Coffee has been around for a very long time, and it has been blamed for many diseases, from preventing growth to causing heart disease, but recent research shows that, in reality, it could be beneficial for health.
Some facts about coffee:
- Coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water.
- Every year more than 400 billion cups are consumed.
- For nationalities, the most coffee consumed in the world is the Finns (12 kg per person per year), followed by the Norwegians (almost ten kg.), The Swedes (8.4 kg.) And the Dutch (8 kg. , 2 kg.).
In general, recent studies have found no connection between coffee and an increased risk of cancer or heart disease as long as coffee dorks use a well-documented resource.
Does coffee offer health benefits?
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Some studies find an association between caffeine consumption and lower overall mortality and possibly lower mortality from cardiovascular causes, although this may not be the case in younger people who drink large amounts of coffee.
Why this change of opinion regarding coffee? What has changed in recent times? Previous studies had not always taken into account that high-risk behaviors known, such as smoking and not doing physical activity, tended to be more frequent among those who drank a lot of caffeine.
Studies have shown that caffeine can be beneficial for health, which includes protecting people from Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and liver disease, including liver cancer. It also seems to improve our cognitive function and decrease the risk of depression.
However, the research seems to confirm some risks. The high consumption of unfiltered coffee (boiled or expressed) has been associated with slight elevations in cholesterol levels. So, it should be drinking with careful consideration and not recklessly.
Also, it was discovered in some studies that two or more cups of coffee per day might increase the risk of heart disease in people with a specific (and quite frequent) genetic mutation that slows down the breakdown of caffeine in the body. So the speed with which caffeine is metabolized can affect the risk it represents to health. This is such a fact that people especially coffee fanatics need to keep in their mind.
Although the risks generated by caffeine are less than the benefits, remember that other beverages, such as milk and some fruit juices, contain nutrients that caffeine does not have. Also, adding cream and sugar to coffee means adding more fats and calories, up to hundreds of calories in some cases.
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The conclusion
The consumption of coffee can have positive effects and risks for the health of people who ingest it, according to the evidence found in epidemiological and experimental studies that demonstrate the relationship of caffeine with memory, intellectual functions, neurodegenerative diseases, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease, and ergogenic function, as the possible beneficial effects. Adverse effects include: increase in the severity of gastrointestinal pathologies, alterations in conception, increase in blood pressure and cholesterol that constitutes a risk to cardiovascular health and interaction with some nutrients, preventing their proper absorption. All these effects are subject to the pathophysiological characteristics and individual susceptibility.
In any case, and taking into account this data, it is your doctor who best knows your history and who can best determine the recommendations in your specific situation. So it is not advisable to go for coffee with the belief that our health will be more protected if, at the same time, we do not take care of other aspects of our diet or lifestyle.
