Coffee and its Effects

How much coffee is healthy for us, how much coffee can harm us, and when should we drink it? Let's take a look how coffee drinking affects the human organism, its advantages and disadvantages.

Some surveys indicate that up to 5 cups of coffee a day can be beneficial for the body. Other sources don't recommend drinking more than 3 cups a day. The good news is, however, that research agrees at least on the positive and negative effects of coffee which are influenced by many aspects such as the time of  drinking, the quality of coffee beans, and the method of preparation.

For coffee to have positive effects, you have to drink high-quality coffee without added sugar and cream. The drunk amount of coffee should be compensated by water.

Advantages of coffee drinking

• longer life
• reduced risk of liver diseases, skin cancer, Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes
• temporary suppress of fatigue
• improved concentration and alertness
• help with excess fat burning, lower appetite for sweet food, keeping muscles full of energy

Disadvantages of caffeine 

• increased anxiety and worse sleep
• dehydration
• stimulation of gastric acids production
• not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women, people suffering from high blood pressure, anxiety and sleep disorders

The best time to drink coffee is in the morning or before exercising. However, the negative effects of coffee consumption on sports performance should be considered – the risk of dehydration, stomach cramps and other digestive problems especially for people hypersensitive to caffeine.

Illustration photo: source Pixabay, licence CC0 Creative Commons