Coffee - What are the benefits of caffeine?
Coffee Consumption
Coffee is today a very popular beverage. Winter or summer, people are always found drinking coffee. Cold or hot, coffee is seen everywhere. Experts found out that Americans drink around 400 million cups of coffee per day. This is indeed a huge amount. Therefore, it brings me to conclude that this is definitely a hot topic to talk about.
Composition of Coffee
Coffee is often made from roasted beans. It contains some minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, as well as polyphenols, carbohydrates, melanoidins, and of course, the famous caffeine.
- Caffeine:
It is known as a very famous stimulant. Other natural sources include tea and chocolate. A positive effect of caffeine is, without a doubt, its ability to increase our energy levels. It has also helped greatly in the treatment of some patients with Parkinson's disease. Moreover, caffeine has been able to perform some tasks better than aspirin itself. On the other hand, it does have some negative effects. Some examples are overstimulation of the nervous system along with increased chances of miscarriage. Above all, there is the fact that a sudden withdrawal from caffeine can cause some adverse effects such as headaches, reduced mental awareness, and also decrease inactivity.
- Chlorogenic Acid:
This is found naturally in plants such as coffee beans and a mulberry tree. Chlorogenic acid is the in fact responsible for the sharp coffee taste. Some positive effects of this substance are weight loss, has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
- Diterpenes:
The particular substance is found in plants like coffee beans and tea leaves. Not much is known about the positive side effects of it. However, from the researches that were conducted, it does have some potential to combat HIV. Unfortunately, not much is known about this yet.
- Trigonelline:
Found in plants like pumpkin seeds and in coffee. Its greatest advantage is its aid in fighting off diabetes. Research in laboratories has shown possibilities of it helping to fight off pancreatic cancer.
Benefits of Drinking Coffee
Like many other things, coffee too has its benefits and drawbacks. Here are some positive effects of coffee.
1 - Diabetes
has been assumed by experts that coffee may be able to fight off type 2 diabetes.
2 - Parkinson's Disease
It has been researched that coffee can help patients who have been diagnosed with this specific disease. It seems that it can help to improve the sensory and motor neurons in those patients.
3 - Alzheimer
Another assumption would be that people who drink coffee have a lower risk of being diagnosed with the condition Alzheimer's.
4 - Depression
Another advantage of our list is depression. Coffee seems to help keep depression away from its consumers.
5 - Liver Cancer
Another one is that there may be a lowered risk of contracting liver cancer.
6 - The Heart
It looks like a moderate intake of coffee may help to prevent problems such as heart failure.
The Nutritional Value of Coffee
- Coffee is well-known to contain fewer calories. We are the ones who add on when we add sugar to our coffee.
- It contains an antioxidant called polyphenols. Antioxidants are substances that help get rid of free radicals. Free radicals, in turn, are simply waste products produced by our body.
Negative Effects Of Drinking Coffee
After having seen coffee in a positive light, it is time to be realistic and to see its dark side.
1 . Pregnancy
As mentioned above, drinking coffee may increase the risk of having a miscarriage. Other risks include low birth weight. In any way, future mothers are usually advised by their doctors to avoid coffee as much as possible.
2 . Bone
It seems that the risk of breaking a bone increases along with one´s intake of coffee.
3 . Anxiety
People who are prone to panic attacks or anxiety disorders are not recommended to drink coffee. It may cause problems such as psychosis to arise.
4 . Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Here is another assumption to add to our list. This happens when the acid in your stomach rises up to your mouth- acid reflux-and these damages the linings of your esophagus.
5 . Mental Health
Connected to the issue of anxiety, coffee has unfortunately the power to make some nasty changes to our mental health. Coffee, most precisely caffeine, has the perfect description of a drug. Withdrawal symptoms are felt and observed in many people.
6 . Sleep
It is no secret that coffee helps us escape from sleep. One of the main reasons why coffee is a favorite among students is because of its ability to help us stay awake. With no sleep, coffee helps us to revise better and do our work. This is due to the power of caffeine, which boosts our energy levels. By fuelling us with energy, it keeps our mental state awake and very much alerts. Therefore, people who consume a lot of coffee do often find themselves filled with sleepless nights, whether they have consumed coffee or not.
7 . Iron
Too much coffee is said to lower the blood levels in our bodies. This can cause several other issues to arise. For example, girls can suffer from iron deficiency disease, anemia. In relation to this, hair loss is another problem that is followed. Along with this can, other problems grow.
Decaffeinated Coffee Or Normal Coffee
Is decaf better than coffee or not? This is an ongoing debate among many people. Why do people choose decaf? After having heard about all the negative impacts of caffeine, many people want to reduce their daily intake of caffeine. Researchers have fortunately come up with decaf, that is, coffee without caffeine- well almost. Around 97% of the caffeine is removed. Decaf has actually much more benefits than our average coffee. It is without a doubt an upgraded version of our regular coffee. However, it seems that normal coffee still retains its benefit of alertness and increased energy. This implies that as a booster, our regular coffee outranks the decaf.
However, the question still lies, what would you prefer- decaf or caffeine? Energy or fewer health problems?
