Life is not a bed of roses; there are days when we have to snooze the alarm frequently before we can get off our body. Coffee is a quick source of energy and caffeine for the day. It is used by a various group of people, people with the tedious and busy schedule, which needed a drink to keep them awake throughout the day.
Coffee is also a live saver for students that want to stay awake asll throught the night for an exam the next day, however, thwere are different varieties and blends of coffes, People blend coffee with their different taste, some prefer the smell of raw coffee, while some people mix it qwith milk and sugar.
There have been a lot of arguments about the pros and cons of drinking coffee, just like any other thing in life, coffee when taken in the right proportion and moderation can be beneficial for the body.
Is Drinking Coffee Good or Bad for Your Health and Wellness
Drinking three 8-ounce cups of coffee a day can have positive health benefits, depending on the strength of the brew. That’s about three cups per coffee drinker in the United States, where 83 percent of adults can’t imagine life without their favorite cup of java.
Add to that tea, caffeinated soft drinks, and those infamous energy drinks., and you won’t be surprised to read that 90 percent of us consume caffeine in some form or another each day. Is this a bad thing? Not entirely.
Recent research has shown that coffee, in particular, may help prevent diseases like stroke and certain cancers, lower our risk of Parkinson’s ,dementia and boost our concentration and enhances our memory Partly that’s because coffee beans are seeds, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reminds us, and like all seeds, they’re loaded with protective compounds.
“Coffee is an amazingly potent collection of biologically active compounds,” Walter Willett, M.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, told the National Institutes of Health’s newsletter.
Caffeine, a mild stimulant, also provides benefits: It’s been linked to lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease for example. But when it comes to caffeine, there really can be too much of a good thing. Those who study caffeine’s lesser-known effects point to studies that indicate it can be dangerous for people with hypertension, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Caffeine can also interact poorly with some common medications, and it can worsen insomnia, anxiety, and heartburn.
It would make things easier if the caffeine content were listed on food labels so you would know if you’ve exceeded the 300 mg level that most health experts say is a safe, moderate amount for the day — about the amount in three 8-ounce cups of coffee, depending on how high you brew it — but so far that’s not happening.
So before you turn on that coffeemaker or grab a grande cup from your favorite cafe, here are some things to keep in mind.
Harmful Effects of Coffee
Caffeine is a drug, says Steven Meredith, a researcher in behavioral pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
While low to moderate doses are safe, caffeine is addictive, and users can become dependent on it and find it difficult to quit or even cut back, he says. (Caffeine dependence was also named as a new mental disorder this year.) Anyone who’s ever quit cold turkey knows it can trigger pounding headaches, mental fuzziness, and fatigue for a couple of days until the body adjusts.
Other harmful effects of excessive coffee include:
- Insomnia and anxiety disorders: It increases anxiety and disrupts sleep patterns, leading to a vicious cycle of restless sleep, relying on caffeine to help with daytime fatigue, followed by more insomnia. Excessive caffeine and coffee intake can alter the circadian rhythm of the human body, at this moment changing our sleep cycle.
- Bad drug interaction: Coffee interacts poorly with drugs and various medications, such as drugs used for treating thyroid, psychiatric, and depression related disease. Antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin and the medicines used for treating heartburns. Coffee can affects the mechanism of interaction of various drugs, and reduce the potency of this drugs. When you are on any of these drugs, consult your doctor to advise you on your coffee intake.
- Hypertensive and diabetic patients: It increases blood sugar levels, making it harder for those with type 2 diabetes to manage their insulin, according to some studies; it also can slightly raise your blood pressure. If you have difficulty controlling either your blood pressure or diabetes, switching to decaf may help with this condition. Coffee can predispose an individual to hyperglycemia and hypertension, making it dangerous for type 2 diabetic and hypertensive patients.
- Bone loss in women: Coffee and caffeine can potentially lead to some spinal bone loss in postmenopausal women if they typically drink more than three cups, or 300 mg of caffeine, a day, but don’t get enough calcium in their diet (Linda Massey). An older woman should make sure she gets at least 800 mg of calcium daily through food or supplements to offset caffeine’s effect on calcium, (Bess Dawson).
- Gastro-intestinal problems: Coffee itself can also mess with your stomach. If you have questions about acid reflux or heartburn, then coffee and even tea might not be right for you. Java is not your friend if you’re prone to heartburn. Coffee is highly acidic and is irritating to the gastrointestinal tract. Switching to decaf won’t help: In fact, some research has found that decaf increases stomach acid even more than caffeinated coffee. Neither will changing methods of brewing or roasting. Avoiding coffee is the only solution. Caffeine is not your friend if you have acid reflux. Caffeine seems to be the main culprit by relaxing the sphincter muscle that usually keeps stomach acid from bubbling up to the esophagus. Decaf coffee has significantly less of a reflux effect.
- Coffee can worsen existing gastrointestinal problems such as heartburn, constipation, and indigestion.
- Increased risk of atherosclerosis and hypercholesteremia: f you have high cholesterol, and you don’t want your coffee adding to the problem; you need to use a paper filter to trap the cafestol, a compound in coffee that raises LDL cholesterol levels.
Top 20 Beneficial Effects of That Morning Cup of Coffee
Coffe has a lot of beneficial effects on the body’s metabolism, concentration, and cognitive function. Caffeine has been shown to protect against a host of problems. Some studies have found that those who drink lots of coffee (but not decaf) seem to be four to eight times less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, according to the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and “that is more likely to be due to caffeine” than to any nutrients in coffee, says van Dam.
Some of the significant benefits of coffee include:
1. Prevention of Neurological Problems
It may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and A caffeine habit in your 40s and 50s — three to five cups daily of the high-octane stuff, not decaf — seems to reduce by up to 70 percent the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia in your 70s, a 2009 University of Florida study found. Other studies have found that regular caffeine consumption may help slow the rate of cognitive decline in older adults.
2. It Reduces Suicidal Tendency
Coffee cuts suicide risk. A 2013 study by Harvard’s School of Public Health found that those who drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day cut their suicide risk by 45 percent — possibly because caffeine’s stimulant effect helps boost people’s moods.
3. It Reduces the Chances of Oral Cancer
Older adults who drank four or more 8-ounce cups of regular coffee daily were half as likely to die of mouth and upper throat cancer. Decaf had a weaker effect, while no protection was found with
4. Stroke
A 2009 U.S. study and a 2011 Swedish study both found that older women who drink more than a cup of caffeinated coffee daily have a 20 to 25 percent lower risk of stroke. A 2008 Swedish study found a similar result in older men. Coffee intake reduces the risk of women having a stroke.
5. Longer life
It was discovered that those who regularly drank coffee — either decaf or regular — had a lower risk of overall death than did nondrinkers. In particular, the coffee drinkers were less likely to die from cardiovascular, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections.
6. Antidiabetic
Studies from around the world consistently show that high consumption of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee is associated with low risk of type 2 diabetes. That’s true even though coffee may raise blood glucose levels in people with diabetes, at least on a short-term basis. His recommendation: Switch to decaf because some research shows it has less of an effect on blood sugar.
7. Reduced Risk of Liver Disease
Coffee drinkers have a significantly lower risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. The more coffee they drink, the smaller the chance.
8. Reduced depression
Studies have shown that people who drink coffee have a lower risk of becoming depressed and are significantly less likely to commit suicide.
9. Antioxidant Properties
Instant coffee is full of powerful antioxidants. It may even contain more of some antioxidants than other types of coffee.
10. It Enhances Brain Function
The caffeine can improve brain function
11. Metabolism Boost and Fat Burner
The caffeine may boost metabolism and help you burn more fat.
12. Increased Performance
There are studies showing that coffee can help improve athletic performance, mobilize fat from cells, and increase stamina.
13. Cardiovascular Effect
Compounds in coffee have a positive and negative impact on coronary risk. Overall, coffee does not affect the risk of heart attacks (or strokes). One way coffee may be useful for the heart is by reducing the risk of diabetes. One way it can be bad is if it is unfiltered and raises blood cholesterol.
14. Reduced Risk of Colon Cancer
An analysis from the sizeable NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study last year found that people who drank at least four cups of coffee (regular or decaf) a day were 15 percent less likely to develop colon cancer than nondrinkers.
15. Reduced Risk of Prostate Cancer
A British study published in the Nutrition Journal last year found a reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer in coffee drinkers, though the overall risk for prostate cancer was not affected.
16. Cognitive Decline
In a study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2011, older women (but not men) who drank coffee had a reduced rate of cognitive decline over an eight-year period.
17. Life Expectancy
People who drank at least two cups of coffee (regular or decaf) a day were 10 to 15 percent less likely to die over a 14-year period than nondrinkers,
18. Reduced Risk of Lung Cancer
A British study published in the Nutrition Journal last year found a reduced risk of aggressive lung cancer in coffee drinkers, though the overall risk for lung cancer was not affected.
19. Reduced Risk of Endometrial Cancer in Women
In 2011 two extensive studies of women linked coffee to a decreased risk of endometrial cancer. This was especially true of obese women, who are at increased risk for the disease.
20. Fat Burning Effect
Coffee increases the metabolism of the body which is an essential factor in burning fat. This increased lipolytic effect can be utilized bt various fitness models and individuals with the intention of losing weight.
Coffee has both harmful and beneficial effect; the most critical key is moderation and understanding of your own body. If drinking too much coffee keeps you awake at night, then reduce your night coffee intake.
Also, if you noticed that you are getting addicted and dependent on coffee, it is advisable to withdraw gradually, because sudden withdrawal can cause a lot of hazardous effects, withdrawal should be done by drinking decaf coffee progressively before total elimination of coffee from the diet. If you have any unusual reaction or symptoms, contact your doctor.
References
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LEVITT, J. (1985). Relationship of dehydration rate to drought avoidance, dehydration tolerance and dehydration avoidance of cabbage leaves, and to their acclimation during drought-induced water stress*. Plant, Cell, and Environment, 8(4), pp.287-296.
Magalhães, S., Guedes, R., Demuner, A. and Lima, E. (2008). Effect of coffee alkaloids and phenolics on egg-laying by the coffee leaf miner Leucoptera coffeella. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 98(05).
Maughan, R. and Shirreffs, S. (2010). Dehydration and rehydration in a competative sport. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 20, pp.40-47.
Nagase, K., Yokobayashi, H. and Sone, K. (1979). Dehydration of copper(II) sulfate and its double salts: comparison with the dehydration of cobalt(II) sulfate. Thermochimica Acta, 31(3), pp.391-394.
VANDERSTEGEN, G. (1979). The effect of dewaxing of green coffee on the coffee brew. Food Chemistry, 4(1), pp.23-29.
Varma, S. (2016). Effect of coffee (caffeine) against human cataract blindness. Clinical Ophthalmology, p.213.
Wolf, A. (1938). Studies on the Behavior of Lumbricus Terrestris L. to Dehydration; and Evidence for a Dehydration Tropism. Ecology, 19(2), pp.233-242.
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