How does coffee affect your brain? The drink can protect your health in so many ways, according to a study

If you've ever wanted to give your brain a boost in anticipation of a big test or a major presentation at work, there's a good chance you're turning to a cup of coffee (or three) to give an extra boost to your mind. Most of my university days have been spent in a constant state of caffeine, if I am honest. But your favorite latte is not just beneficial for a momentary jerk of concentration. According to new research, the way coffee affects your brain is simply amazing. Both in the short term and in the long term, the drink can seemingly keep your mind healthy, and may even protect you from the development of certain diseases.

According to ScienceDaily, researchers at the Krembil Brain Institute in Toronto have studied the damaging effects of roasted coffee, black roasted coffee and decaf roasted coffee on people's brains over time. The results, which were published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscienceare somewhat complicated to understand, but overall, the results demonstrate benefits for both varieties of dark roast coffee, regardless of caffeine level. In other words, if you are sensitive to caffeine, you can still enjoy the stimulating benefits of the brain of the drink.

So here's how this brain stimulation seems to work, according to research: During the coffee roasting process, compounds called phenylindans appear. Phenylindans are important because they help prevent the formation of protein fragments that could, in the long run, potentially lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, according to ScienceDaily.

Even more fascinating is the fact that this protection phenomenon is totally natural. "Mother Nature is a much better chemist than us and Mother Nature is able to make these compounds," said Dr. Donald Weaver, co-director of the Krembil Brain Institute, in a statement released by ScienceDaily. "If you have a complicated compound, it's best to grow it in a crop, harvest it, grind it and extract it, rather than trying to make it."

In addition, the benefits of coffee to stimulate the brain certainly do not help prevent Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Coffee can also help your brain to better process the information in the long run. For a study published in the British multidisciplinary scientific journal Nature, the researchers gave caffeine pills of 200 milligrams (equivalent to about two cups of coffee) to 60 participants who did not drink coffee regularly to see how it affected blood flow to their brains. According to the results, the caffeine tablets caused an increase in blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, the lateral striatum, the visual cortex and the motor region of the brain. According to research, these areas are related to your attention, your alertness and your motor function. Therefore, if you are looking to boost your brain capacity, your espresso habit could do the trick.

In addition, while drinking coffee before a major study session can help you stay awake long enough to be able to stuff you, it could also make short-term memory training of your brain more efficient, according to one study published in the newspaper psychopharmacology. Participants in this study noted that with the vigilance that one could expect from a coffee shop, 30 minutes after drinking coffee, they were better able to process visual information, had more precise spatial memory and remembered information more efficiently.

Honestly, I could talk all day about the many benefits of coffee. If you're still not convinced, Trevor Rich, MD, of the Mayo Clinic health system in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, told NBC News: "Studies combine coffee consumption with reduced risk depression, Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and liver cancer ".

If caffeine makes you nervous, you will not necessarily miss these benefits to stimulate the brain. Pour yourself a good cup of decaffeinated coffee, because Dr. Rich told NBC News that your body could still benefit from the caffeine-free drink. "Some of these associations are visible even in decaffeinated coffee drinkers and may be related to the antioxidants in coffee."

Pinkies up, friends!