Coffee: The Good Or The Bad Guy?
You have probably drank or tasted coffee at some point in your life, and it is to no surprise, that coffee is the most widely consumed beverage in the world.
During the years 2020-2021, 166.63 million (60kg) bags of coffee were consumed around the world, which is a huge amount.
On average, more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world everyday.
While coffee has for a long time been the pick me up beverage of choice for many people, research in the past decade has found that drinking coffee may also deliver some health benefits to those who drink it, but if drank excessively, it also can bring some unwanted side effects
So if you are interested in learning about how coffee affects you and your wellbeing, grab a cup of coffee and I am wishing you happy reading.
NUTRIENTS FOUND IN COFFEE BEANS
Caffeine (Average cup is somewhere around 90–100 mg)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B5 (Panthotheinic acid)
Manganese
Potassium
Magnesium
Phytochemcials: Chlorogenic acid (An antioxidant)
HEALTH BENEFITS OF COFFEE
Boost energy levels, alertness and focus
During the day, the concentration of a chemical called adenosine increases, which makes us more tired towards the end of the day, in order to eventually initiate sleep. Coffee however, is known for blocking the effects of this adenosine chemical, since it blocks the receptors for it in our body, which means that we do not feel the usual effect of tiredness. As a result, when drinking coffee, we feel energized, less tired as well as more alert.
Additionally, coffee has been shown to trigger the release of adrenaline, which additionally makes us feel alert and raises our pulse to quicken our actions
May lower risk of type 2 diabetes
I 2014, there was a study done on 48,000 people, where by increasing their daily coffee consumption by at least one cup, for 4 years, they had a 11% lower risk of developing type II diabetes, than those who did not drink the additional cup.
In 2017, it was found that “people who drank four to six cups of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee each day appeared to have a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, including type 2 diabetes”. This shows that coffee really does have some positive attributes for helping with type II diabetes.
A review of 18 studies that contained 457,922 people, showed that each daily cup of coffee consumed, reduced the risk of type II diabetes by 7%.
Lowers risk of depression
In a study done by Harvard in 2011, they found that people who drank the most coffee has a 20% lower risk of developing depression.
Furthermore, a review of three studies, concluded that “people who drank four or more cups of coffee per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide”
Although these studies sound convincing for treating depression, it is still unclear wether coffee could also worsen some of the effects of depression for some people, by increasing jitteriness.
Lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases
Several studies have shown that coffee drinkers may have up to 65% lower risk of developing Alzheimers disease.
Furthermore, another research team concluded that for men who drank over four cups of coffee per day, may have a 5x lower risk of Parkinson's disease than those who do not drink as much.
Reduction of heart disease
A study from 2018 showed that for some people drinking 3-5 cups of coffee per day may reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by 15%, which is a considerable amount coming just form coffee.
Increased athletic performance
Caffeine found inside coffee has been shown to have a positively stimulating effect on the central nervous system, which during exercise, helps to reduce feelings of fatigue, lowers perceived exertion during exercise and lowers our levels of perceived pain. All of this can contribute to us pushing ourselves harder during a specific exercise.
Further caffeine also improves mental sharpness and focus, which improves our technical skills before and after a strenuous activity
Lastly, caffeine has also incredible been shown to change the way that our body uses its own fat as fuel, which increases the time it takes us to become tired during long endurance events.
Lower risk of liver cancer
In 2015, a study across multiethnic populations was done in the US, where they concluded that drinking 2-3 cups fo coffee daily reduced the participants risk of developing liver cancer and chronic liver disease (CDL) by 38% and 46% respectively.
Furthermore, long term coffee drinkers have a 84% lower risk of developing cirrhosis (damage of liver tissue) during their lifetime, especially for those who drank at least 4 cups of coffee a day.
Overall longer longevity
All of these reasons mentioned above, put coffee on the list of being able to increase out longevity and possibly our life span, due to its diverse mostly positive effects on the body.
DRAWBACKS TO BE WARE OF
Insomnia: Due to the stimulating and waking effects that coffee has, if consumed to late into the day, can cause us to have poor sleep and insomnia.
Higher pulse: For some people with heart conditions and high blood pressure, coffee may have negative effects for them, since it increases our heart rate, which also causes us to experience unwanted feelings of jitteriness if too much is consumed.
Higher risk of bone fractures: Some studies have proposed a link between high coffee consumption and having a greater risk of experiencing a bone fracture.
Could worsen anxiety: For people who suffer from panic or social anxiety disorders, coffee may make these conditions worse, due to the feelings of jitteriness and an elevated pulse
Negative interference with medications: Coffee may also not work well with certain types of medications such as psychiatric drugs, thyroid medications, heartburn drugs, and antibiotics.
Addictive: For regular drinkers, coffee could become an addictive substance, which is okay as long as the person feels well, but is also not preferred since when the person does not get the chance to drink coffee, they may start experiencing mild withdrawal symptoms of needing coffee.
BOTTOM LINE ADVICE
As we have seen, drinking coffee can be both advantages to our heath while overdoing it, also brings some down sides with it. If you enjoy coffee and are a coffee drinker, up to 400mg of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most adults, which is roughly the amount fo caffeine that we find in 4 cups of brewed coffee.
For those who do drink coffee, I would just advise against using too much sugar, creamers and other additives inside of your coffee, as over time may reduce the potential health benefits that coffee could bring you.
Otherwise enjoy that cup of coffee if it makes you feel good :)
