By Rachel Wade
For years and years, the topic of coffee has been controversial. However, as a strong lover of all things coffee, here is really why you can have trust in this ‘holy water’.
Fashionable flat whites and aesthetic coffee mugs have been plastered all over our Instagram feed for years. It seems that approximately 2 out of 5 pedestrians are seen clinging to a Starbucks coffee cup. Businessmen and women appear to live and breathe coffee, and for students it’s holy water. Frequently, the media are obsessed with the latest “This is why coffee is bad for you” facts to scare avid consumers of coffee, only to then publish “This is why coffee will make you live longer!” articles. For years and years, the topic of coffee has been controversial. However, as a strong lover of all things coffee, here is really why you can have trust in this ‘holy water’.
Yes, coffee can be beneficial for your health. Yet before you reach for that sixth cup of coffee, remember to keep it to a maximum of three mugs a day (average of 400mg per day). Spanish studies found that consuming (at most) four cups of coffee per day led to a 64% decreased risk of fatality among study participants compared to non-coffee drinkers. Three cups a day will also help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. However, once you consecutively exceed the limit, then don’t expect the same health benefits (unless you want migraines, insomnia and high blood pressure).
What Is It About Coffee That Makes Us Rely On It SO Much?
The caffeine from the coffee is absorbed into the small intestine, and then dissolved in the bloodstream. The small intestine's water and fat soluble properties allows the caffeine to break through the semipermeable barrier between your brain and the bloodstream (known as the blood-brain barrier), entering the brain. Due to the caffeine molecules looking similar to another molecule in our brain called adenosine, caffeine can bind to the cells’ receptors for adenosine, thus blocking them off. Adenosine makes us feel tired over time, however, because they have been blocked off, our sense of alertness is heightened.
In fact, many forget that caffeine is a type of stimulant drug. Coffee has been implemented into our daily lives intensely, it has become a necessity of survival for many. Pre-coffee, feelings of fatigue, grumpiness and melancholy are apparent. Post-coffee, a sudden boost of energy and spirit, seemingly a cure for bad moods. As coffee allows us to boost our mood, it’s no lie that it is likely we are tempted to go overboard. In fact, a 2018 review of scientific journal articles, researchers identified 92 reported deaths from caffeine overdose. So make sure you acknowledge how much caffeine you consume.
It’s not just in coffee, but also tea and energy drinks. It’s also not just an aesthetic, it can become fatal for your health.
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