6 benefits of drinking coffee

In the past, Chinese people mainly drank tea, but since when, coffee has quietly replaced tea and become a daily must-drink for many young people. The pros and cons of drinking coffee on the human body have always been controversial. Some people think it is a treasure, while others think it does more harm than good to the body.

Drinking coffee does have many benefits

1. Coffee contains a variety of nutrients

Pure coffee is made by roasting raw coffee beans, grinding them into powder, and brewing them with hot water. Coffee beans are the kernels of the coffee tree fruit. Raw coffee beans are rich in sugars, proteins, vitamins and minerals. They can supplement some of the nutrients needed by the human body.

Someone once analyzed the nutritional components of 100g of coffee beans as a standard. To give a few simple ingredients, 100g of coffee beans contains 2.2g of water, 12.6g of protein, 16g of fat, 46.7g of sugars, 9g of cellulose, and 120mg of calcium.

However, during the roasting process, some proteins in coffee beans will denature, sugars tend to become mushy, and some vitamins will evaporate or be lost during roasting. During the brewing process, some nutrients will be diluted in the coffee liquid, but most of them will remain in the coffee grounds after brewing. Therefore, no matter how much coffee you drink, the nutrients you get are limited.

2. Black coffee has a weight loss effect

For coffee lovers, drinking black coffee is a good way to lose weight. Black coffee refers to pure coffee without sugar, milk, or anything else. Because there is no other partner, it has a strong bitter taste and very low calories. A cup of 100 grams of black coffee has only 2.55 kilojoules of calories.

Pure caffeine can directly burn fat. Drinking coffee combined with some exercise can have a good weight loss effect. A lot of exercise can increase the activity of caffeine in the body, thereby converting fat into fatty acids more quickly and excreting it from the body.

We need to remind you that the effect of coffee on weight loss varies from person to person, so don't hold too high hopes. Also, black coffee is more irritating to the stomach, so don't drink it on an empty stomach. Don't drink it after 8 p.m., as it may affect your sleep quality.

3. Caffeine is a wake-up drug for some people

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. Small doses can excite the cerebral cortex, improve thinking activities, and increase sensitivity to the outside world. Large doses can excite the respiratory center and vasomotor center of the medulla oblongata, increasing the frequency and depth of breathing.

The higher the caffeine content in coffee, the better the refreshing effect. Therefore, many people will choose to make a cup of coffee when they are irritable or sleepy, and drinking it will make them forget their fatigue and become excited.

4. Reduce the risk of gallstones

Researchers at Harvard University in the United States found that people who drink 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day have a 30% to 40% lower chance of developing cholelithiasis than those who do not drink coffee. However, decaffeinated coffee does not have this effect. Therefore, they believe that this may be related to the fact that caffeine stimulates gallbladder contraction, reduces the cholesterol content in bile, and inhibits the formation of cholelithiasis.

5. Reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes

Scholars from Harvard University in the United States also found that long-term consumption of caffeinated coffee can significantly reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes, while drinking decaffeinated coffee will significantly reduce this effect. Therefore, they speculate that this is due to the effect of caffeine on glucose metabolism.

6. Protect cardiovascular system

South Korean researchers found through a study of 25,000 subjects that people who drink 3 to 5 cups of coffee (about 200 ml per cup) a day have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. A study by the National Cancer Research Center of Japan showed that people who drink one cup of coffee a day have a lower risk of death from stroke than those who do not drink coffee.

Taboos of drinking coffee

1. Avoid drinking coffee and smoking

Research by medical experts shows that caffeine, under the influence of mutagenic substances such as nicotine in cigarettes, can easily cause mutations in certain tissues in the body and even lead to the formation of cancer cells. Therefore, when drinking coffee, you must abandon the bad habit of smoking at the same time.

2. Avoid adding too much sugar

Adding too much sugar to coffee will reflexively stimulate the islet cells in the pancreas to secrete a large amount of insulin, and excessive insulin can reduce the glucose content in the blood. Once the blood sugar level is too low, symptoms of hypoglycemia such as palpitations, dizziness, limb weakness, and drowsiness will occur.

In addition, it is not advisable to eat too much high-sugar food such as cakes and candies while drinking coffee, otherwise the above symptoms will occur.

3. Avoid excessive concentration

According to research, after drinking high-concentration coffee, the secretion of adrenaline in the body increases sharply, resulting in faster heart rate and significantly higher blood pressure. People are prone to abnormal phenomena such as nervousness, irritability, tinnitus and involuntary tremor of limbs. If this continues for a long time, it will be harmful to health. If you suffer from arrhythmia, tachycardia, neurosis and other diseases, drinking high-concentration coffee will trigger or aggravate the original condition. People with coronary heart disease and high blood pressure may even be in danger of inducing angina pectoris and cerebrovascular accidents if they drink strong coffee excessively. Generally speaking, the concentration of caffeine in each cup of coffee should not exceed 100 mg, and the amount of coffee consumed per day should not exceed 2 cups.