Coffee and Your Health: What Are the Benefits of Coffee?

What do you imagine are the effects of coffee on the human body? Does it wake you up? Does it stunt your growth? You probably have a mix of positive and negative images. Many people have researched and debated how coffee affects the body, and whether it is harmful or beneficial. Even those who simply enjoy coffee unknowingly experience various effects. Since we have the opportunity, let's understand these effects and make good use of them! So, this time, we'll introduce how coffee affects the body and health practices that leverage these effects!

Acute Effects That Occur With Every Sip

The effects obtained from drinking coffee can be divided into acute effects that appear immediately with each drink, and chronic effects that are obtained through habitual consumption. Among these, *acute effects that appear as quickly as a few minutes after coffee consumption are often very useful if managed well, due to their quick action and utility.* Let's understand and utilize the acute effects obtained from coffee consumption!

Wakes You Up, Improves Concentration, Reduces Fatigue

These are arguably the most typical effects of drinking coffee. Many people probably drink coffee to achieve these effects when they're pulling an all-nighter, right? These effects are achieved because caffeine, a component of coffee, acts on the central nervous system, creating an excited state. While there are individual differences, *caffeine is usually absorbed within 30-50 minutes, and effects such as waking up are obtained.* The duration of the effect is about 2 hours for young people and about 4 hours for the elderly. So, it's a good idea to drink coffee about 30 minutes before you need to concentrate to make good use of it, and to avoid caffeine intake for about 3 hours before going to bed! By the way, the saying "drinking coffee stunts children's growth" is a misconception derived from the pattern where they can't sleep at night, and the growth hormones that should have been secreted during sleep are less likely to be produced. If they can sleep at night, there's no problem, and coffee itself does not have an effect that inhibits growth hormones, so rest assured.

Metabolism Boost

When caffeine acts on the central nervous system, it also affects the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in increased blood pressure and promoted metabolism. Some people are even leveraging these effects for diet purposes. *Exercising after drinking coffee is more effective due to the synergistic effect of increased metabolism,* and it's even better if you drink black coffee, which is low in calories. The effects start to appear about 30-50 minutes after drinking, similar to waking up, so it's good to drink it about an hour before exercise! However, be careful not to drink too much! While normal amounts are generally not an issue, excessive intake, especially when combined with the stress of exercise, can in the worst case lead to arrhythmia, so be careful.

Promotes Digestion

Drinking coffee can promote stomach function and aid digestion, due to the action of caffeine and chlorogenic acid, a type of polyphenol. Just like restaurants that serve coffee as a conclusion to a meal, drinking coffee after a meal *increases the secretion of gastric acid and reduces the burden on the stomach.* However, if this effect goes too far, it can damage the stomach lining, becoming counterproductive. Therefore, it's best to avoid it when you're hungry or when your stomach is upset. Other acute effects include diuretic action and improved bowel movements. However, it's important to note that to effectively utilize these effects, you must pay attention to two things: *consuming an appropriate amount of coffee* and *consuming it when you are in good health*! No matter how good something is for you, if it's not handled correctly, it can have the opposite effect, so be careful.

Consistency is Key, Chronic Effects

The chronic effects obtained from habitual consumption are also a noteworthy point when drinking coffee. Unlike acute effects, they don't produce immediate visible results, but they have the wonderful benefit of *preventing various diseases*. Let's look at what effects they have.

Diabetes Prevention

One of the most noteworthy chronic effects of coffee is the reduction in the risk of developing diabetes. Although the detailed mechanism is not yet clear, multiple epidemiological studies have confirmed that *the risk of developing diabetes decreases in coffee drinkers*, with results showing a reduction of about 15% for men and about 35% for women. While the hypothesis that caffeine and chlorogenic acid are responsible is strong, similar effects have been observed with decaffeinated coffee, and no effect has been observed with teas, making it difficult to draw a definitive conclusion at present.

Neurological Disease Prevention

In addition to diabetes, coffee has also been confirmed to have effects that lead to the prevention of neurological disorders. Diseases whose risk of onset is suppressed include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. While the effects of caffeine are thought to be significant, the exact reason for these effects is still not fully clear. Further research in the future will likely reveal more detailed information.

Prevention of Some Cancers

Whether coffee prevents cancer or is carcinogenic has been a long-standing debate. In conclusion, it is believed to lower the risk of some cancers while increasing the risk of others. Cancers for which a reduced risk of onset has been reported include...

Liver cancer

Endometrial cancer

Oral and pharyngeal cancer

and others. Regarding liver cancer, it is thought that the improvement of liver function by caffeine may be a contributing factor. Conversely, cancers for which the risk is said to increase include...

Bladder cancer

Lung cancer

and others. However, these findings are based on studies showing that the risk was higher in non-smokers who drank coffee, or that groups consuming large amounts daily had a higher risk than those consuming small amounts. Some argue that the influence of coffee is not very significant.

How Should You Drink It?

If you want to enjoy both the acute and chronic effects, drinking coffee incorrectly might actually worsen your health. Let's look at the points to consider for healthy coffee consumption!

What is the appropriate amount of coffee?

No matter how good something is, too much of it can be poison to the body. The same applies to coffee; excessive intake can have adverse effects on the body. So, what is the appropriate amount? The answer is actually, it varies from person to person. Some people feel unwell with just one cup due to their constitution, while others can drink many cups without any problem. However, for most people who don't feel unwell after caffeine intake or don't have certain conditions, *3-4 cups a day* is considered to be without health issues. If you consume more than 5 cups in a short period, be careful as it can easily cause symptoms like headaches!

When children drink it

The caffeine metabolism capacity of young children is considered to be almost the same as that of adults, so even if there are wild children who habitually drink coffee, there is no safety problem. However, since their bodies are smaller, care must be taken regarding the amount they drink. As a guideline, it is about *one-third of an adult's amount*. You can reduce the number of times they drink it, or dilute it with milk.

When pregnant women drink it

Excessive caffeine intake increases the risk of miscarriage, so pregnant women are advised to avoid coffee as much as possible. If you absolutely want to drink it, it is said to be safe to consume up to 2 cups a day. However, this limit of 2 cups is only if you do not consume other caffeinated beverages like tea, so to drink with peace of mind, *it is best to drink decaffeinated coffee*. Base Coffee also handles decaffeinated coffee, so please feel free to ask us if you wish when you visit our store! Decaffeinated Mexico Enjoying coffee while effectively utilizing its various potential benefits. There's no better coffee life than that. To achieve this, it's important to have a good relationship with coffee and know how to drink it in a way that suits you. It might be interesting to pay a little attention to how much is the right amount for you and how long it takes for the effects to appear when you drink coffee.