Coffee: To Drink Or Not To Drink

Coffee: To Drink or Not to Drink

Coffee is one of the most loved drinks in the world that’s a part of many people’s daily routine. Even though coffee provides a boost of energy that may help you finish all your work, it does have certain side effects that could jeopardize your health. But do not necessarily let that stop you from having a steaming mug of frothy goodness, because believe it or not coffee has many benefits as well.

Positive Health Effects of Drinking Coffee

So what sort of benefits can you expect from coffee?

  • Diabetes: Coffee can help to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Studies indicate that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee can lower the risk of diabetes considerably.

  • Improves memory and cognition: Let’s face it. Our bodies are not like machines. They do get wearied out as exhaustion sets in, even during moments when being tired simply will not do. But thanks to coffee, we no longer have to face this situation as coffee helps to provide us with a jolt of energy that can prevent us from succumbing to tiredness. Researchers have found that those who drink coffee have a much better performance at work than those who do not. Coffee can do so by sustaining your attention span and improving your memory.

  • Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease: Researchers have recently found out that those who drink coffee at a regular basis are less likely to develop these diseases later in life. By conducting a study on both coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers, they have figured out that coffee can lower the possibility of developing these diseases in the future.

  • Antioxidants: Coffee containssome very powerful antioxidants such as polyphenols, chlorogenic acid etc. It has been stated that a regular serving of hot coffee contains more antioxidants than a typical serving of green tea, grape juice etc. Antioxidants are chemicals which protect your body from diseases like the common cold, flu etc., so drinking a cup of coffee may not be as bad an idea as you might think!

Negative Health Effects

Aforementioned benefits don’t mean you should overdo it with your coffee consumption. Overdose of coffee can give rise to severalhealth problems and can cause a lot of damage to your body in the long run.

  • High blood pressure: It has been known for quite some time, that while coffee acts as a good stimulant, it can also raise your blood pressure to very high levels. For those of you who already have hypertension, coffee might not be such a good idea, as really high blood pressure can cause more problems further down the road such as cardiovascular diseases.

  • Osteoporosis: Coffee can increase the risk of osteoporosis (gradual bone loss over age) as it prevents the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract and even causes the body to excrete calcium through the urine. This might be even more problematic for women who are in risk of developing osteoporosis later in life.

  • Increased levels of cholesterol: Other than raising blood pressure, coffee can also raise the chances of developing heart problems by means of increasing cholesterol levels. Coffee releases a chemical called terpenoid which can elevate cholesterol levels, harden arteries and thus ultimately increase the risk of having a heart attack.

  • Induces heartburn and stomach problems: Many research reports have claimed that coffee can impair digestion and can cause stomach ulcers. Many people also experience heartburn after having a hot cup of coffee.

The list of cons will go on and on, as coffee can also make one age faster, give rise to dehydration and headaches, cause sleep disturbances and many more. Although it is evident that coffee has more disadvantages than benefits, that does not mean you should stop drinking it completely. Coffee does have certain advantages and a cup of this yummy, foamy drink a day is not likely to do you any harm.

Zane Schwarzlose is a writer at A Beautiful Smile at Lake Pointe, a Sugar Land dental office. Zane drinks 2 cups fo coffee a day.

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