Drinking coffee: the benefits and contraindications of this habit

A study conducted using data from 135,000 people and published in the Journal of the Harvard School of Public Health not only questions the detrimental effects attributed to coffeebut also highlights its possible positive qualities on health.

If a few years ago researchers began to discover the salutary virtues of wine and later those of tea, beer and chocolate, now it seems to be the turn of the most widely used stimulant drink in the West.

We tell you how to make homemade ginseng coffee in the following video:

The conclusions are still tentative, and the authors of the research and the American Neurological Association affirm that it is rash to affirm that coffee can protect the brain, for example from Parkinson’s, but they corroborate the increasingly accepted theory that there are no “bad” or “good” foods in themselves.

The issue is much more complex and it depends more on the global balance of diet, lifestyle and adaptation to the environment in which it lives.

Benefits and properties of coffee

A coffee bean contains a complex mixture of substances that go far beyond their simple caffeine content.

For example, unfiltered coffee is a great source of cafestol and kahweol, two diterpenes that are implicated in the fact that coffee can raise cholesterol levels, one of its proven negative effects. Now these two substances are largely retained by coffee maker filtersespecially if they are made of paper.

On the other side of the scale, many epidemiological studies indicate that coffee may also be good or even very good for preventing certain chronic diseases, for example:

Improves type II or non-insulin dependent diabetes. According to numerous studies, coffee would act on glucose tolerance and on insulin receptors and can improve the clinical course of this disease.Helps protect against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Coffee can exert a neuroprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons, that is, those that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that fails in the disease Parkinson’s. On the other hand, the exciting action of coffee is also neurostimulating and could improve the evolution of type dementia. Alzheimer’s by protecting adenosine receptors.

Studies on coffee show that neither those who abstain completely from coffee nor those who drink more than four cups reduce their risk of Parkinson’s disease.

improves asthma. It has also been proven that those who drink coffee regularly have less asthma. The explanation is attributed to the fact that calema is a methylxanthine, like many of the bronchial dilator drugs used for this disease. The question is not trivial, since a reduction of up to 28% of asthmatic attacks has been observed in those who drink this drink.It is appropriate in liver diseases. Some of them, like the gall stones or cirrhosis, also improve. In the case of stones, because coffee is a stimulant of bile secretion and the elimination of bile into the intestine. By stimulating bile secretion, the bile is more fluid and the risk of forming stones is reduced. As regards the cirrhosis, we do not have a clear idea of ​​the mechanisms by which this happens, but we do know that the risk of suffering from it is 15% lower among those who drink coffee. But let’s not forget that the main cause of cirrhosis, in many cases, is alcohol abuse, and that alcoholics do not usually drink a lot of coffee, since it reduces or inhibits the effects of the former.

Contraindications: negative effects of coffee on health

One of the false myths attributed to coffee is that it causes osteoporosis. This is not true in principle, as numerous studies have shown, but sugar does promote osteoporosis that is added to coffee, or pasta or pastries that can accompany you, as these foods increase the elimination of calcium from the body.

Not everything must be advantages, because it seems that the heart does not get much better if you drink a lot of coffee. This drink can raise blood pressure, or stimulate stomach secretion in case of ulcer or gastritisand the same thing happens with nervous diseases such as anxietythat can be potentiated among coffee drinkers.

exist questionable data on whether or not coffee increases the risk of cancerdoubtful because the presence of numerous antioxidants in its composition makes it possible to have protective effects.

It has been realized studies involving people who drank very large amounts of coffeeup to twenty cups a day, which is clearly an exaggeration, and in these cases the beneficial effects of coffee could be better verified, which would be attributed to its antioxidant substances, as in the case of cocoa.

It is considered a responsible or moderate consumption that of one who drinks a maximum of three cups a daya figure that pregnant women should not exceed because excessive consumption can lead to uterine spasticity and a greater risk of spontaneous abortions or delayed fetal growth.

What is the best coffee for health?

There is also the question of know how to choose a good coffee and prepare it properlyBecause not everything is the same.

For example, the arabica varietywhich is the one that quality coffees correspond to, is better than the robust varietyand generally has a little less caffeine.

Arabica coffees provide tasty drinks even in simple infusion (filter coffee maker)while robusta require processes that squeeze all the “flavor” out of the bean, such as in coffee makers that pass water vapor through very finely ground coffee.

As regards the roasting methods, natural roasted coffee will be preferred over roastedsince in the latter case sugar has been added to the roasting process to give it the taste and foam that this type of coffee generates when preparing it in an espresso machine.

In general, a light roast is better than an intense onebecause although in the latter case the flavor is increased, the grain is also distorted more.

The very rough coffees They have a higher amount of tannins and antioxidants in general.

When it comes to coffee decaffeinated, has not shown in any study an additional benefit about non-decaffeinated coffee, quite the contrary, due to the chemical solvents with which caffeine is usually removed.

Besidesfreeze-dried coffee would rank last in health benefitsand also in gastronomy.

Studies indicate that The best coffee is the one that is presented with no more additives, manipulations or modifications than that of natural roasting. Therefore, fair trade coffee, arabica variety and biological cultivation is preferable; and use filter coffee machines and coffees dried at low temperature

It is preferable consume it in moderationbecause any excess or dependency is counterproductive.

If it feels bad, just skip it.It is not a miracle food, nor is it a panacea. It is not convenient to drink coffee by routine or “to wake up”, demanding from the body more than it can give. You can also try different drinks to avoid becoming addicted to caffeine.