Coffee And The Myth Surrounding It

There have been a lot of myth and news about coffee, being bad for the health. There have been rumors and numerous write-ups about the damages coffee can do to the body. Some of the things the proponents of this notion hammered on were that

1. It increases the blood pressure
2. It surges the speed at which the heart beats
3. It ruins the sleep cycle
4. That it increases the risk of having cancer

However, the world health organization has taken a step against the proponents of this kind of idea, by removing coffee from the list of substances that can cause cancer.

What Is Coffee?

Coffee is a drink that is made from coffee beans, which are gotten from the Coffee plant. This drink is a stimulant, primarily because it contains caffeine. It can be made in some ways and forms. Examples of ways it can be made include Americano, espresso, cappuccino, latte and so on. It can be mixed with milk and sugar before serving, while some people prefer it raw, without any extra additives, so it can have the maximum effect. Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. In fact, there are coffee machines almost everywhere, especially in the developed countries. This ranges from places such as the hospital, bank, industries, school environment etc. The purpose of having the coffee machine around workplaces is to help people improve their productivity. The origin of coffee can be traced back to Africa, Sudan, and Ethiopia in particular. However, evidence of the first drinkers of coffee was in Yemen.

How Does Coffee Work In The Body?

Coffee has many constituents, however, the most prominent of them is caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant of the nervous system. It kicks us back into action whenever we’re feeling tired, sleepy, or just inactive. In addition to this, coffee contains some antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that remove free radicals from the body. This free radical, when they accumulate in the body are capable of causing diseases, such as cancer. Also, they help the body with DNA-repair. The quantity of time needed for caffeine to be eliminated from the body ranges from three hours to eight hours. However, this is dependent on some factors, such as the age of the individual and the concentration of coffee taken. The half-life of coffee in babies is usually between the range of three to six days. This is why babies and children are not allowed to take coffee.

Furthermore, genetics also plays a role in the body digestion and elimination of caffeine. While caffeine has a strong effect on some people, some individuals would have to take a large dose before they can feel the effect. It has been observed, caffeine’s half-life doubles in women that are on oral contraceptives. In addition, women in their gestation period also tend to have retained caffeine in their body system, more than the average person. The strong effect of coffee can largely be attributed to caffeine and the antioxidants in it.

Health Benefits Of Drinking Coffee

1. It surges the amount of energy in the body: Coffee has been the solace of those that need their mind and body to be active for a period of time. It has proved useful to bankers, doctors, students and so on. Coffee contains caffeine, which is a natural stimulant. This substance stimulates the central nervous system, and works by moving to the brain through the bloodstream, and inhibiting the function of Adenosine. Adenosine is a natural inhibitory neurotransmitter. After this has occurred, the level of adrenaline and endorphins, like dopamine increases in the body, consequently, making the person more alert and active. The endorphin also works by improving the mood of the person.
2. It helps to burn adipose tissue: It has been proven that coffee has some constituents that help the burning of fat. It also boosts the body metabolic rate. According to studies, it increases the body metabolism at an average rate of 9 percent.
3. It’s a natural boost: Apart from helping the body to burn fat cells, coffee also increases the body performance. It does this by increasing the level of adrenaline in the blood. Adrenaline is the fight or flight hormone, and it prepares us for emergency situations, and also for times when we need to give our optimum performance. In addition, caffeine catabolizes fat cells, and releases the components into the blood, to be used as fuel, especially in the form of ATP. Coffee has been proven to boost human performance by around ten percent.
4. Coffee contains some nutritional supplements: Coffee contains more than just caffeine and antioxidants. It also contains some vitamins and minerals. For example, coffee contains riboflavin, magnesium, pantothenic acid, manganese and so on.
5. It reduces the risk of having metabolic diseases: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease, associated with the body’s inability to produce insulin, and in some other types, high insulin resistance. It is always accompanied with hyperglycemia, polyphagia, polydipsia, and polyuria. According to studies, habitual coffee drinkers have been shown to have fewer cases of diabetes mellitus. It has been suggested that coffee reduces the risk of having metabolic diseases.
6. It protects against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease: Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disease, that is caused by the death of neurons that produces dopamine. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include body tremors, the rigidity of muscles, abnormal gait, and slurring speech. This disease does not yet have a cure, but can only be managed. However, coffee reduces the risk of having this disease. In addition, it also reduces the risk of having a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s.  Apart from eating healthy and engaging in physical exercises, coffee is a great way of protecting yourself from these diseases.
7. It reduces the risk of having cancer: Cancer is a disease that is associated with the malignant of tumor in the body. These tumors are usually capable of metastasizing and moving to another part of the body. Coffee contains a good quantity of anti-oxidants, which helps the body to remove free radicals, that usually predisposes to the body to cancer.

References

Guallar, E. (2017). Coffee gets a clean bill of health. BMJ, p.j5356.

Santos, R. (2015). Coffee Effects on Human Health. MOJ Bioequivalence & Bioavailability, 1(2).

Santos, R. (2015). Coffee Effects on Human Health. MOJ Bioequivalence & Bioavailability, 1(2).

Tennant, J. (2017). Better latte than never: Is coffee good for you health?. ScienceOpen Research.