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Coffee - Ally or Foe?

Dec 01, 2020
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Coffee is one of the most iconic discoveries for humans, who have successfully harnessed the different kinds of coffee beans and turned it into a myriad of flavorful beverages mixed with chocolate, milk, and cinnamon powder. For some, coffee is as essential as water, where they cannot imagine a day without it. However, this drink has been subjected to intense debate over its supposed benefits. This begs the question - how good/harmful is coffee? 

Let us first look into its proven benefits:

  • Contains nutrients and high in antioxidants. A typical 240ml cup of coffee contains several nutrients which cannot be produced naturally by the body such as potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and several types of Vitamin Bs. While the percentage is small for these nutrients (around 1-3%), coffee's strongest point is its amount of antioxidants, which has been found to be higher than those from fruits and vegetables combined.  
  • Caffeine, brain function and metabolism booster. The main component of coffee, caffeine is widely known as a stimulant that helps keep the brain awake and sharper. This is thanks to caffeine stopping the production of a brain hormone called adenosine, resulting in an increase of dopamine and norepinephrine. Caffeine has also been found to boost metabolism rates on an average of 3-11%. However, it must be noted that these effects and short-term and will decrease once tolerance has been built. 
  • May protect the brain from Parkinson's. This neurodegenerative disease is feared by many for its ability to render someone void of their memory and is the leading cause for dementia. Studies have shown that heavy coffee drinkers have a 65% lower chance of suffering from Parkinson's due to coffee's role in stimulating the production of dopamine. 
  • May result in longer life spans. This may come as a surprise for many, but researchers have found that those who drink 4-5 cups a day have a better chance of living a longer life as coffee can act as a defender against common diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and liver cancer.   


Of course, singing only the praises of coffee wouldn't be balanced if its downsides are not addressed as well. Here are some of them:


  • Can trigger anxiety and sleeplessness. Consuming too much of anything is mostly negative, and the same goes for coffee. Exceeding recommended caffeine levels can lead to jitters, anxiety, heart palpitations, sleepless nights, and in severe cases, panic attacks as the body's functions are kicked up a few notches. If you're one who suffers from these effects, it's best to not drink coffee late in the day. 
  • Can lead to withdrawal syndromes. As discussed previously, caffeine helps the body to perform at a more alert level, but this comes at a cost. Its strong addictive properties can cause some to experience withdrawal signs like shaking, headaches, irritability, and exhaustion. 


The bottom line is this - drink coffee in moderation and if you want to further maximize its health benefits, don't put too much sugar into it and brew coffee with a filter as this will help decrease the amount of cafestol, a substance known to increase cholesterol levels. 

 

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