No, I’m not just talking about how great black coffee tastes, I’m talking about how great black coffee is for you, especially if you want to lead a healthy lifestyle. There are many forms of antioxidants, but none so overlooked as the venerable black coffee.

So, you might be wondering why I’m specifying black coffee and not the other (surely more delicious) types of coffee out there. The answer is simple — the other variants of coffee have one or more forms of sweeteners added to them.

The general rule here is that the more sweeteners you add to your coffee, the more you lessen the health benefits that are initially found in coffee. And it’s exactly for this reason that black coffee is today’s hero. Now, what properties make black coffee so good? Read on and find out, dear readers.

Effective Antioxidant

While we’ve already established this, we need to know how this property makes black coffee beneficial to consume. Simply put, coffee is a diuretic beverage that causes you to urinate more often. Toxins and other unwanted byproducts are expelled from your body along with the urine. In fact, black coffee is considered to be the best antioxidant in the American diet. It’s also pretty effective at preventing the development of gout because your body is able to flush out excess uric acid and insulin, which are the main causes of gout.

Cancer Deterrent

Not only does black coffee clean your stomach, it also helps prevent cancer in various organs of your body, particularly your liver. Coffee does this by helping to regulate the bad liver enzymes that are found in your blood. Coffee also contains a compound that helps prevent breast and colon cancer.

Pre-workout Booster

Consuming coffee 30 minutes before hitting the gym has the same effect as taking in a pre-workout beverage. It does this by increasing the adrenaline levels in your blood. Not only does black coffee cause you to work out more, it also facilitates in increasing your metabolism, thus making your body burn more fat by prompting your body to use up fat instead of sugar for energy. If that isn’t a double win, then I don’t know what is.

Youth Elixir… Sort Of

Black coffee doesn’t just make you feel good, it also makes you age gracefully. Drinking black coffee without adding any sugar stimulates the body into producing dopamine, which not only gives you that feeling of euphoria, but it also plays a vital role in preventing Parkinson’s Disease. It also helps improve your cardiovascular health, which helps you avoid heart-related illnesses, and reduces the risk of strokes.

Brain Stimulant

Coffee has been proven to contain a psychoactive stimulant that improves your mood, cognitive functions, and ability to think outside the box. Basically, it causes you to think more and that in itself makes a person smart.

Now, you don’t always have to head out to grab a cup of joe. The great part about coffee is that it’s not only healthy to consume, it’s also inexpensive. It’s also pretty easy to prepare, provided that you have the needed appliances to do so. If you’re still on the search for the best pour over coffee maker, look no further.