What Is The Good And The Bad Of Drinking Coffee?

Coffee is one of those special drinks that can not only be taken with any meal of the day, it can also be used to start conversations or be drunk out of simple habit. For many, drinking coffee is a pleasure.

However, there are many doubts about whether it is a healthy food or not. This may be because, at times, it can worsen different serious health problems as indicated by this study carried out by the University of Valladolid.

Today we are going to discover throughout this article if it is good or bad to drink coffee and we will explain everything in detail. What we do have to bear in mind is that we must always moderate its consumption.

Interesting facts about coffee

If there is something we have to take into account, it is that coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. It is hypothesized that at least four hundred billion cups of coffee are consumed per year.

In which countries is its consumption more frequent? Well, the countries that can answer this question are Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands. Although in Spain a lot of coffee is also consumed, approximately 4.5 kilograms per person annually.

Coffee and pain relievers

The relationship that we can establish between coffee and painkillers is not crazy. In fact, it is believed that it can be very beneficial to our health.

The reason this is so is that combining coffee with taking painkillers would enhance its effects by 40%. This would speed up the response of the drug. However, there is no scientific evidence to verify this claim.

We must take special care in combining coffee with other types of drugs, whether or not they are analgesic. See your doctor first, or you could run into problems.

Drinking coffee benefits our health

Drinking coffee can have many benefits for our health. Some of its properties can even make this drink an excellent way to prevent certain diseases. Let’s see what it reports to us:

• Deal with type 2 diabetes : Although coffee is a drink rich in magnesium and chromium, substances that stimulate the body’s use of insulin and regulate blood sugar, it is still too early to talk about its supposed beneficial properties for this type of diabetes, according to this study carried out by the Carlos Haya University Hospital in Malaga.
• Lower probability of developing mental disorders : drinking coffee regularly can make us 60% less likely to develop diseases or disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, according to this study by the Institute of Environmental Medicine (Sweden).
• Prevents constipation : although it works as a laxative, you have to be careful. Its excess consumption, according to this study published by the Spanish Association of Gastroenterology, can contribute to the development of irritable bowel syndrome.
• Improves physical performance: the caffeine in coffee helps increase levels of adrenaline, a hormone that prepares the body for significant physical exertion.

• Combat depression:  according to research from Harvard University, coffee consumption contributes to the control of depression. Again, this benefit is attributed to caffeine.

Problems that coffee can cause

Despite the benefits that drinking coffee can bring us, the truth is that the consumption of this drink has a series of “side effects”. Let’s see some of them:

• Headache : Consuming coffee in large quantities can cause headaches and even migraines. This is stated in this study carried out by the Health Services of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.
• It damages gastrointestinal health : coffee is an irritating drink and excessive consumption can cause ulcers and damage both the intestine and the stomach, according to the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital (Spain).
• It affects our mood : it makes us more anxious and euphoric.

• Increases the risk of miscarriage : during pregnancy it is better not to drink coffee, since it alters the hormonal levels of the pregnant woman and puts her at a serious risk of suffering a miscarriage. This is assured by this research carried out by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

Although, previously, we talked about how positive coffee is for people who suffer from constipation, its excessive consumption can cause diarrhea, colic, the aforementioned irritable bowel syndrome and dyspepsia. For this reason, it is always better to consume it in moderation.

Coffee and hallucinations

Another consequence of drinking coffee in excess is hallucinations, according to this study carried out by the University of Antioquia (Colombia). These can be visual (seeing things that are not really there), auditory (hearing sounds that do not come from anywhere) or face-to-face (you have the sensation of being accompanied by someone).

Hallucinations usually arise when a huge excess is consumed, but nothing bad has to happen with moderate doses.

Moderate coffee consumption can have benefits. But, we must be careful not to overdo it. In addition, in the case of having an ulcer in the stomach or being pregnant, we have to refrain from consuming this drink. In these situations, and many others, it can do us harm rather than good.