Does coffee increase intelligence?
In this text, we will provide the answer to the query: “Does coffee increase intelligence?”. In addition, we will discuss whether coffee is good for the brain and how coffee affects your body.
Does coffee increase intelligence?
Coffee can boost your intelligence by allowing your brain to work much more efficiently and smartly. Caffeine is a commonly used performance-enhancing drink. The bitter-tasting stimulant speeds up the central nervous system, which makes a person feel awake, alert, and more energetic.
Caffeine is a substance that blocks important adenosine receptors in the brain. In other words, coffee consumption has an inverse correlation with depression and the decrease in caffeine activity ends up improving the plasticity of synapses, connections of neurons in the brain, which confers a neuroprotective action.
Brain benefits come with moderate doses, between 100 and 400 milligrams of caffeine per day (1 to 5 cups). In addition, regular coffee consumption is related to a decrease in the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, in addition to the possibility of improvement in people who already have cognitive decline.
Coffee also helps in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and brings about improvements in the symptoms of patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Why is coffee good for the brain?
Yes, coffee can be good for the brain. Drinking coffee can bring both benefits and risks to a person’s health. The health benefits of moderate coffee consumption may outweigh the potential risks. One of these potential benefits is that coffee appears to protect the brain against cognitive impairments and increase reasoning skills.
The key to coffee’s benefits on the brain appears not to be in the caffeine content, but in the existence of compounds released in the roasting process of the beans, called phenylindane, which form during the roasting process of beans and give the coffee its bitter taste.
It is the phenylindane that appears to inhibit the concentration of tau and beta-amyloid. These are toxic proteins and their excessive accumulation in the brain is a key factor in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It appears that a longer roasting time causes the beans to produce more phenylindane.
How does coffee affect your body?
Coffee has several effects on your body, it all depends on the dose and whether or not you are used to drinking coffee. Here are some effects that coffee has on your body:
You stay alert – at least for a while
Caffeine can bind to adenosine receptors, which induces exhaustion and is essential for sleep to settle in the brain. By ‘pushing’ adenosine, the substance present in coffee makes us feel more alert and awake. Eventually, your body catches the trick and finds a way to produce new receptors — which means you need more caffeine to feel its effects. This explains why we miss coffee consumption and may even experience withdrawal.
Your mood improves
The same blockade of adenosine in the brain allows caffeine to let dopamine and glutamine (other stimulants naturally produced by the brain) circulate freely, making you more alert and in a good mood. But beware: the drink also causes the body to release adrenaline, as it understands that it is in a state of alert. This can make you more irritable, anxious and emotional.
Helps improve memory
Caffeine helps certain types of memories “stick” to the brain, making it easier to remember that information later. But beware: this only works for those who are not yet used to drinking coffee.
It can increase your focus
One of the biggest reasons people drink coffee is to focus more on a task. One of the great mental effects of caffeine is the ability to focus, especially in someone who is tired. However, consuming too much of it can have a rebound effect and impair your ability to pay attention to something.
Helps with the action of some medications
Some pain-relieving drugs, such as acetaminophen or aspirin, have their effects increased when combined with caffeine. The substance makes these drugs work faster, last longer, and be more effective.
Improve athletic performance
Caffeine is one of the most used substances to improve sports performance. Consumption of pure coffee or caffeine one hour before exercise is associated with increased performance.
Makes you live longer
People who consume a lot of coffee are less likely to die prematurely. Coffee lovers are less likely to die from heart disease, cancer and diabetes. However, decaf coffee has also shown the same benefit — so if you’re thinking about cutting back on caffeine, you don’t necessarily have to stop drinking coffee.
Other FAQs about Coffee that you may be interested in.
Does coffee creamer make you gain weight?
Does coffee cut your appetite?
Does coffee go bad in the fridge?
Conclusion
In this text, we provided the answer to the query: “Does coffee increase intelligence?”. In addition, we discussed whether coffee is good for the brain and how coffee affects your body.
