We all love our morning cup of coffee. Coffee has been both praised and mocked for centuries. It has been blamed to cause impotence and madness, other times a cure for laziness or “gift from heaven”. Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world and is the best known ingredient of coffee. It is beneficial on human body but if taken in excess amount it can cause many problems. Every other week, a new study is released that coffee is healthy or harmful. So when you’re considering your morning coffee, here are some health facts to keep in mind: 

THE GOOD

1. Weight loss and diabetes - Studies have linked coffee consumption with improved glucose metabolism, reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and promotion of weight loss in overweight people. Researchers aren’t sure why, but suspect that the antioxidants in coffee help deliver insulin to the body’s tissues.

2. Cancer - According to recent data, heavy coffee consumption (4-6 cups per day) can reduce the risk for numerous cancers. The benefits are thought to be at least partially due to coffee’s antioxidant and anti-mutagenic properties.

3. Brightens mood, helps fight depression and lowers risk of suicide - Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and boosts production of neurotransmitter like serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenalin, which elevate your mood. Two cups of coffee a day prevents risk of suicide by 50 %.coffee drinkers reportedly have significantly decreased risk of developing depression. 

4. Helps to stay focus and stay alert - Moderate caffeine intake, 1-6 cups a day, helps in focusing and improving our mental alertness.

THE BAD

1. Causes Wrinkles - Even though coffee has antioxidants, if you drink too much of it, it can cause wrinkling of the skin. This is a result of dehydration which is the worst thing for your skin. So when you’re drinking that morning cup or two, make sure that you’re pairing it with water. 

2. Cause Rheumatoid Arthritis - A study revealed that those who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were twice as likely to develop arthristis. Researchers believe some as-yet-unidentified ingredient (particularly in unfiltered coffee) could trigger the disease.

3. Osteoporosis - A study found that those who drank two cups of coffee a day suffered a greater loss in bone density than those who didn’t because caffeine acts as a diuretic, increasing the amount of calcium excreted in urine.

"What goes best with a cup of coffee? Another cup."