The benefits of drinking coffee丨"The best coffee drinking guide"

Coffee has been part of human life for centuries.

Studies have shown that drinking coffee can help reduce the risk of premature death and promote longevity. People over 45 are more suitable for drinking coffee. However, coffee can also easily lead to high cholesterol and affect sleep. Pregnant women should not drink coffee.

Drinking coffee reduces premature death rate by 64%

The study of nearly 20,000 people showed that if someone drinks at least 4 cups of coffee a day, their risk of early death is 64% lower than those who never drink coffee or rarely drink coffee. If the coffee drinker is over 45 years old, the positive effect of coffee is more obvious.

This suggests that drinking coffee may be more beneficial as we age.

The findings dovetail with those of another large study that found drinking coffee extended lifespan, regardless of whether people drank regular or decaffeinated coffee. Coffee has also been shown to reduce the risk of a number of conditions, including type 2 diabetes, liver disease, colon cancer, Alzheimer's and skin cancer.

Joe Aken, spokesman for the National Coffee Association, said: "Coffee contains a lot of antioxidants. Some antioxidants exist in coffee beans themselves, while others are produced through chemical changes. Antioxidants have a positive effect on reducing the risk of major diseases.

Setiawan, associate professor of preventive medicine at the University of Georgia Medical School, said that some common compounds in coffee can help increase insulin sensitivity, improve liver function, and reduce chronic inflammation. Other studies have shown that drinking three to three cups of black coffee a day has the greatest benefits for health.

Coffee is good, but you need to drink it with caution

While drinking coffee can be beneficial for many people, some people should exercise caution. Pregnant women, for example, should limit their coffee intake.

"Current evidence suggests that if pregnant women consume no more than 200 mg of caffeine per day, there is no increased risk of fetal disease or birth defects," said Dr. Joseph Wall, chairman of the American Medical Association's Committee on Obstetrics and Gynecology. "However, if women consume more than 200 mg of caffeine per day, the data is quite different.

If you have heart disease, you should limit your caffeine intake. "Caffeine is a substance that speeds up your heart rate," said Vince Bufano, a spokesman for the American Heart Association. People with atrial fibrillation (commonly known as irregular heartbeat) and high blood pressure should limit their daily coffee intake to one or two cups, but if their bodies are more sensitive, they should avoid caffeinated foods.

Remember, even decaffeinated coffee still contains caffeine.

According to research, an 8-ounce cup of coffee contains about 75 to 165 mg of caffeine, while each cup of decaf coffee contains an average of 2 to 7 mg of caffeine. Since decaf coffee still contains caffeine, Bufano advises heart patients to drink less: "If you drink three cups of decaf coffee a day, you should limit it.

When it comes to the effect of coffee on bone health, there is a saying that caffeine can cause calcium loss, but some studies have shown that it is not worth worrying about. Aamodt Aamodt, a famous American nutrition professor, said: "Caffeine does increase urinary calcium loss, but we can increase calcium absorption to balance the loss."

Kind tips

Before you drink your next cup of coffee, take note of these tips:

Add low-fat milk instead of whole milk, which adds about 50 calories per tablespoon, along with 3 grams of saturated fat. Low-fat milk has fewer calories and helps offset the loss of calcium (one tablespoon has only 6 calories but 19 mg of calcium).

Don't add sugar to your coffee. One teaspoon of sugar contains 16 calories. This may not sound like a lot, but if you add sugar to every cup of coffee and drink several cups a day, the calories can add up.

If you have high cholesterol, it is recommended to choose filtered coffee because regular coffee, including French press coffee, Turkish coffee or freshly brewed coffee popular in some countries, cannot capture a certain compound in coffee that increases cholesterol in the human body.

If you have trouble falling asleep, it's best to avoid drinking coffee in the evening and avoid eating foods that have caffeine or are close to the strength of coffee.