The Health Benefits Of Caffeine
While caffeine often seems to attract bad press, sensible amounts are actually good for you. Caffeine is naturally found in everyday food and drinks like tea, coffee and chocolate, but this natural stimulant is also added to performance-boosting products, painkillers and specialist shampoos designed to help slow hair loss – for good reason.
Here are five surprising health benefits of working caffeine into your diet and lifestyle.
1. Caffeine helps you think straight
For obvious reasons, many people reach for a cup of coffee to help them stay awake. In fact, caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world. Classed as a nootropic, caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the brain to increase alertness, enhance attention and reduce the perception of fatigue.
Some evidence even suggests that regular caffeine intake may have a protective effect against dementia, although more studies are needed to confirm this.
Excerpted from Elle
