Why Drink Coffee?

If you feel tired in the morning and want a quick energy boost, drinking a cup or two of coffee might get you going. But if you are highly sensitive to coffee, or if your doctor warns you caffeine might worsen your health due to a serious medical condition, the negative effects of drinking coffee likely will outweigh any benefits it offers.

Traditional Appeal

Many people drink coffee every day as part of a morning ritual. Whether you make your coffee at home or buy it from a local shop, you might benefit from taking a few moments to relax with a cup of coffee. Also, many people enjoy the smell of brewing coffee and the taste of a freshly made cup.

Alertness

Coffee stimulates the nervous system, decreasing fatigue and helping you feel more alert. Coffee decreases your fatigue by preventing the binding of adenosine to adenosine receptors in your brain. When adenosine binds to these receptors, your brain experiences fatigue. But the caffeine in coffee binds to the adenosine receptors, blocking the adenosine and thus inhibiting its normal function. The result is increased wakefulness.

Moderate Intake

So long as you moderate your coffee consumption, you likely will not experience any significant negative health effects. A moderate intake is roughly two to four cups per day, though people react to caffeine differently, so you might need to consume less. For example, you might find that you need less caffeine to achieve alertness, or you might find that even a small amount of coffee increases your anxiety level or causes restlessness, digestive problems or shakiness. If the unpleasant effects of drinking coffee outweigh any benefits, stop drinking it.

Expert Insight

Much research has been done related to the heath effects of coffee and caffeine. Recent research disproves old concerns about caffeine increasing the risks of cancer and heart disease, according to Dr. Donald Hensrud of MayoClinic.com. In fact, he says drinking coffee might have health benefits, including protecting against type 2 diabetes, liver cancer and Parkinson's disease. However, he notes that drinking unfiltered coffee might increase cholesterol levels mildly. Also, people who have a genetic mutation affecting the CY1A2 gene -- a fairly common problem, according to Hensrud -- might have an increased risk of heart disease if they drink two or more cups of coffee a day. The mutation affects how their bodies break down caffeine.

Antioxidants

Coffee also contains antioxidants, which are substances that help limit the damage done by free radicals. When you digest food, the process creates free radicals, which are molecules that can damage cells and might increase your risk of heart disease, cancer and other serious conditions, according to MedlinePlus. Coffee is high in antioxidants, so drinking it regularly might promote your health.