For many people it is difficult to imagine breakfast and the rest of the day without this energetic drink. Coffee is so various and so beloved: cooked in a Turk, from coffee machines, instant, with milk or cream, spices, syrup or ice cream. It has been discussed a lot about the dangers and benefits of this drink. Among the total amount of information there are a lot of myths. Let’s try to figure out everything together. Below, you will see the benefits and harm of coffee, based on the latest research.
Benefits of coffee:
Grains of coffee contain alkaloid caffeine, which has psychoactive effects. It involves benefits and harms of coffee. The benefit lies in the stimulation of nervous system and heart activity, thereby increasing efficiency and blood pressure.
Drinking coffee helps to prevent type 2 diabetes. This is due to the content of chlorogenic and caffeic acids, as well as caffeine. These 3 substances inhibit the accumulation of amyloid protein, which promotes the development of insulin-dependent diabetes.
Coffee prevents from the development of Parkinson's disease. Scientists have noticed this connection via practical research, noting that decaf does not prevent from this disease.
Prevention of stroke and cardiovascular disease is due to the expansion of the brain blood vessels and heart under the influence of caffeine.
The substances contained in coffee, increase the stomach secretion - they increase the acidity of gastric juice. This feature is useful for patients with gastritis with low acidity.
Presumably coffee helps to cope with depression. Among women, this effect is more pronounced.
According to American scientists, coffee consumption reduces the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis. Scientists suggest that this effect is not associated with caffeine, but with another unexplored substance.
Harm of coffee:
Coffee can trigger insomnia and tachycardia among people with increased nervous excitability.
Excessive consumption of strong coffee is contraindicated for people suffering from hypertension because this can cause hypertensive crisis.
Coffee contains cafestol substance that promotes cholesterol. It is known that increased levels of cholesterol leads to diseases of the cardiovascular system such as, for example, atherosclerosis, angina, myocardial infarction.
Although scientists deny narcotic effects of coffee on the body, people, accustomed to the constant consumption of this drink feel lifeless, drowsy without the usual cup of coffee. They may even suffer from a headache. Experts recommend to reduce the amount of coffee consumption slowly, so that not to cause "withdrawal symptoms."
Due to the fact that coffee increases the acidity of gastric juice, its excessive consumption can be harmful for people with high acidity of the stomach, suffering from a stomach ulcer.
Coffee with milk and sugar, various syrups or ice cream has a high calorie content. Patients with obesity and other diseases related to being overweight, are recommended to drink black coffee with a very small amount of sugar.
Specialists noted the negative effects of coffee on pregnant women. Caffeine passes through the placenta to the baby, and causes the same features on the small body, as on his mother.
Invigorating drink has a strong diuretic effect, which can provoke dehydration.
Coffee washes calcium and other components from the organism. This is another reason to give up coffee for pregnant women.
Coffee affects the color of the teeth. In case of frequent consumption of this drink, the enamel can become yellow.
Scientists link the reduction in the size of the female breast with a daily intake of coffee.
Some facts about the instant coffee:
Instant coffee is of lower quality than grain one.
It has the same positive and negative properties as the grain. However, these properties are less pronounced.
To achieve a good taste, manufacturers add chemicals in instant coffee (stabilizers, antioxidants, colorants). Coffee which is free from such additives is called organic.
In the process of growing grains, coffee manufacturers often use pesticides that fall into the cup with the beverage, even after extraction, in the process of manufacture of instant coffee.
About the green coffee:
New trend of today’s world is the appearance of green coffee on the shelves of stores.
Unlike regular coffee, the beans are not being roasted in the process of production. It is believed that such a useful coffee (contains antioxidants), has a more pronounced stimulating properties. When roasting, some part of the nutrients is being destroyed. In green coffee they are stored in the quantities in which nature originally organized it. In practice, during the production of soluble green coffee there happens the lost of a part of nutrients, as the technological process involves the use of elevated temperatures and pressures. A larger amount of nutrients is stored in the production of freeze-dried coffee. In this case, the grain’s broth is frozen and dried under vacuum. It is believed that green coffee contains less caffeine than roasted one. However, this is not the case. Caffeine is an alkaloid. It has remained virtually unchanged during heat treatment (roasting). Green coffee doesn’t have flavor and aroma usual to us. Therefore, many manufacturers use various additives - creating coffee mixes, and various "fruit" drinks based on green coffee.
How to reduce the harmful effects of coffee on the body:
If you suffer from hypertension, increased nervous excitability, choose decaf. However, it is also dangerous to be a fan of such coffee, as it can also have stimulating effect.
Do not drink coffee at night, if you have insomnia.
If you suffer from diabetes, you should drink weak coffee without sugar. However, no more than 1-2 cups daily.
With the increased level of cholesterol in the blood, tendency to atherosclerosis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, use paper filters in coffee machines. Reduce the frequency of consumption of instant coffee, because it also contains cafestol, which increases the level of cholesterol.
If you have increased acidity of the stomach, gastritis hyperacid, do not drink coffee on an empty stomach, try to avoid black strong coffee.
If you are prone to obesity, do not add a lot of sugar in coffee, syrups, ice cream and a large quantity of milk.
Be sure to observe the water-drinking regimen in order to avoid abnormal reaction of the body associated with dehydration.
In order to avoid leaching of calcium from the body and trace elements, watch out for the variety of the food, do not neglect the use of dairy products.
If you are pregnant, it is better to restrict the consumption of coffee, or to reduce it to a few cups per month.
To be more confident in the benefits of the drink to your health, give preference to coffee beans (unless contraindicated), not soluble one. In this case, you can avoid the use of different flavors that are used in the production.
Now you know all the benefits and harms of coffee consumption and the choice is up to you! Choose the coffee of high quality only, in order to get the best from the quality and taste.