Coffee - The question that hardly hears a no for an answer
Coffee, arguably the world’s most consumed beverage, is hard to resist. The smell of coffee is soothing. For many people across the globe, coffee is the first beverage consumed for instant energy.
Coffee has been with us for ages. Few coffees are graded above 80 by the SCA. This indicates the quality of the coffee served.
Coffee comes in various beans or plants.
- The Arabica coffee plant is responsible for 70% of global coffee. Arabica coffee has a richer flavour compared to other coffee plant coffees.
- Robusta coffee is the type of coffee that comes from the robusta plant. The robusta plant grows in Africa.
- Coffee beans are the beans in which the coffee is made. The coffee beans are roasted and ground before the sales. Some coffee consumers prefer to consume coffee with the beans grinned before the roasting process for a fresher flavour.
- Coffee blends are the mixture of coffee beans from various places to create one unique flavour called the blended flavour.
- Single-origin coffee is coffee that comes from only one country.
- Green coffee is called so because they are not roasted. The un-roasted coffee beans are green in colour.
Health benefits of coffee
The high antioxidant level in coffee and the various nutrients make it healthy. Some of the benefits of coffee are
- Coffee contains many essential nutrients. A cup of coffee would serve our body with riboflavin, that is, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B5, potassium, and manganese. They have small doses of all these essential nutrients. If a person consumes 2 cups of coffee a day, he can easily mount up on these nutrients.
- Coffee may help to reduce the chances of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by elevated levels of blood sugar in the body. Studies found that for some unknown reason, coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Coffee has proven to help people who feel tired with their energy levels. Coffee can fight against fatigue. This is possible because of the caffeine content in coffee. Caffeine is the world's most consumed psychoactive substance. Caffeine blocks the inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain, which is responsible for causing a stimulant effect. This has a direct impact on improving mood and various brain functions.
- The caffeine found in coffee can help a person lose fat. Caffeine is used in every fat-burning supplement. Caffeine is a natural substance that aids in burning fat. Caffeine can boost the metabolic rate of a person significantly.
- The caffeine content in the coffee can improve physical performance. Caffeine would increase the adrenaline level in the blood.
- Adrenaline prepares our body for a high level of physical exertion. Caffeine breaks down fat as the fuel to our body. This has a direct effect on the physical performance of the body.
- Eating healthy and regular exercises can lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and the major cause of dementia. Various studies show that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of disease.
- Coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of cirrhosis and other liver diseases.
- One of the main reasons many people consume coffee is that coffee can fight against depression. A serious mental disorder is a major concern for people across the globe. Consuming coffee happens to lower the risk of developing depression and reduces the risk of suicide.
- Coffee can reduce various types of cancer. Cancer is caused by cell growth which is uncontrollable. Consuming coffee can protect the body from two types of cancer, namely, liver cancer and colorectal cancer.
- Various studies have been performed, and the results show that coffee drinkers have a reduced risk of liver cancer. Furthermore, various studies have shown that consuming 4 to 5 cups of coffee can also reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Consuming coffee would lower the risk of getting a stroke. Coffee cannot reduce heart diseases, but consuming coffee regularly may reduce getting a stroke.
- Coffee is one of the finer sources of antioxidants. It is one of the major sources of antioxidants in the western diet. Coffee is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants provide various essential health benefits to our bodies.
Can we consume more coffee?
Coffee is a globally popular beverage. It offers impressive health benefits. Coffee may also boost longevity in a person.
A cup of freshly brewed coffee can help us feel more energized. It helps in burning fat and improves physical performance.
If the body of an individual is caffeine tolerant, it is okay for him to consume more than one cup of coffee per day.
However, the body of an individual differs from others. It is important to take advice from a dietitian for personalized needs and requirements, as a balanced meal and a healthy lifestyle are required for the well-being of a person.
Consuming three cups of coffee for a healthy adult is fine. However, there are risks of consuming excessive caffeine. Caffeine is an important feature of coffee. However, many other compounds present in coffee make it difficult to determine how much coffee for an individual is healthy. If the individual wishes to derive maximum health benefits from coffee, he needs to restrict himself from consuming two cups a day.
This brings us to the risks of consuming coffee.
What are the risks involved in consuming coffee?
Consuming excessive coffee may have an adverse effect. Some of them are
- People who consume more coffee have a higher chance of developing this disease. If a person has this disease, it is recommended that he doesn't consume more than one cup of coffee per day.
- Consuming high amounts of caffeine would increase the risk of developing anxiety. This is more often with people with panic disorder or other social disorders.
- Consuming a high amount of caffeine in the adolescence stage of an individual would lead to a higher chance of developing permanent changes in the brain.
- This is bound to cause various mental health issues for the person.
- The ability of caffeine to help people stay awake is one of its most prized qualities.
- Consuming too much caffeine will make it difficult for a person to get enough sleep. Several studies have found that high caffeine intake would increase the amount of time a person takes to fall asleep. It would also decrease the total sleeping time of a person, especially in elders.
- Caffeine consumed in the latter half of the day would interfere with the sleep schedule because caffeine can take several hours to wear off.
- A contradictory belief is that a morning cup of coffee would help people get their bubbles moving. Still, the coffee laxative effect can be attributed to the release of gas friend and speed up the activity in the colon.
- Considering this effect, it is not a surprise that when too much caffeine goes into the body, it may lead to loose stools or even diarrhoea.
- Addiction
- Even though coffee offers various health benefits, there is no second question about becoming a habit. Various studies show that caffeine triggers a similar effect to addictive substances to people. Some studies also reveal that caffeine would also lead to psychological or physical withdrawal symptoms in people who consume large amounts daily.
- Caffeine directly doesn’t increase the risk of heart diseases, but it has been shown to raise BP in several studies because of a stimulatory effect on the nervous system. Fortunately, this effect is only temporary; however, people consuming caffeine in large quantities have the risk of prolonging it.
To sum up
Light to moderate coffee intake would provide impressive health benefits to many people. On the other hand, excessive caffeine intake would lead to side effects that would trigger harm to the body and hamper day-to-day living.
Sometimes it may cause serious health issues.
Despite the responses, triggers vary from person to person, the side effects of consuming high caffeine must be avoided.
It is always recommended to get advice from a dietician on how much caffeine an individual needs to consume based on his body condition.
