Coffee had become a staple in our everyday lives. As college students, we have forever in a time crunch, trying to get from one place to another, juggling classes, meetings, club events and our social lives. Often, we are seen with tall cups of coffee, multiple times during the day, but is so much coffee actually healthy?
Yes, it is! Although coffee is rarely described as a health food, it contains more than 1000 constituents and is loaded with antioxidants. Studies have shown coffee can lower our risk of developing liver cirrhosis, dementia, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay, and some cancers including endometrial and skin cancer. And apparently, we also absorb the antioxidants from coffee according to a lot of studies. Although there are many factors affecting this, such as the growing conditions and origin of the coffee bean, then there’s the processing and roasting; usually the darker the roast the less antioxidants. Irrespective of that, coffee is one of the largest sources of antioxidants in our diets. Especially since a lot of people don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables.
Sadly, despite conclusive studies about the benefits of coffee, the drink has also been linked to insomnia, hypertension, tremors, anxiety and inflammation. Plus, it’s said to be acidic, dehydrating and irritating to the digestive tract. So, it’s hard to know whether to sip or skip sometimes. Therefore, for many people it’s about trial and error and learning to balance the positive and negative effects they feel from caffeine. Once you know if you’re a slow or fast metabolizer of caffeine then you can tailor your intake to the level that’s good for you.
Here are a few FAQs about coffee:
Should we all try to go caffeine-free for a day or two a week?
Not necessarily. If you are feeling sleepless or anxious or have any other adverse effects of having caffeine, then yes. If you’ve built a tolerance to caffeine and you’d want to reset your body so you get the edge from caffeine, such as sports performance, or its effect on your concentration and alertness, then going caffeine free for a week or so would help.
Can going caffeine-free lead to withdrawal symptoms?
Not everyone gets withdrawal, but if you do, and go caffeine free for a day a week, then it wouldn’t be something very pleasant or beneficial. It’s really all about the impact of long-term consumption. For slow metabolizers, limiting caffeine the majority of the time is beneficial for heart health. For fast metabolizers, a couple cups of coffee daily can be beneficial for heart health.
And should we all stop consuming after midday?
Caffeine and its effect on your body is very individualized. Some people have a very low affinity of caffeine to their adenosine receptor, meaning that the wakefulness you feel doesn’t last long. These people can have coffee and go straight to bed. So, if you have this, there’s no need to limit consumption after a certain time of day. But if you do have the high affinity to the receptor, then you will be stimulated for hours and yes, minimizing the amount and the time between drinking and sleeping is important.
Stay warm, and enjoy your coffee!
