There is no denying that COVID-19 threw the entire world into a bit of a panic. It impacted cities, towns, and entire countries and almost put airlines out of business. While the worst of it seems to be over, COVID-19 in its various forms will likely be sticking around for a while to torment humanity.
One question many have when they get COVID-19 concerns their regular morning routine; can you drink coffee when you have COVID-19? If you love your morning coffee and its eye-opening caffeine jolt, you’ll be glad to know that drinking coffee when you have COVID-19 is okay.
In fact, research shows that drinking coffee when your body’s battling to recover can boost your immune system and help you recuperate faster. Read on if you would like to discover how coffee helps you get better when you’re sick from COVID-19 and other health facts about your favorite morning beverage!
Can Coffee Lower Your Risk of Catching COVID-19
If you love your morning coffee, you’re probably relieved you can still enjoy it if you have Covid. Coffee has been shown to provide protection from the COVID-19 virus! Northwestern University conducted a study in 2021 that showed that drinking a cup of coffee daily could reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 by 10%. The study also found that eating more vegetables, less processed meat, and being breastfed as a baby reduces your Covid risk.
Coffee helps prevent Covid because caffeine has several remarkable (and all-natural) chemicals that improve your immunity.
How Does Coffee Boost Your Immunity?
When consumed responsibly, coffee is considered a healthy drink. Caffeine is a nootropic or “smart drug” that can boost your concentration, improve your focus, and act as a mild antidepressant. However, caffeine provides far more than a brain boost. Drinking a daily cup of warm coffee can help boost your immunity too.
Caffeine improves immunity because it’s loaded with antioxidants that help fight cancer cells. Drinking and smelling coffee have the effect of de-stressing you, and less stress helps your immunity improve. Coffee gives you the stamina to get in a longer workout and extra exercise time that helps boost your immunity even more. Lastly, coffee helps cleans your liver, and when your liver’s healthy, your immunity improves too.
What Are the Chemicals in Coffee, and What Do They Do?
Caffeine has so many beneficial effects because of the natural chemicals it contains. Let’s take a closer look at the most important ones.
L-theanine and Its Byproduct, Ethylamine
An amino acid, L-theanine, breaks down into ethylamine in your body, where it positively affects the T cells of your immune system. Stronger T cells mean a stronger immune system.
Polyphenol Antioxidants
Polyphenol antioxidants are unique in that they destroy cancerous cells before they can cause diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and others.
Trigonelline
As an alkaloid, trigonelline has a hand in several biological responses in the human body. For example, it’s neuroprotective, which means it protects the brain. It’s also antibacterial, anti-invasive, and estrogenic, and it reduces invasive microbes and protects the female reproductive system.
Bioactive Compounds
Bioactive compounds are natural chemicals that have a positive effect on human biology. In coffee, several bioactive compounds, including chlorogenic acids, caffeine, trigonelline, melanoidins, and diterpenes, have shown beneficial health effects.
What Other Health Benefits Does Coffee Provide?
We’ve seen how drinking coffee can help boost your immunity, but did you know that it can also help your health in several other ways? It’s true! Below are several health benefits researchers say you’ll receive when you drink a cup of coffee every day.
Your Heart Will Be Healthier
Research has shown that drinking one to two cups of coffee a day can reduce your risk of suffering from heart failure.
You Can Exercise Longer
We mentioned earlier that coffee boosts your immunity by empowering you to exercise longer. Coffee has an almost immediate effect on your blood circulation, which leads to longer endurance and more muscle power. Even better, it’s thought that drinking coffee 30 minutes before working out can help your body burn more fat.
You Will Feel Happier
Researchers have found that drinking coffee reduces your risk of depression by 33%. They surmise that the phytochemicals in caffeine help “good” bacteria in your GI tract, which has a beneficial effect on the brain. Coffee also reduces inflammation in the human body, which can also thwart the symptoms of depression.
Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes will be Lower
Many people have what’s known as “pre-diabetes,” which, in time, can progress to type 2 Diabetes. Research has shown that the risk of developing this dreadful disease lowers by approximately 6% with every cup of coffee you drink during your day (up to about three cups). The phytochemicals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory chemicals in caffeine are the key, as well as others that are known as insulin sensitivity boosters.
Your Brain will Stay Healthier
Drinking coffee has been shown to delay the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease in senior citizens. For example, the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published a study that showed drinking two cups of coffee a day lowered the rate of mild cognitive impairment in 65 to 84-year-olds.
Is Too Much Coffee Unhealthy?
While a cup or two of coffee per day has been shown in many studies to be healthy, many of those same studies have also found that drinking too much coffee can negatively impact your health. Nutritional Neuroscience, for example, published a report about frequent coffee drinkers. The study found that drinking 5 to 6 cups of coffee (or more) in a single day was associated with an increased risk of dementia. Also, researchers found that heavy coffee drinkers had less total brain volume than non or moderate coffee drinkers.
Too much coffee can also be ruinous for your sleep habits by impairing your circadian rhythm, especially if you drink it late in the day. A chronic lack of sleep has been shown to cause a wide variety of health problems. For people with heart arrhythmia (i.e., irregular heartbeat), coffee can be very problematic, especially in large amounts. Lastly, if you drink several cups of coffee every day and stop for some reason, you can experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms, including headaches, irritability, nausea, confusion, and muscular pain.
Summary
Yes, you can drink coffee when you’re in the grip of COVID-19; caffeine can provide several health benefits to help you get well faster. The natural chemicals in coffee help your brain, heart, liver, muscles, and immune system (as long as you ingest your java in moderation). Coffee can help you feel better physically and mentally, which everyone needs when their body’s being battered by Covid. In short, drinking coffee is perfectly fine when you have COVID-19 and can help you recover. We hope our discussion about coffee and Covid has been genuinely helpful and has given you the answers you were seeking. If you’re currently getting over COVID-19, we wish you a safe and speedy recovery.
See also: Can You Drink Coffee While Taking Nitrofurantoin? What to Know!
Featured Image Credit: Studio Romantic, Shutterstock
