Why drink coffee?

I love coffee. I don’t need any more reason than that to reach for my cup. It turns out I’m not alone, 7 million tons of coffee are consumed each year, that’s a lot of coffee! But what are the secret benefits that we might be receiving just by picking up a cup of our daily java?

Research has indicated there may be several great health benefits. It was previously thought that coffee had a negative impact on cardiovascular illness such as, heart insufficiency or arrhythmia, however research seems to indicate, they are unaffected by coffee consumption. In fact, there appears to be a reduction in both diabetes and liver disease! What more could you want? There is also research that indicates it might even protect against Parkinsons disease as well as potentially reduce the incidence of diabetes. Overall coffee appears to be linked with a reduction in death! Woohoo!

We know that to optimise our health we need to eat well and exercise. The food we eat is pivotal to our health. We are now finding that there are “functional foods,” foods that contain nutrients that provide benefits. Though we are learning more about these compounds in the nutrients that provide the benefits. One example is flavoids which provide protective benefits, these can be found in items such as chocolate – another one of my favourites!

Interestingly there is thought to be a tolerance when looking at the effects of coffee, i.e. the more we drink the more tolerance we gain. At present it is difficult to say whether affects are different when comparing individuals who may have developed tolerance compared to those “novice” drinkers. Though alternatively it may be that our tolerance to effects could be as a result of genetics. An example can be the influence on blood pressure, there appears to be a difference between experienced and novice drinkers, however most of the change were noted in those that would be deemed to be “hypersensitive” to caffeine. Another factor that was suggested to be considered when considering benefits of coffee is how the coffee is prepared – though the jury is still out on what promotes the most health benefits!

Coffee is full of different compounds, the most famous being caffeine. All these different compounds can influence how our body works. As well as caffeine, coffee contains Vitamin B3 (helps with cholesterol levels), magnesium (crucial for body functions and helps keep bones strong) and potassium (helps muscles contract and maintain normal blood pressure).

Sadly, a lot of the research is based on what is called observational work, therefore we cannot say there is a definite link, however we can live in hope and for a little bit longer than if we didn’t drink this beautiful drink!

References

A. Cano-Marquina, J.J. Tarín, A. Cano, The impact of coffee on health, Maturitas, Volume 75, Issue 1,

2013, Pages 7-21, ISSN 0378-5122,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2013.02.002.