drinking coffee everyday gives you important nutrients If you drink coffee, it is your single largest source of antioxidants (Hah! Take that goji berries!). Some important nutrients include: Vitamins B2, B3, and B5, Manganese, Magnesium, and Potassium. Also, the human body absorbs more nutrients from coffee than it does from other popular sources of antioxidants like fruits and vegetables. Meaning; you get more healthy bang for your buck with coffee than with anything else. 7. Drinking black coffee everyday reduces your risk for heart disease Those who drink coffee regularly have a 20% less risk for stroke, and generally have lower rates of heart disease. As caffeine increases your heart rate, coffee is actually good for cardiovascular health. 8. Drinking coffee everyday lowers your risk for several types of cancer You’re less likely to develop liver cancer as mentioned above, but coffee also works well to reduce your chances of colorectal cancer. People who drink 4-5 cups (24 – 30 oz.) of black coffee a day have a 15% lower risk of colorectal cancer, and a 40% lower risk of liver cancer. And since liver and colorectal are the cancers responsible for the 3rd and 4th most deaths in the world, this is rather impactful. Coffee also reduces your risk for skin cancer, particularly in women, by about 20%. 9. Drinking black coffee everyday will keep you calm(er) Even just smelling coffee makes you feel calmer. It actually changes the composition of a protein in the brain that’s associated with stress, specifically stress as a result of sleep deprivation. This is why we all learned early on that we feel so much better in the morning after a cup of java. 10. Drinking coffee everyday reduces your chances for dementia and Alzheimer’s Coffee generally enhances memory, thanks to caffeine’s effects on some of the brain’s neurotransmitters. By continually enhancing your memory over time, especially as you rack up years, you reduce your chances for dementia and Alzheimer’s. Regular coffee drinkers have actually shown to have as much as a 65% reduced risk of developing the world’s most common neurodegenerative disease. W.O.W. *Runs out to grab a latte!