Coffee – one of the most debatable beverages of the centuries has been both praised and debated for its various effects on the human body. It is widely known to cause impotence and madness. On the contrary, is well praised for its heavenly effect to cure laziness. But what are the actual, scientifically proven pros and cons of coffee we know today?
Caffeine, the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, is the best-known ingredient of coffee. Its beneficial effects on the human body have been researched quite well, but coffee as a whole is a complex beverage with a thousand different substances. Research on coffee shows the pros and cons for humans which is nowhere near finished. Here is a list of what we know at the moment.
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Drinking coffee every day can turn into an addiction
Is that first cup of coffee make you feel magical downright? Consuming everyday morning coffee can make you addicted. The reason for that addiction is the binding property of coffee to the adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is responsible to build up sleep pressure. Over time, however, the body creates more adenosine receptors which are then no longer bound by the caffeine in coffee. So, without the intake of coffee, your energy level goes down which is a withdrawal symptom and you need coffee to counter that effect. Moreover, without coffee, you may feel irritability, headache, brain fog, exhaustion.
Coffee makes you more alert and less depressed
Adenosine receptors may make you addicted to coffee and but it’s not all bad news though. You can reap some benefits also. Caffeine increases more brain activity so you feel more energetic. Because the coffee effect blocks adenosine and increases neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine. Interestingly this is not only the positive effect of coffee consumption. It has been noticed that people who consume coffee are less likely to be depressed. Also, it prevents people from suicide tendency.
Coffee may help to reduce weight
According to CDC for people trying to shed extra pounds, coffee intake can be helpful. Because coffee helps your body absorb and burn fatty acids in the bloodstream. It also helps your body to improve physical performance in aerobic exercise. That doesn’t mean you will consider coffee consumption as the only option for weight loss. You must take a balanced diet, exercise, and maintain a healthy weight.
Taking coffee in the afternoon may disrupt sleep
Like morning coffee boost your energy, on the contrary, evening coffee can push you to battle insomnia. So if you find yourself unable to sleep at night, try adjusting your coffee intake to only the morning hours.
Coffee may make you agitated
Drinking too much coffee can have other negative health impacts which are mostly psychological. For example, you may be feeling jitters, agitated, anxious, or nervous. You may also face panic attacks. These are especially true for people who already have psychological issues. It may also turn you into an eating disorder.
Daily coffee intake help you to live longer
Every one of us opts for a long, healthy, and happy life. On a related note, drinking coffee every day helps us to stave off death, at least for a while. It is found that coffee drinkers over the age of 50 had a reduced risk of premature death compared to non-coffee drinkers.
Coffee reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes comes with many potential problems. However, your daily intake of coffee may save you from this adverse effect of diabetes. The study found that the consumption of coffee was associated with reduced risk, even if the coffee was decaffeinated.
Coffee boosts your antioxidant level
According to Harvard University, antioxidants are an important component in your diet. They help to reduce any potential harm to the body caused by free radicals. These radicals spare the electrons. And while foods rich in antioxidants have indeed been over-hyped in the past as miracle foods, the bottom line is that eating whole foods that contain antioxidants is good for your health. Fortunately, your daily dose of coffee can supply you with these important substances. When you brew a cup of coffee, the nutrients from the coffee beans are transferred to your cup. Many of these nutrients act as antioxidants that protect your cells from damaging free radicals. To top it all off, no other foods provide the antioxidant benefits that coffee does.
Drinking coffee helps you to protect against brain disease
Here is good news for you that coffee consumption does seem to have some correlation to a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It is not caffeine that is responsible for it, instead, it’s the presence of a compound named phenylindanes which increases with the roasting of the coffee beans and protects the brain from the toxic proteins that contribute to brain disease.
Coffee is good for your memory
Not only preventing brain diseases but also caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects, that help to strengthen memories and make them resistant to forgetting. Though it is never been examined in detail in humans.
But it is not all good about coffee. There are some harmful effects too.
Unfiltered coffee can increase your cholesterol level
Filtered coffee might not have a negative impact on your LDL level but if you are a French press lover then you should keep an eye on your cholesterol level. Because unfiltered coffee has a substance calls cafestol that increases cholesterol levels. So, if you consume unfiltered coffee throughout the day it may increase heart disease.
Drinking coffee every day is harmful to a pregnant woman
It is of utmost importance to take care properly especially of diet when you are pregnant. High caffeine intake may be detrimental to the fetus. This is because the fetus can’t metabolize caffeine very well — they don’t have the ability to make it dissolve from the bloodstream. This can have a negative impact on the fetus, causing it to take in less nutrition. So, you must limit the coffee intake at this very stage of life.