Whether you like gourmet coffee or will settle for any type for your morning wake-up, this special bean is packed with health and beauty benefits. However, it can have undesirable effects when not “done” right. So, before deciding to “get off coffee,” discover why it is suitable for some, not for others, and how a cup of java is what you make of it.

Benefits of Coffee Drinking
No one can deny the immediate energizing benefits of coffee in the morning, helping you shake off sleep cobwebs. Caffeine, like adrenaline, gets our hearts pumping, fighting drowsiness with its stimulating effects about thirty minutes after consumption.

Health benefits of coffee beans: Studies find that coffee contains powerful substances that help ward off multiple conditions for all who partake. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and disease-protection advantages of drinking coffee are ample reasons to drink up!

1. Brain power - Caffeine from coffee boosts alertness, aids concentration, minimizes depression, and improves moods. Caffeine intake from two to three cups is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline, reducing the risks of stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. It may also help control movements in those who have Parkinson’s. Caffeine can also boost the effects of analgesic medications in migraine and headache sufferers.
2. Heart health - Drinking one to two cups of joe daily may help you avoid heart failure.
3. Diabetes - Coffee helps people process glucose and sugar better, reducing their chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
4. Liver health - Regular and decaf coffee keep liver enzyme levels in check compared to those who do not imbibe.

Interestingly, these positive effects are particularly prominent in women, with reduced instances of Type II Diabetes, heart disease, and the following:

1. Alzheimer’s Disease - Two to three cups of coffee have been found to curb the development of dementia in women 65 and up.
2. Stroke - Just one cup of coffee daily is tied with a reduced risk of stroke, the fourth largest cause of fatality for women.
3. Colorectal Cancer - Both decaf and regular coffee are found to reduce the chances of developing colorectal cancer in women by 26%. This may be because dark roast coffee minimizes DNA damage that may lead to tumors or cancer when cells are not repaired.
4. Longevity - New research indicates female coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of dying due to coronary heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and stroke.

Additional benefits of coffee:

1. A perfect break - A mid-morning coffee break is an excellent way to give yourself a mental break, recharge your battery, and sail through the afternoon slump for a more productive day.
2. A good workout partner - Drinking coffee as a pre workout can help you pump that iron with vim and vigor. But beware, as you may experience a drained, wiped-out feeling afterward.

How much is safe? The Food Regulation Authorities have determined that around 2½ cups of coffee (200 mg) in one sitting or about 5 cups (400 mg) daily is not harmful.

Benefits of Coffee for Skin
An excellent skincare companion, coffee can help improve circulation and reduce inflammation, minimizing many skin concerns. Here is how:

1. Dark circles - Caffeine from coffee promotes healthy blood flow and dilates blood vessels, helping reduce fluid buildup.
2. Visible signs of sun damage - Antioxidants and flavonols in coffee help shield the skin against environmental aggressions. While not replacing sun protection, according to experts, Xanthine, an antioxidant in coffee, neutralizes hydroxyl radicals induced by UV rays, reducing their oxidative DNA damage. Flavonols in coffee are found to make people exposed to the sun less susceptible to the damaging effects of UV rays.
3. Cellulite - Antioxidant Green Coffee is a potent extract proven effective to reduce cellulite and neutralize free radicals. It contains 10% Chlorogenic Acid, 5% Caffeic Acid, 4% Phenolic Acid, and a whopping 20% Caffeine! This effective skin care ingredient activates an enzyme (Glutathione S-Transferase) at high concentrations, accelerating fat breakdown and the body’s detoxification process. Pevonia expertly extracts the coffee bean’s phytoactive components, making the dimple-smoothing body moisturizer bioavailable. Combined with plant-based Stem Cells, Shea Butter, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, and Retinol, it penetrates deeply, delivering optimal results.
4. Hair thinning - Caffeine from Green Coffee also reduces hair thinning by stimulating hair growth and counteracting DHT action in hair follicles that influence hair loss. Pevonia encapsulates it and combines it with Saw Palmetto, Nettle, and more in our products for thinning hair to manage hair loss and promote growth. A study on the topical application of this highly bioavailable Caffeine found a 55% increase in hair density after 8 weeks.
5. Exfoliation -  Although some DIYers repurpose coffee grounds to exfoliate, the smoothing benefits of coffee scrub concoctions are too harsh for delicate facial skin, messy, and can clog plumbing.

A gentle exfoliating cleanser and natural exfoliating body scrub with biodegradable, spherical Jojoba Beads is a more skin-friendly way to sweep away dead skin cells without damaging skin or pipes. Another way to utilize coffee grounds is by scattering them in the garden to aerate and fertilize your soil while repelling weeds.

Drawbacks of Drinking Coffee
As with most things, there are pros and cons of drinking coffee, with the stimulating effects of caffeine from regular coffee having adverse reactions in sensitive individuals. Here’s why coffee is good for some, but not for others:

Sleep disturbance - Caffeine in coffee is a known sleep disruptor. It blocks adenosine production, a nervous system depressant that slows brain activity, induces sleep, and helps you stay asleep through the night. Although some lucky individuals can enjoy coffee after dinner and sleep soundly, the disadvantages of drinking coffee at night make it a no-no for people with insomnia and those who wake up tired. While the energy boost coffee provides helps with occasional fatigue, drinking multiple cups to compensate for lost sleep or having coffee in the afternoon creates a vicious cycle.

Anxiety & Stress - After lack of sleep, the main drawbacks of drinking too much coffee are increased stress and anxiety. The saying “too much of a good thing” definitely applies to coffee and caffeine intake, which can worsen anxiety and trigger panic attacks in people with panic disorder and anxiety-related issues. Caffeine activates the stress endocrine response, increasing cortisol output when people are at rest and undergo stress. Although cortisol helps regulate our stress response, energy, immunity, inflammation, blood pressure, and blood sugar, too much on a regular basis can backfire by weakening the immune system and leading to inflammation, elevated blood pressure, etc.

Stomach upset - Caffeine and acid in coffee may irritate the stomach, causing discomfort, heartburn, indigestion, gas, gastritis, ulcers, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), nausea, and esophageal burns. If you suffer from any of these issues, coffee may not be your friend after all.

Headaches - Although the vasoconstrictive effect of a cup of coffee may alleviate headaches, regular coffee drinkers who miss their daily dose may experience headaches and other withdrawal symptoms like fatigue.

Dependence - One of the most significant side effects of drinking coffee everyday is dependence. People who drink four or more cups per day can experience a rapid heartbeat, irritability, frequent urination, tremors, and general nervousness when they do not get their fix.

Disadvantages of drinking coffee for skin - Coffee is acid-forming, leading to an acidic pH in the dermis, inhibiting detoxification and cellular repair, triggering these skincare conditions.

1. Aging: Cell and tissue damage and reduced collagen and elastin occur, leading to lines, wrinkles, and sagging.
2. Dullness: Being too acidic can damage red blood cells and cause low oxygen, causing a dull grayish skin tone. As a diuretic, Coffee may contribute to dulling surface dehydration.
3. Acne: An acid pH level also results in more stress hormones, which trigger more oil production and breakouts in those who are acne-prone.
4. Rosacea: The heat from coffee triggers rosacea flushing. You could substitute iced coffee, but the caffeine can still spike blood pressure and induce flushing, and coffee contains histamines, which can cause blood vessel dilation and, yet, more flushing. The inflammation and skin redness from the diuretic effect completes the reasons to abstain.

People with these concerns would be wise to limit or avoid coffee altogether. But, those who can’t resist could try Kona or other lower-acid coffees and alkalizing foods and beverages as a “workaround.”

Coffee and Your Teeth - Coffee can cause stubborn stains and temporarily soften enamel, leaving it vulnerable to damage. Too much caffeine from coffee may cause you to clench and grind your teeth, potentially causing temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). Sugary coffee drinks from your favorite coffee shop are high in sugar and acid - “no-nos” for healthy teeth. If you cannot forgo sweetened coffee drinks, consider safe, sugar-free alternatives and add dairy-based milk or creamer to raise your mouth’s pH level. Rinse with tap water after finishing your cup and wait 30 minutes before brushing.

Negatives of coffee trade practices: Certain types of coffee production are damaging rainforest ecosystems, affecting soil, plants, animals, and water. Choosing fair trade products that are sustainably sourced will ensure that what you drink does not involve any harm to the environment.

What You Make Of It
The benefits of coffee depend on how and what you make of it.

What you put in it - If you spike your coffee with tons of cream or creamer and spoonful after spoonful of sugar, you are undoing the benefits of coffee.

1. Skip coffee creamer: Think non-dairy creamer is better than half & half? The many negatives of coffee creamer say otherwise!

Trans fats from hydrogenated oils can increase bad cholesterol (LDL) levels while decreasing good HDL cholesterol, endangering heart health and putting you at risk for heart disease. Some sources indicate that the hydrogenated oils in most non-dairy creamers dry the skin, leaching out fatty acids necessary for skin lubrication. Most are laced with sugar that causes a rush followed by a crash and does not do any favors for your waistline, moods, diabetes prevention, etc.

1. Go natural: Either stick to good old half & half (if cholesterol is not a concern) or try natural, plant-based oat, almond, or coconut milk alternatives. For extra energy minus added caffeine, add a dash of cinnamon, a cinnamon stick, or peppermint to fight fatigue.

How you prepare it - Coffee filters help eliminate diterpenes, substances that can raise triglycerides and bad cholesterol. So, while French press and espresso seem like better options, “old-school” drip-brewed and instant coffee contain almost no diterpenes as the filtering and processing removes them.

Healthy Coffee Alternatives
If you have health or skin issues, coffee does not work for you, or you just want to make a change, there are multiple substitutes. You can try an alkalizing green tea, matcha, or beverage blends made with adaptogenic mushrooms (like chaga, lions mane, reishi, cordyceps, etc.), black tea, cacao, carob, chicory root, dandelion root, roasted barley, yerba mate, etc. These wonderful coffee alternatives will not give you the jitteriness, acid-formation, and other negatives of coffee drinking. A morning juice is another way to jumpstart your day sans coffee and caffeine. Blend together antioxidant-rich greens, celery, cucumber, carrots, and your choice of berries, banana, or apple (to keep the sugar low), and add in parsley, turmeric, flax, ginger, lemon, protein powder, or whatever you prefer for your wellness goals.

Develop A Coffee Wellness Ritual
An intentional morning wellness routine is an excellent way to prepare for the day ahead. Here are some healthy habits to practice utilizing your preferred morning wellness drink as a daily jumpstart.

1. As you sip your coffee or coffee alternative, be mindful that you are caring for your mind and body. Be sure to practice moderation so you do not get the jitters!
2. Bundle up and take it outside to drink in the sights and sounds of nature.
3. Read inspirational daily meditation quotes while you savor the flavor and sensations to foster a serene mind and positive attitude.
4. Keep riding the antioxidant and rejuvenating wave with caffeine-infused natural skin care. Pevonia makes formulas suitable for all skin types and concerns, including products for rosacea, dullness & uneven skin tone, eye care, natural aftershave care, sun protection, after-sun care, etc.
5. Amplify your morning wellness habits by using a hair growth shampoo and hair regrowth conditioner featuring encapsulated Caffeine from Green Coffee.
6. Make drinking a cup of joe part of a midday wellness ritual, too! Instead of gulping down your coffee while staring at your computer, push away from your desk to give yourself a proper coffee break for optimal wellness.

Want to achieve your healthiest skin ever? Boost results with an in-depth consultation for your ideal products and professional treatments. If you can’t get enough coffee, visitFind A Spa for an oasis near you offering Pevonia and ask for the Stem Cells Phyto-Elite® Intensive Body Contouring Wrap or Hydra-Sea Seaweed Wrap Treatment.