 |
The effects of coffee on health:
Second most drunk beverage in the world after water with nearly 2.5 billion cups consumed per day, coffee is synonymous with pleasure and aids in concentration. At home, at the counter or at work, alone or in good company, coffee is much more than just a drink. And yet, we dread its consumption as we love it. Focus on its effects on health.
You have always heard that you should not drink too much coffee and that it is potentially bad for your health.
I will give you scientific information that will allow you to better understand what it is and I will give you my recommendations for the consumption of this very popular drink.
What's the problem in coffee?
Sugar
First of all, the first problem in coffee is not the coffee itself but it is often the sugar that is added to it when the taste is too bitter. It is above all habits that we take when we discover this very bitter drink. If some later manage to enjoy their coffee without sugar, some will continue to add sugar even in reduced quantities. Which is not recommended anyway. Indeed, a healthy diet will be one where the consumption of sugar will be avoided as much as possible, in particular refined white sugar but also any food with a high glycemic index, including sugar, among others.
It is also an aging accelerator because it will stimulate IGF-1, insulin growth factor.
Acrylamide
Next, the big problem with coffee in terms of health is its acrylamide content, a chemical substance derived from the process of cooking at very high temperatures, which is known to be carcinogenic and to accelerate the aging of arterial walls. It is this substance that we find in these famous “Maillard molecules” and which are the result of overcooking products containing proteins and carbohydrates, it is the “caramelization” or glycation of proteins.
And these molecules are not only potentially carcinogenic but they transform proteins making them much less assimilable by the body. This means that an overcooked protein does not serve much in nutritional terms (eg grilled meat).
We can recognize these Maillard molecules also by the golden, scorched or browned color of the foods that have undergone this transformation and you know what? they are everywhere: crisps, coffee, bread crusts, quiche dough, pizza, grilled meat, burnt crème caramel, golden biscuits and cakes, brown color of cereals such as Jordan's, rusks, Krisprolls , etc, ..etc….etc.. But it is also found mainly in cigarette smoke.
So how to avoid them since they are absolutely everywhere? Finally, it's quite simple, as this transformation is due to strong cooking and grilling, it will be a question of eating only foods cooked with gentle steam or below 110°C. Thus, all the foods we cook in this way do not contain these Maillard and acrylamide molecules.
caffeine
Then there is this famous caffeine that makes us believe that coffee suppresses our fatigue when it is just a decoy. It certainly gives a boost because it is stimulating by causing a spike in insulin, but as we know, too much insulin throughout the day is inflammatory and increases insulin resistance .
Moreover, according to numerous studies, too much caffeine consumption is correlated with:
- a greater risk of cardiac arrhythmia
- an increase in histamine in the stomach, responsible for the rise in hydrochloric acid and the aggravation of gastritis, gastro-oesophageal reflux, ulcers, etc… moreover, allergy sufferers know it well, histamine is inflammatory and can participate in the development of inflammatory intolerances and intestinal permeability or leaky gut (common factor of allergic conditions)
- an increase in homocysteine and the increased risk of thrombosis, phlebitis, embolism and stroke by inhibiting the absorption of B vitamins
- greater fatigue, irritability, greater vulnerability to stress, anxiety and burnout, and greater risk of osteoporosis, due to the losses of magnesium and calcium that its consumption causes due to its diuretic and acidifying effect
However, we have also recently seen studies on the positive elements that coffee can contain.
The active elements of coffee
The various studies carried out on coffee have made it possible to identify the different active properties it holds. In addition to caffeine, its main active component, a cup of coffee also contains vitamins (type E, PP, B9…) and minerals (such as potassium, sodium, magnesium…). Coffee is also rich in phenolic acid, a powerful antioxidant, as well as terpene-type alcohol.
Is coffee good for your health?...
Low in calories, coffee can affect our way of life and our daily habits. By acting on the cerebral arteries, this drink is appreciated for its ability to improve concentration and alertness. Improving our long-term memory capacity, it helps to reduce age-related forgetfulness problems, while being an effective anti-migraine remedy.
A study conducted at the University of Southampton and published in the British Medical Journal compiles the results of more than 200 meta-analyses concerning the effects of coffee on health. It shows that this drink can reduce various diseases including those of the liver. In a 2014 meta-analysis published in Diabetes Care, researchers concluded that coffee consumption lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. a study published in 2011 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
It shows in particular that consuming 3 cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of developing endometrial cancer by 25%. The American Association of Gastroenterology has, for its part, concluded that those 3 cups of coffee a day can halve the risk of liver cancer. Other studies have demonstrated the positive action of coffee on cases of breast, prostate, pancreatic and skin cancer.
In addition to having stimulating qualities on the body, coffee is also an excellent slimming asset. By accelerating fat burning, it eliminates food gaps and naturally increases energy expenditure. A study published on July 11, 2017, as well as a publication in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, finally demonstrated that coffee can reduce the risk of mortality by 12 to 18% and can improve life expectancy.
But beware of excess:
Consumed in high doses, however, coffee can disrupt sleep and cause anxiety or irritation. Excessive caffeine consumption can increase the risk of bladder, colon and rectal cancer. It can also promote increased cholesterol levels, hypertension, as well as subarachnoid hemorrhage problems in people at risk, among others.
A study has shown that drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day in people over 55 increases the risk of death from all causes.
This is why it is essential not to abuse coffee and to limit its consumption to benefit fully from it.
Often, the benefits that we will find in coffee will be canceled by the excessive consumption that we will have.
These doses are closer to habituation, as happens very often for many people, especially city dwellers working in large cities. And in this case, we find ourselves more easily in situations where excess coffee will have a negative impact on health, like red wine, rich (for some only) in resveratrol, but whose alcohol erases the beneficial effects in part and impacts the liver .
My Naturopath Recommendations:
For my part, if the person has no particular health problem, I would therefore recommend limiting the consumption of coffee to 2 per day, avoiding consuming it in the morning to avoid the too early insulin peak, which occurs with too exciting substances even without sugar. Especially if you practice intermittent fasting because in this case coffee will interrupt your fast because of this insulin spike, by increasing blood sugar. So it is better to drink your coffee after the morning and after a meal containing proteins and fatty acids. Even if from my point of view, it risks disturbing the digestion.
Given the deleterious effects on health as we saw at the beginning of the article, in the event of excessive consumption, it will be wiser to reserve its consumption for restricted pleasure moments and in this case we will favor agricultural coffee. organic and great arabica or robusta. The best moment in chronobiology being after noon.
In cases where there is any health problem or disorder, I recommend avoiding coffee consumption instead. It will be much more interesting to consume green tea or even better Matcha green tea for its antioxidant power, Rooibos, Hibiscus or Chicory!
As you will have understood, despite the studies and the proven benefits found in coffee, I do not consider coffee to be a health food. Because from my point of view, a healthy food should be (and remain) beneficial whatever the dose consumed and whatever the health condition or age of the person who consumes it. But especially with coffee, overconsumption happened very quickly and I don't prefer to convey a message that would encourage people to abuse it under the pretext that it's good for your health, because excesses are on the other hand very impactful.
Just like meat, alcohol, cheese, nutritional interests will quickly be limited by the negative consequences of overconsumption. But nothing prevents you from consuming these products from time to time, including coffee, for moments of pleasure and in this case, it will be wiser to opt for top quality, a great robusta or arabica and organic for some. enjoying consumption more. And there is also the option of non-acidifying coffee ..
Concerning deca', the elements are strictly the same as for the case with the only difference that there is clearly less caffeine, provided that its extraction was made by water and not by solvent like chlorine.
){kind=link}
0 Comments