Coffee Consumption

Coffee Consumption - Good and Bad Effects
By: Peter Mason

The impact of coffee on the overall health of mankind has been an extensive subject of survey over decades altogether. The resulting research has always reported a series of varied results, ranging from ill effects to moderate effects and even instances of a beneficial role of the drink. In this article, we highlight the various aspects in this context, along with indications from different research reports.

It has been a long-known fact that caffeine, which is the main ingredient in coffee, is a mild stimulant. Though the effects are mostly short-lived, but this ingredient is known to increase blood pressure and accelerate heart rate. However, there is data to indicate that the consumption of coffee has a series of beneficial effects in various degrees of intensity.

In some cases, coffee has also been known to have a negative impact on fertility. A higher level of coffee consumption is associated with higher blood levels of homocysteine, leading to the chances of development of coronary heart disease. Cafestol, one of the ingredients is also known to hike up the cholesterol levels. Excessive consumption of coffee is also known to deplete calcium in women and increase the risks of urinary incontinence.

The Positive Impact

Research strongly suggests that coffee effectively reduces the risk of being effected by colon cancer, though that is only likely to happen if the consumption is more than four cups a day. In addition, coffee is also said to contain antioxidants that help in the prevention of heart disease and even a few form of cancers. This is basically done by removing the cell-destroying oxygen radicals that form the blood. There is no doubt that coffee also has an amazing effect on mental alertness. However, a set of Chinese studies also report that coffee can reduce the effects of Parkinson's disease.

In addition, various American and Scandinavian studies show that the decaf as well as regular coffee can help in the reduction of the risk of being effected by type-2 diabetes. Besides, coffee is also believed to have a positive effect in reducing the chances of developing kidney stones and gallstones. It reportedly also increases the secretion of stomach acid that further helps digestion. There is also a possibility of coffee being effective in reducing the constriction of airways in asthma sufferers, when consumed in moderation. Coffee also contains theophylline, in addition to caffeine, which is a bronchodilator and hence, is effective.