You rely on caffeine for your morning pep, and that afternoon coffee break is a daily highlight. It seems like magic, but it turns out that caffeine acts directly on the central nervous system, altering dopamine and serotonin levels to boost your mood. (That might explain why it’s the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug.) But it also delivers a host of health benefits, from improving your workouts to fighting cancer. Here, 10 more reasons to love caffeine. It offers a helping hand in the NICU.It’s not just exhausted nurses and anxiety-ridden new parents who rely on caffeine in the NICU—premature babies also reap the rewards. Small doses of caffeine help relax the lungs and stimulate the heart, which helps preemies regulate breathing and relax their airways to reduce the amount of time they spend on a ventilator. It’s such an effective therapy because caffeine is easily administered, easily metabolized, and easy for babies’ bodies to use—just like in adults, it starts producing results in 30 minutes. It relieves Parkinson’s symptoms.Research suggests that a daily cup or two of joe helps reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s by blocking the brain-signaling switch associated with the disease. And it doesn’t just alleviate daytime sleepiness, but also slows movements, stiffness, and shaking, says Michael Schwarzschild, MD, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. It’s not clear yet if caffeine can help prevent Parkinson’s, but one study that Schwarzschild contributed to, published in the journal Movement Disorders, found the most caffeine dependent participants were about half as likely to develop Parkinson’s as those who consumed it the least. MORE: If You Can’t Stand On One Leg For 20 Seconds, Here’s What It Could Say About Your Brain Photo by kyoshino/Getty Images It protects your brain.The focus you feel after adding that extra shot to your latte isn’t just getting you through the workday, it may also have long-term mental benefits. Caffeine prevents memory loss by blocking adenosine, a substance that leads to cerebral inflammation. And one study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease suggests that drinking five cups of coffee per day will greatly reduce levels of the protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Yet another study found caffeinated coffee boosted anti-inflammatory proteins that protect against dementia, memory-loss, and cognitive decline. It helps you work out. A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that caffeine helped older adults with their motor skills. Participants were put through a battery of upper body, lower body, and manual dexterity tests, and a dose of caffeine led not only to improved physical performance, but also to an increased willingness to exert effort. Other research has shows that for men and women lifting weights, caffeinated energy drinks led to lifting more weight and an increased zest for working out, research finds. And endurance athletes boosted exertion and decreased pain perception after a jolt of caffeine, making for a better, more satisfying workout. It flushes out the kidneys. A review of three large studies recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who consumed the most caffeine were about 30% less likely to develop kidney stones. (And great news for chocolate lovers: A compound present in cocoa helps prevent uric acid from crystallizing, which wards off kidney stones.) It fights type II diabetes.People who imbibe a few cups of coffee daily have a significantly lower risk of developing type II diabetes, suggesting that caffeine may play a role in therapy for people with a pre-diabetic diagnosis. In one study of obese mice, yerba mate (a caffeinated beverage native to South America) restored insulin signaling, which allowed them to synthesize fats and proteins properly, and led to weight loss. (Check out these 8 ways to keep prediabetes from becoming diabetes.) It boosts your mood. Photo by HD Connelly/Getty Images Got the blues? Head to your local café. A large study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine of mostly middle-aged and elderly women found that over a 10-year period, those who consumed four or more cups of coffee per day were the least likely to suffer depression. The mood boosting effects of coffee works for men too. In a recent study of 55 to 70 year-olds with type II diabetes, those who drank coffee daily were the least likely to have depressive symptoms. Coffee releases the brain chemical dopamine, which improves mood and promotes socializing. Plus, coffee has a host of anti-inflammatory compounds associated with depression treatment and prevention. (But if you order decaf don’t expect to reap any benefits.) It tamps down cancer cells. Several studies have found that the risk of cancer in the uterus decreases as coffee intake goes up. The association seems particularly strong for overweight, post-menopausal women. According to a study published in the journal Nutrients, those who drank two or more cups of coffee per day were 34% less likely to have uterine cancer. And one review in the International Journal of Cancer pooled studies from Europe, Japan, and the US and found that for each cup added to a daily routine, the risk of uterine cancer decreased by 8%. And, it’s not just the uterus that’s protected; a new study in the same journal found that in a middle-aged Japanese population, the participants who drank the most coffee were 37% less likely to develop tumors in the colon. MORE: 10 Cancer Symptoms Most People Ignore It helps you breathe.Caffeine relaxes the respiratory system and allows more air to travel to and from the lungs, which is a boon for aerobic activity or dealing with a case of bronchitis. And in addition to the caffeine, the compounds in chocolate offer an anti-asthmatic benefit, reducing asthmatic episodes and protecting the lungs from certain air pollutants. It protects your liver.Coffee is emerging as a potential therapy to treat the liver, especially nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The drink seems to counter liver inflammation and improve fat storage while reducing the chances of liver disease. It even reduces the compound damage that leads to cirrhosis. And coffee staves off cancer of the liver—in one analysis, people who drank a daily cup or two of of joe were 28% less likely to develop liver cancer. Three or more cups made upped the odds to 36%. MORE: 10 Perfect Snacks To Pair With Coffee
