Coffee – most of us drink it every day. However, there are many myths and understatements around this drink that are repeated and disseminated by many people. It is worth knowing for how many years you can drink coffee, what is the caffeine content in coffee and whether its consumption has a negative effect on health. Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about coffee.
Can kids drink coffee?
It is very common in society to believe that children should not consume coffee at all. Is it true? Numerous studies have shown that the consumption of caffeine – which is contained in a large amount in coffee – is not beneficial for children, and it is also very addictive. Drinking coffee leads to unhealthy arousal in children – it affects their bodies much more strongly than adults. In addition, caffeine leaches calcium from bones, which can lead to very negative effects in children who are constantly growing and their skeleton grows and develops intensively. Most doctors and scientists believe that caffeine should not be supplied to the body at least until the age of seventeen.
Is drinking coffee healthy?
It is commonly believed that drinking coffee is not healthy because it raises blood pressure in the body. Of course, this is not beneficial for people suffering from hypertension, but in the case of people suffering from hypotension, coffee can have very positive effects. The answer to this question is therefore not unequivocal. Coffee contains numerous polyphenols – they slow down the aging process and also prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood vessels. This reduces the risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke. Coffee can also be attributed to bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects, drinking it also slows down the breakdown of vitamin C. Drinking black, brewed coffee stimulates intestinal peristalsis – this is why many people feel the need to go to the toilet after drinking a cup of coffee.
However, you shouldn’t go overboard with coffee. Drinking too much of this drink significantly increases the risk of heart disease, such as angina. However, such symptoms have not been observed in people who drink coffee in small amounts. Drinking coffee in moderation reduces the risk of developing cirrhosis – this has been proven in many studies, although it is not known what the protective effect of coffee on the liver is. It is also known that drinking a cup of coffee a day increases the level of serotonin in the body, which has a positive effect on our mood, improving it.
Does coffee have a lot of calories?
While on a diet, we often wonder whether consuming coffee will prevent the process of losing unnecessary kilograms. Coffee lovers will surely be pleased to know that ordinary black coffee has practically no calories. The caffeine contained in it additionally influences the acceleration of metabolism, and also supports fat burning. Drinking coffee can therefore be very beneficial for those on a diet. However, it is worth remembering that although coffee itself has practically no calories – tasty additions to it do. Thus, coffee with various types of syrups, sugar, milk, whipped cream or other delicacies can ultimately contain up to several hundred calories – that’s about a healthy, balanced meal that you can eat for lunch! Diet coffee is therefore not harmful, but you should definitely choose black coffee without additives.
How much caffeine does coffee have?
It’s not difficult to find information on how many milligrams of caffeine you can safely consume in a day. However, not everyone knows how many mg of caffeine in coffee. The answer to this question is not clear-cut – it all depends on the type of coffee. A large cup of espresso coffee is about 60-80 milligrams of caffeine, while in instant coffee there is slightly less of it. It is worth knowing that the taste of coffee does not always allow you to tell if it contains a lot of caffeine – most of us think that bitter, strong coffee provides much more than poorly brewed coffee. However, it turns out that this is not true – you should keep this in mind so as not to accidentally overdose on caffeine. This can have very unpleasant and sometimes even dangerous consequences.