A large number of people cannot imagine their morning without a fragrant cup of coffee; this tonic drink invigorates and energizes. There are many studies and opinions about coffee, the benefits and harms for the human body. Which of them are correct and is there a danger of harming your health by drinking the drink every day?
Coffee is made from roasted beans of the coffee tree. There are more than 90 varieties of such plants in nature. Of the industrial varieties, Arabica and Robusta are most often used.
Coffee beans contain more than one thousand different components, 800 of them are aromatic substances that give the drink a unique smell. Grains contain:
Is drinking coffee harmful? Spanish scientists have found that the peel of coffee beans contains a large amount of antioxidants (tannins), which are much stronger than vitamin C or green tea. These substances help remove toxins from the body. In addition, the shell contains plant fiber and phenols, which stimulate the gastrointestinal tract.
During roasting, the water content in beans decreases by 3 times. The calorie content of 1 cup of tonic drink is only 9 kcal, but if you add a little milk or dilute it with cream, the energy value of the product increases to 40–60 kcal.
What are the benefits of coffee for the body?
The benefits of coffee appear only with moderate use of the drink; large doses (more than 300 ml per day) contribute to addiction and intoxication of the body.
According to the production method, instant coffee can be powdered, sublimated or granulated. Powder is prepared from roasted and crushed grains, soluble substances are extracted from the resulting mass, cooled, filtered, and dried with hot air.
The production of a granulated drink is identical, only at the end the powder is formed into granules using steam supplied under high pressure.
The freeze-dried product is prepared differently. First, a decoction of coffee beans is made and completely frozen; the resulting mass is dehydrated under low pressure. The product is then crushed into small, irregularly shaped pieces. The freeze-dried variety, unlike other types of instant drinks, preserves the properties and taste of natural grains as much as possible.
The beneficial and harmful properties of coffee in the form of powder or granules are manifested in lower caffeine content, so you can drink 4-5 cups every day. Harmful properties appear in case of overdose: the functioning of the heart, liver, and nervous system is disrupted. Cardiac activity, cerebral vessels, and the central nervous system are affected by increased blood circulation, and liver function is affected by increased acidity of gastric juice.
Freeze-dried coffee retains the same amount of caffeine as natural black coffee. It has the same effect on the body.
To add piquancy and variety to the popular drink, flavored varieties are produced with the taste of caramel, chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, almond, honey, lemon, and alcoholic beverages. The flavored product in grains has become especially famous.
A refined taste is imparted by spraying flavored substances (essential oils) onto the grains, the inside of the package, and into the ground powder. What are the benefits of a flavored drink? The beneficial properties of coffee are the same as those of natural varieties. You just need to remember that a natural flavored product made from quality grains cannot be cheap.
Is coffee harmful to health? When taken correctly, the natural drink does not cause harm, and in some cases is even beneficial. Its systematic consumption of 3 cups every day can cause addiction (theism). A dosage of more than 4 cups can lead to intoxication of the body due to the effects of caffeine on the heart and central nervous system, anxiety, tremors of the limbs, confusion, and a severe headache.
Important! The safe daily dose of caffeine for humans is 300 mg. More than 90 mg of caffeine (1 cup) per 1 kg of body weight, drunk in a short period of time (2-3 hours), can lead to death. The load on the heart increases, blood circulation is impaired and death can occur!
Caffeine tones the nervous system, improves mood, and increases performance. Therefore, it causes psycho-emotional addiction. A dependent person without drinking coffee feels irritation, headache, decreased performance, and drowsiness.
Freeze-dried coffee with milk: harm or benefit? When preparing the drink, it is not recommended to add sugar to it; it is better to drink it with honey. The benefit of coffee with milk or cream is that caffeine flushes calcium from the body, and milk replenishes this microelement. The drink retains all the harmful and beneficial properties of natural coffee.
When milk is added to a drink, calcium mineral salts accumulate in the kidneys and stones form.
Natural coffee, the benefits and harms of its use for women and men are manifested in an increase in the overall tone of the body. The negative effects of the drink cause disruption of the heart, liver, and nervous system. Blood circulation increases, which increases the load on the organs of the cardiovascular system. Increased stomach acidity after drinking coffee increases the load on the liver.
Flavored coffee beans are ground and brewed in a Turkish coffee pot. There is no need to dilute the drink with cream or milk so as not to spoil the taste of the additives. The freeze-dried or granulated soluble product is brewed with boiling water. You can add 2 tablespoons of milk to reduce bitterness, and honey instead of sugar.
You can add a slice of lemon to any type of coffee, this will give the drink a special taste and aroma. Citrus zest, cloves, and cinnamon are also used. Drinking lemon will help replenish vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, which caffeine removes. Lemon has a beneficial effect on the condition of blood vessels, while neutralizing the effect of caffeine.
Coffee with lemon and honey is also useful in the treatment of colds, since caffeine removes phlegm, and citrus strengthens the immune system, fights viruses, and relieves inflammation. Honey is a powerful antioxidant and reduces the harm from drinking coffee.
To add to a tonic drink, it is best to use linden and buckwheat honeys; they help reduce the bitterness of natural coffee. You need to prepare a drink with honey correctly; the bee product is added to a warm drink (50˚), otherwise all the beneficial properties of honey are lost.
What harm does coffee cause to the body?
How is coffee harmful for pregnant women? The drink dilates blood vessels and can increase blood pressure. This is dangerous for the health of the expectant mother, as involuntary abortion, bleeding or premature birth may occur. A dangerous dosage is more than 2 cups every day. If there are disturbances in the functioning of the heart and vascular system in the expectant mother, children may be born with underweight and anemia.
The harm of coffee for young women is to reduce the possibility of conceiving a child by 40%. This happens because caffeine changes hormonal levels and negatively affects ovulation and contractility of the fallopian tubes.
For pregnant and lactating women, the harm of coffee lies in the negative impact of caffeine on the baby’s nervous system. Due to the diuretic properties, calcium is washed out, the child’s baby teeth will quickly deteriorate, and the mother will lose her permanent ones.
Important! With frequent coffee consumption, women need to replenish fluid loss in the body. You should drink at least 2 liters per day of pure still water every day.
Systematic use of a soluble freeze-dried product without constant physical activity leads to the formation of cellulite in women on the thighs and abdomen. The drink disrupts blood flow and contributes to impaired water metabolism, and these are the main reasons for the formation of “orange peel”.
What is the harm of coffee for men? When drinking a flavored drink, the level of testosterone in the blood of representatives of the stronger sex decreases. Microelements necessary for the functioning of the prostate gland (magnesium, zinc, vitamins A, E) are excreted in the urine, and sexual desire decreases.
Caffeine stimulates the production of the stress hormone and the release of adrenaline into the blood. The male body perceives this as a decrease in the need for testosterone.
The harm of coffee to the male body lies in the risk of developing enuresis (urinary incontinence). American scientists have found that drinking 3 cups of natural drink per day increases the likelihood of developing urinary incontinence by 70%.
Main contraindications:
In case of overdose, the harm of coffee manifests itself in the occurrence of insomnia, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. The central nervous system is excited, and tremors of the limbs, confusion, and migraine may appear. The heartbeat increases, the rhythm of its work is disrupted, and blood pressure rises.
Is coffee good for human health? When used correctly and without contraindications, a flavored, black or freeze-dried drink will give you vigor, improve performance and mood. And adding lemon and honey will help reduce the negative effects of caffeine.
Some symptoms of appearance:
If you have any of the symptoms or are in doubt about the causes of your ailments, you need to cleanse your body as quickly as possible. Read how to do this here.
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Coffee is a drink that has been known to mankind for more than 2 centuries. True, in the old days there was no such thing as “drinking a cup of coffee” - the fruits of the coffee tree were fried in animal fat and consumed in such a strange form. But even in those days, healers established for sure that coffee stimulates the appetite, serves as a diuretic and is able to activate strength even with severe fatigue. What do modern scientists say about the dangers and benefits of coffee?
Nutritional value 100 g:
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Macronutrients:
Vitamins:
Microelements:
Coffee is not a dietary product and cannot “work” as a fat burner (although such a theory has been put forward by some lovers of extravagant weight loss).
Raw coffee beans contain tannin - its content is about 7.7%, but when roasting, the amount of tannin decreases noticeably (to 0.56%), which absolutely does not affect the quality of the final result.
Coffee beans also contain:
But the most important component of the product in question, for which it is so loved, is caffeine. It is impossible to accurately indicate the amount of caffeine in coffee - it will vary in different varieties. For example, Robusta contains more caffeine, but the well-known Arabica contains less caffeine.
When they talk about the benefits of coffee, they first begin to consider the positive effect of caffeine, the main component of the product, on the body. Scientists confirm the following data:
But besides caffeine, the product in question contains more than 30 components - their properties determine the benefits of the drink:
There are also those who believe in the very strange beneficial properties of coffee.:
note: these abilities of coffee have not been proven by scientists, which means they remain only speculation.
Despite its many positive qualities, coffee can also cause harm to the body. Doctors and scientists conducted many experiments, studying the effect of coffee on an absolutely healthy body and on people with already diagnosed diseases. The following conclusions were drawn:
There is also a lot of controversy about the drinking of coffee by pregnant women - it was previously believed that this drink could even cause a miscarriage. But recent studies have proven that coffee does not have any effect on the development of the fetus, you just need to take into account the woman’s condition - with high blood pressure, diagnosed kidney disease, problems in the gastrointestinal tract, it is better to give up coffee.
The harms and benefits of coffee are controversial issues; you need to decide on the advisability of drinking this tasty drink either independently or in tandem with doctors.
The question of the benefits and harms of natural coffee beans has long been of concern to many coffee lovers. To drink or not to drink - that is the question? Not so long ago, all doctors unequivocally stated that coffee is a very harmful drink, and categorically forbade people with a wide variety of diseases and pathologies from drinking it.
Naturally, there should not be too much coffee, like any other product in the diet. Caffeine in large quantities can raise blood pressure, increase the risk of tachycardia, reduce calcium levels in the body and increase stomach acidity. But all this concerns excessive coffee consumption, when a person cannot stop drinking 3-4 cups a day and continues to drink this drink from morning until night.
Recently, research on coffee shows that it not only does not harm, but is also very beneficial for our body. Even during pregnancy, when drinking coffee was strictly forbidden, you can now indulge in a morning cup and not worry about the consequences.
So, natural coffee is known to have a stimulating effect. Caffeine makes you feel alert, which is why many people prefer to drink coffee for breakfast. It helps you wake up faster, put your brain to work, and make better and faster decisions. In addition, short-term memory improves, stress and irritation levels decrease.
Another very important point is that coffee contains natural antioxidants, which are now so fashionable to be taken as dietary supplements. Oxides are oxygen free radicals that act on our cells like oxygen does on iron, that is, they oxidize them. By consuming antioxidants, cells are effectively protected from free radicals, keeping them healthy.
Also, recent studies have shown that coffee reduces the risk of cancer and cirrhosis of the liver, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes. It should also be noted that coffee helps boost immunity, improves the functioning of the digestive system and promotes the secretion of gastric juice.
The benefits of natural coffee have been scientifically proven, so you can trust research in this area 100%. So, in Italy, studies were conducted for several years that confirmed the fact that people who drink about 2-3 cups of coffee a day are about 25% less likely to suffer from asthma.
The effectiveness of research is expressed in the long-term duration of its implementation. For example, Harvard scientists conducted research for 10 years. At the same time, about 68 thousand women participated in the experiment over the entire period. And as such a global experiment has shown, the risk of committing suicide is reduced by 65% if a woman drinks more than 2 cups of coffee every day.
In addition, a reduced incidence of hypertension and diabetes was observed, even if there was a genetic predisposition to these diseases. Harvard also conducted research on the risk of colon cancer. It turned out that the antioxidants contained in coffee help reduce the risk of disease by 25%.
Interestingly enough, studies of the effects of coffee on the body show completely different results for men and women. For example, for 45 thousand men who participated in the experiment, the risk of developing gallbladder diseases and stone formation decreased by 40%. But a prerequisite for this was the need to drink more than 3 cups of coffee a day.
Many older people are afraid to drink coffee, as it can trigger the development of hypertension. But with proper and moderate consumption of this drink, they can bring great benefits to their health. The likelihood of developing Parkinson's disease is reduced by as much as 500% if you drink about 2-3 cups of coffee a day. That is why quite serious developments and research are currently underway in this direction.
Now all the myths regarding the harm of natural coffee and its negative impact on the body have been almost completely dispelled by modern scientists. All previous studies going back many years showed the risk of caffeine exposure. However, such important factors as the presence of antioxidants, vitamins, and beneficial minerals in coffee beans were not taken into account.
Every coffee lover can easily refute all the arguments of “healthy lifestyle” advocates that coffee is harmful. After all, they are so angry because they were completely unable to understand and experience the full potential of this invigorating magical drink.
Only a true coffee lover can understand how easy it is to wake up in the morning when natural coffee is brewing on the stove in a Turk. Its aroma cannot be confused with ordinary instant powder and even with freeze-dried instant coffee, which, by the way, sometimes costs more than natural coffee.
To understand the effect of coffee on our body, it is necessary to understand how its main component, caffeine, works, and whether we should be afraid of it. Yes, caffeine is an alkaloid and it can affect the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Its work is carried out according to the following principle: when caffeine enters the body, it promotes enhanced functioning of the pituitary gland.
Thanks to this, the pituitary gland produces a special hormone that increases adrenaline. As a result of this action, the heart beats much faster, and the liver releases glucose into the circulatory system. Accordingly, we can use more energy. In addition, muscles contract, blood vessels constrict, and the airways, on the contrary, relax. Thanks to this, a person feels cheerful and active.
The benefits of natural coffee for the female body are primarily expressed in relieving stress. Women can also count on a reduced risk of many diseases associated with the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Probably, many of us have noticed on the Internet or on the TV screen how a rather elderly old woman sits in a cafe and drinks a cup of strong espresso.
For those who are afraid of the negative consequences of drinking coffee, we can advise using milk or cream as an additional ingredient. These products include calcium in their composition, which minimizes the risk of it being washed out of the body. At the same time, the effect of caffeine is not reduced at all.
Don’t forget to drink weak coffee before training - it will reduce muscle soreness, and if you are far from sports and even have such a bad habit as smoking, then coffee can neutralize the harm from it. But this does not mean that you need to continue to indulge your weaknesses.
The debate about whether drinking coffee every day is beneficial or harmful has been going on for several decades:
There is no end in sight to this dispute, since coffee, unlike energy drinks, is a natural product, therefore, it can be both beneficial and harmful. An analogy can be made with a tomato. This fruit is tasty and healthy, but in patients with gout it can cause an exacerbation of the disease, and if you eat several kilograms of tomatoes at a time, you can get poisoned. We will talk about coffee, the benefits and harm to human health in the presence of any diseases in the article.
Coffee is a drink prepared by brewing roasted and then ground coffee beans in a cezve or coffee maker. This is the kind of coffee we will discuss further. Instant coffee is a separate topic for discussion, but we will also mention it.
Natural coffee is not a food product, since this drink contains very little protein, fat and carbohydrates. However, in addition to the well-known caffeine, coffee contains up to 30 biologically active substances. Among them: potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin PP, vitamin B2, organic acids, theophylline, etc.
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This substance contained in coffee accelerates blood circulation in organs and has bronchodilator properties (relieves bronchospasm).
Coffee stimulates the secretion of digestive juices. For healthy people this is not dangerous, but for patients with stomach ulcers, gastritis or pancreatitis it can lead to trouble.
There is evidence that regular coffee consumption reduces the risk of liver cirrhosis in alcohol abusers.
Coffee contains tannins in large quantities, substances that give this drink a bitter taste. Tannins have a positive effect on the metabolism of some vitamins, such as PP and C, but may interfere with the absorption of some microelements, such as iron, which should be taken into account in patients with anemia. In addition, these substances have tanning properties. This effect has been used in past medicine to treat stomach ulcers.
Tannins in coffee are neutralized by adding milk to it.
As you can see, the influence of the described drink on “ulcer sufferers” is very contradictory. On the one hand, a cup of coffee in such patients can cause heartburn or abdominal pain, and on the other hand, it can promote the healing of ulcers. However, the view of modern gastroenterology on coffee is rather negative - in case of exacerbation of gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer, coffee is contraindicated.
The impact of the drink we are discussing on health is very clearly reflected in the condition of the heart and blood vessels. Moreover, this effect is due not only to caffeine, but to the rest of the complex of substances included in it.
Caffeine increases the heart rate, causing tachycardia (a higher than normal number of heart beats per minute). For a young, healthy body, this is not scary, but for athletes it is even good, as it leads to an increase in blood flow to the tissues, which somewhat improves athletic performance.
But in sick people, tachycardia can cause life-threatening complications:
What can motivate us to drink one or more cups of coffee?
Fun fact: Research has shown that the best release of antioxidants and caffeine comes from brewing coffee at room temperature (see Don't brew coffee with boiling water).
When and for what reasons should you avoid drinking coffee?
Both critics and coffee fans go too far in their enthusiasm and sometimes attribute certain harmful/beneficial properties to this drink, which are not such.
Natural coffee cannot be instant, no matter what I tell you about this. The technology for making instant coffee was discovered at the end of the century. However, the first can of this product first rolled off the Nestlé production line in July 1938.
At the beginning of the 2000s, doctors actively began to criticize caffeine. Consequently, people have become interested in decaffeinated drinks. Demand gave rise to supply, and more and more decaffeinated coffee began to appear on the market. Only green coffee beans can be decaffeinated. They are treated with a special solvent, whose name is ethyl acetate. This substance is also used in the manufacture of insect stains and artificial leather. Manufacturers say that they carefully wash their product of ethyl acetate, but where are the guarantees?
As can be seen from the above, the harm of coffee is caused mainly by excessive consumption of this drink. One or two cups of coffee a day will improve your mood and invigorate your body. But 4 or more cups a day can have a detrimental effect on your health, especially with long-term abuse. Coffee is contraindicated for people suffering from high blood pressure, heart failure, heart rhythm disturbances, as well as in case of exacerbation of gastric ulcer.
Chocolate-covered coffee beans can be found in confectionery shops and departments that sell elite coffee and high-quality tea. Many people are wary of compact boxes containing unusual delicacies, simply having no idea what this product is or how to use it. But those who have already discovered this delicacy often become its regular consumers. This pill successfully replaces many other products, useful and not so useful. A pack of glazed coffee beans eliminates the need to periodically drink instant coffee and freshen your breath with chewing gum. In addition, this bitter sweetness greatly improves your mood and relieves fatigue.
The tonic effect of coffee is no secret. Even a small cup of this drink in the morning will drive away the remnants of sleep and help you get involved in the work process. But some peoples, who learned to collect it in time immemorial, do not brew any drinks from it at all, but simply chew the roasted grains.
If you are feeling tired, stressed, or experiencing seasonal depression, chocolate covered coffee beans can be very helpful for you. How to use this product? Just put one thing in your mouth, and then chew or suck - whichever you prefer. When you first get acquainted with this product, you will probably be surprised by one small piece of candy. It will be enough to cheer you up, and for those who are used to eating sweets, coffee in chocolate can be an excellent choice because its rich taste drowns out the feeling of hunger. These pills have an amazing effect. You are unlikely to want to eat more than three or four pieces in a day.
Chocolate covered coffee beans are prepared using the same principle. If you are afraid that you simply will not be able to chew the candy, then your fears are in vain. The grains undergo preliminary heat treatment. The temperature is not as high as when frying. This makes the grains brittle. You can easily bite through the jelly beans. By the way, the candies have a wonderful crunch.
Sweets manufacturers offer different versions of such sweets. You can choose any type of chocolate covered coffee bean. The most common is regular dark, but there are dragees with white, milk and black (with maximum cocoa content).
If you eat a lot of chocolate, you can ruin your teeth and gain a couple of unplanned kilos. If you drink a lot of coffee, problems with the heart, blood vessels and even the central nervous system are inevitable. Therefore, the main question that concerns all lovers of eating coffee beans in chocolate is the benefits and harms of this product. Is the treat dangerous for health?
Here it is worth remembering that everything is good in moderation. And it’s simply impossible to eat too many of these pills. They have a long aftertaste, and the invigorating effect is felt immediately. Of course, if you decide to gobble up the whole pack at once, it will not bring anything good. But you are unlikely to succeed.
Chocolate-covered coffee beans are usually produced in small, beautiful packages. They can be a wonderful gift for someone you always want to see joyful and full of energy. If you are looking for an unusual, non-binding gift, be sure to pay attention to this delicacy.
Coffee- a drink made from coffee beans, which is currently very popular. About 2-2.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day in the world.
Contrary to popular misconception, coffee beans were brought to Europe not together with tomatoes, tobacco and potatoes by Christopher Columbus. Coffee has traveled quite a long way from Ethiopia, where it grew wild, through the Arabian Peninsula.
Coffee- a product with a history of almost 1.5 thousand years, but, nevertheless, scientific discussions around it do not fade away. However, most scientists agree on one thing: small doses of coffee have a tonic effect, while large doses depress the nervous system.
Many vegetarians, adhering healthy lifestyle In all cases, those who do not accept alcohol and tobacco products also limit or completely eliminate the consumption of coffee. Is this fair?
10 facts about the health benefits and harms of coffee
As we see, a cup of fragrant, freshly brewed coffee is unlikely to harm your health, and if you are a big fan of this drink, there is no need to stop drinking it. Remember the rule of the golden mean, be moderate and do not drink coffee in excessive quantities. And to prevent insomnia, do not drink coffee in the afternoon.
Calories, kcal:
Proteins, g:
Carbohydrates, g:
Coffee is a drink made from roasted beans of the coffee tree.
Roasting is a process that is carried out at a temperature of +220°C - +250°C and lasts from 4.5 to 25 minutes. Roasting requires very even heating of the beans and strict temperature control.
Traditionally, people roasted coffee using a simple device, which was a drum rotating over a fire, into which beans were poured. The most common modern machines for roasting coffee, roasters (English roast - “roast”), use the same principle, but with minor improvements: electronic temperature control systems have been added, programming the roasting process and blowing the beans in the drum with hot air.
Roasting is often figuratively compared to alchemy, as it seriously transforms the coffee bean (calorizator). After roasting, up to 30% of the weight of the bean consists of new substances and compounds that were not present in green coffee!
Changes occurring in grains:
Taste characteristics change:
Types of roasting:
Immediately after roasting, the coffee beans have almost no smell; they need to rest and “come to life” for 12-24 hours.
The calorie content of roasted dry coffee beans is 223 kcal per 100 grams of product.
Roasted dry coffee beans contain vitamins, especially P, and tannins (calorifier). Coffee beans contain two main elements: caffeine and trigoneline.
Interacting with high temperature, the grains form nicotinic acid. They also contain sucrose.
Roasted dry coffee beans, when consumed in moderation, can have a beneficial effect on skin condition, improve memory, performance, reduce the risk of cancer, burn fat, relieve depression and increase the effectiveness of antibiotics.
If you overuse roasted schema coffee beans, you can harm your heart and acquire certain diseases and increase your blood pressure. This also applies to pregnant women; if consumed in excess, coffee can cause miscarriage, so its consumption should be minimized or completely eliminated from the diet.