Brew a cup of your favorite coffee and get ready to learn how it actually affects your health and well-being, whether it helps you lose weight and work more efficiently
According to rough estimates, 60% of the world’s adult population drinks coffee regularly. Over 2 billion cups of this aromatic beverage are brewed daily in cafes, offices, and homes. Coffee is obtained from Arabica and Robusta beans, which have more than 10,000 varieties. And there are many myths, scientific discoveries, and ongoing research associated with this popular drink.
“Mandry” has studied the most important of them to confirm or dispel common claims. Brew a cup of your favorite coffee and get ready to learn how it actually affects your health, well-being, whether it will help you lose weight and work more efficiently.
1. Does coffee cause cancer and leach calcium?
Perhaps the scariest myths about coffee are that it provokes the development of oncological diseases and can cause osteoporosis (bone fragility). The first claim appeared back in the 90s when coffee was added to the list of potential carcinogens. However, in 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), operating under the auspices of the WHO, officially removed coffee from this list, stating there is no convincing evidence of its carcinogenicity. Moreover, experts recognized that moderate coffee consumption may reduce the risks of developing certain types of cancer, particularly liver cancer and colorectal cancer. At the same time, it is worth remembering that very hot beverages (above 65°C) are indeed probable carcinogens for the esophagus, regardless of whether it is coffee, tea, or just boiling water.
Another myth that scares coffee lovers is the leaching of calcium from the body due to drinking the beverage. It arose after an experiment where a small amount of calcium was found in urine tests after drinking coffee. However, its losses turned out to be so small (about 5 mg) that adding just 10 ml of milk or 15 g of hard cheese to the diet returns calcium to the body in an amount that exceeds the losses twofold. Doctors also confirm that coffee does not affect bone tissue and does not cause osteoporosis if a person consumes enough calcium from food.
2. The best time for coffee is not morning? And does instant coffee have no caffeine?
A favorite ritual for many is making coffee immediately after waking up. Indeed, after a cup of hot drink, you seem to finally wake up. But research indicates and advises doing otherwise. After waking, the body maintains a high level of cortisol — the hormone responsible for alertness and activity. Therefore, coffee at breakfast does not work at full strength. Moreover, it can cause a spike in cortisol and lead to a state of anxiety for no apparent reason.
The best time to drink coffee is an hour or two after waking up. Then the drink will give a more noticeable effect of alertness and without a negative impact on well-being.
The question of which coffee has more caffeine interests all fans of the drink. It seems that ground coffee has significantly more than instant. But according to laboratory research results, their caffeine levels turned out to be approximately the same. Of course, the caffeine content and the taste of the drink depend on the variety, quality, and price. Buying “dust of Brazilian roads”, you should not expect the drink to bring the desired pleasure, as from good coffee.
Another mistake: the stronger the degree of bean roasting, the more caffeine they contain. This is not true. During roasting, caffeine is destroyed, so light roasts actually have slightly more of it than dark roasts.
3. Does coffee lead to addiction, help you lose weight, and make you multitask?
These coffee myths also have explanations backed by scientific evidence. In some people, the drink causes habituation, but it is not the same dependence that occurs, for example, from smoking. The craving for coffee can be compared to the desire to eat sweets during a diet. After giving up the drink, the body “lacks” caffeine, so someone may feel weakness and headache. This condition passes within a few days.
The most popular online query about coffee is whether the drink helps you lose weight. The truth is that coffee can indeed slightly reduce appetite and speed up metabolism by stimulating the release of fatty acids from fat tissue. That is precisely why caffeine is added to sports and diet nutrition, as well as weight loss supplements. But by themselves, neither coffee nor caffeine promotes weight loss. To get the effect, drink black coffee without milk and sweets and be sure to attend a good cardio workout.
But the claim that the drink helps at work is truly beyond doubt. Coffee enhances concentration, improves logical thinking and information analysis. As a result, after a cup, you can handle tasks faster and easier.
4. Is coffee harmful to the heart, and does it cause insomnia and dehydration?
To fall asleep peacefully after coffee, drink it before 6 PM and prepare the drink from Arabica varieties. Robusta has about twice as much caffeine, so the invigorating effect lasts longer.
The myth about dehydration arose due to the diuretic effect of coffee. In reality, the amount of fluid excreted from the body is compensated by the volume of the drink consumed. If it seems that the diuretic effect after coffee is too strong, simply drink a glass of water afterwards.
You should not worry about the negative impact of the drink on the heart either. It is a myth that coffee causes tachycardia, hypertension, and other diseases. The pulse may slightly increase due to caffeine, but with moderate consumption of the drink, there will be no harm to the heart. This was confirmed by scientists from the Chinese University of Suzhou. According to their research, 2-3 cups of the drink per day reduce the risk of developing heart failure by almost half. In addition, coffee contains antioxidants that protect the heart and blood vessels.
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