Coffee: Benefits, Properties, and How Much We Can Drink

First of all, it is a drug, in scientific terms. Alkaloid: as it derives from a plant substance. coffee, the blessing and bane of our days, symbol of a ritual and a lifestyle widespread in Italy, has always been at the centre of questions about its origins. property, on his benefits, as well as the potential risks and problems it can cause. Where does the truth lie in the vast amount of studies published on the subject? We can provide a precise answer to this question, starting with the premise: coffee, when consumed sparingly, is not harmful, and in fact provides truly significant health benefits and properties. Before examining the properties of caffeine in detail, let's remember that coffee is obtained through roasting, which involves cooking the seeds of the plants at high temperatures, between 200 and 240 degrees Celsius. Once roasted, the coffee takes on a black-brown color and the organoleptic characteristics of a drug.

Index of topics

Vitamins and minerals in coffee

Every hundred grams of coffee contains:

160 milligrams of phosphorus
130 milligrams of Calcium
2,02 grams of potassium
74 milligrams of sodium
4,1 milligrams of Iron
10 milligrams of vitamin B3
0,2 milligrams of vitamin B2

Benefits

I advantages basic of the coffee They go in three directions. First of all aids digestion, hence the habit of drinking a cup after lunch (after dinner, be careful: it can negatively affect sleep) or even after a hearty breakfast. This property comes from the fact that coffee stimulates gastric and bile secretion, thus making the digestive mechanism more functional. It also helps fight constipation. Secondly, coffee has a direct effect, and positive, on cardiac and nervous activity. Thanks to caffeine, in fact, it has a tonic and stimulatory propertiesHence the cup we drink in the morning, to wake up, when we're focused on studying or work, when we need to feel invigorated. Third basic quality: coffee. helps you lose weight. In a double sense, since on the one hand, caffeine increases the amount of calories burned and on the other, because coffee, taken in significant doses, has an anorectic effect, meaning it reduces appetite. But the real leap forward, in terms of helping our health, coffee has made, on a scientific level, thanks to research, all from authoritative sources, which demonstrates its qualities in relation to very serious diseases, such as neurodegenerative and tumors.

Property

As highlighted by several researches, Coffee can reduce the risk of some types of cancer, alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, improve mood and even reflexes.: a true elixir, but to be enjoyed without exaggeration. In particular, a study conducted byMario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research and from Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Milan and published in the American magazine Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Regularly drinking two cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common liver cancer, by 40 percent., three cups would even be able to halve the risk. These are significant figures considering that liver cancer is the sixth most common tumor in the world and the third leading cause of cancer death. And thepreventive effect on liver tumorsAccording to the authors of the study, it could also be due to coffee's proven prevention of diabetes. And that's not all: according to a study conducted by the IRCCS Neuromed in Pozzilli in collaboration with the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and the IRCCS Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata in Rome and published in the international journal "International Journal of Cancer," Coffee may be able to have a protective effect against prostate cancerIn particular, data from a study conducted on 7000 Italians show that the risk of cancer is reduced by more than 50 percent in those who drink more than three cups a day. Caffeine plays a key role in this protective effect.

And since caffeine improves attention and alertness, a lower frequency of injuries was also observed in coffee drinkers. Not to mention that, With 4 cups a day, the risk of developing intestinal cancer is also reduced by 15 percent., a risk that is reduced by 40 percent with 6 cups a day. In particular, coffee protects the initial part of the colon. And according to theAmerican Chemical Society, A cup of coffee a day could also help reduce the risk of skin cancer by 7 percent., by 50 percent if you drink four or more cups. But that's not all: Coffee drinkers also reduce the risk of heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke and infectionsThis is what a US research published in the important journal claims New England Journal of Medicine, which involved 400 thousand people and compared those who drink 2 to 6 cups of coffee a day with a control group that did not drink coffee.

Coffee and liver

A false urban legend holds that coffee is harmful to the liver. The exact opposite is true. Moderate coffee consumption (2-3 cups a day) can have beneficial and protective effects on the liver. This is because coffee has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that also affect the liver. If you get a stomachache after drinking coffee, the problem isn't liver-related; it could be a liver problem. gastritis.

The role of coffee in preventing Parkinson's disease

And coffee consumption, as a research by theUniversity of South Florida and Miami conducted for about four years on 124 volunteers, would bring with it important advantages also with regards to the prevention of Parkinson's diseaseOther studies have instead found an improvement in mood, a reduction in fatigue, and an increase in the ability to concentrate.

Coffee is not carcinogenic

For a long time, there has been discussion all over the world about a deadly, potential danger hidden behind coffee: the risk that it was carcinogenicFalse. And it has been definitively and categorically refuted by a ruling, written in the form of a study, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization. Over years of work, 500 scientific studies on coffee have been sifted through, one by one, and the scientific conclusions have been reached, published in the journal Lancet OncologyFirst of all, the most anticipated by consumers around the world: there is no relationship between cancer and coffee, for any type of cancer, starting with bladder cancer, considered the most vulnerable to the accusations against caffeine. On the contrary, as we've also seen in this article, coffee has cancer-preventing properties.

Controindicazioni

Many beneficial implications without a doubt relevant even if it is always good to remember that It is important not to overdo it with coffee intake: those suffering from gastritis, ulcers, and heart patients with arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation should avoid it. Any substance, even the best, if consumed in excessive quantities can be harmful to your health. The best alternatives to coffee are barley coffee or chicory coffee.Both do not contain caffeine and therefore do not stimulate the nervous system.

The differences between the main types of coffee

Not all coffees are the same, and in fact they can be very different based on the caffeine contained in the blend. A false belief, for example, suggests that American coffee (at the bar we say: an Americano) contains less caffeine than espresso. The exact opposite is true. The coffee powder used to prepare an Americano, in fact, is between 30 and 80 grams per liter of water, compared to 6-7 grams for espresso and 5-8 grams for coffee prepared with a Moka pot. This means that in a cup of Americano, there are between 115 and 120 milligrams of caffeine, that is, double that contained in espresso and a Moka pot. The other important difference between the main types of coffee is the contact time with water: 6 minutes for an Americano, 30 seconds for an espresso, and 1-2 minutes for a Moka pot.

How many coffees can you drink a day?

Coffee is easy to find, both indoors and outdoors. It's pleasant, conducive to company, a break, and relaxation, and brings many benefits, as we've seen. But let's not overdo it. To set a limit, let's trust what the Veronesi Foundation writes on its website, citing research from News England Journal of Medicine: no more than four or five cups a dayAnd maybe we can alternate the coffee from the bar (very strong) with a homemade decaf (decidedly weaker). In any case, let's keep these numbers in mind: a cup of moka contains, on average, 60 milligrams of caffeine; an Americano contains 100 milligrams; the maximum recommended daily dose is 400 milligrams.

How long does the stimulating effect of coffee last?

The stimulating effect of coffee lasts, on average, around 4 hoursThis figure varies from person to person, but in any case, it suggests avoiding coffee in the evening to avoid compromising sleep and its quality. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system because it inhibits adenosine, a molecule that induces sleep and causes fatigue. Finally, each cup of coffee contains approximately 2 calories.

Coffee: benefits, properties, and how much we can drink