Coffee is an established necessity for some people, and you can also can gain various benefits from the drink. Caffeine not only energizes you, but a healthy amount of intake helps prevent diseases. A cup of joe can lessen the threats of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver and endometrial cancers, and even Parkinson's disease. And if you are aiming to lose weight, drinking coffee could also aid you in that journey. That's why it's no wonder coffee became a staple drink for most humans, especially those who lead a hectic life. You have already given your body some love and care in just one cup.

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Mothers are one of those people who highly depend on coffee every day. More importantly, after pregnancy, they need caffeine to boost their energy level to stay up all night. Taking care of newborns means having all-nighters, and coffee might be the right choice of drink during that phase. It's also generally safe even if the mother is currently breastfeeding, but it's advisable to only drink 200 to 300 mg of coffee per day. The mom should also be attentive to how her baby reacts to caffeine so she can determine if she should reduce intake or not.

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Aside from the energy boost, research claims caffeine helps mothers prevent type 2 diabetes. The study was conducted due to the rising cases of Singaporeans with diabetes. The majority of those numbers are pregnant women who developed gestational diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes. The investigation was led by Professor Cuilin Zhang, the Director of the Global Center for Asian Women's Health. Their team collaborated with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the National Institutes of Health. Together, they all analyzed how coffee and type 2 diabetes prevention are strongly linked to one another. Their research has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition online.

According to their reports, two to five cups of the caffeinated drink is healthier than artificial and sugar-sweetened beverages. This is due to the fact that coffee has bioactive components like polyphenols. These chemicals are present in small amounts in plants that provide wellness, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and oil. To further prove the study, the research team observed 4,500 participants, primarily white women with a record of gestational diabetes, for 25 years. The results showed that people who consumed over 4 cups of joe daily after pregnancy reduced their risk by 53%. On the other hand, those who drank 2 to 3 cups decreased the threat by 17%. For women who only had one cup of coffee every day, they lowered their risk by 10%.

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"Although coffee presents as a potentially healthier alternative to sweetened beverages, the health benefits of coffee vary and much depend on the type and the amount of condiments, like sugar and milk, that you add into your coffee," said first author Jiaxi Yang, a postdoctoral research colleague at GloW. Decaffeinated drinks also made a difference as they did not provide similar results. Only a few women drank decaf, which might have affected the study's outcome. Dr. Zhang also said that various factors can alter the effects of coffee, such as brewing methods, frequency, and additional contents of the beverage.

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"The beneficial roles of coffee have been consistently suggested across diverse populations, including Asians," Professor Zhang explained. Further research will be conducted to gather more data about the link between coffee and type 2 diabetes. Scientists are still working on discovering the effects of caffeine on pregnancy, fetuses, and children, as well as other variables.