Coffee is the most consumed drink in the world after water. He drinks 2.3 million cups per minute! In addition to its taste and conviviality, coffee is renowned for its health benefits. It has been the subject of countless scientific studies. Here is what we can learn from it.
Thanks in particular to the caffeine, coffee has powerful health effects. Its benefits are numerous, but so are its side effects. To benefit from its virtues, it is therefore necessary to drink it daily, but in moderation. L’European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) recommends not to exceed 400 mg per day (an espresso counting between 70 and 100 mg).
Coffee as a stimulant
Coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant of the central nervous system : it blocks in particular adenosine, a neurotransmitter which reduces nervous and brain activity, and increases the production ofadrenaline. Caffeine increases the level ofenergy, attention, concentration, vigilance and helps fight against fatigue, drowsiness and falling asleep. Some studies have shown that moderate coffee consumption improves cognitive functions and memory.
Coffee against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Several observational studies suggest that coffee reduces cognitive decline associated with aging, as well as the risk of dementia. Caffeine would thus have a protective effect against diseases ofAlzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. These effects would be due to antioxidants coffee that would fight against oxidative stress, one of the mechanisms involved in the disease.
Coffee as protection against disease
A meta-study covering 200 studies published in 2018 in the journal BMJ shows that coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of cirrhosis, to several cancers (prostate, endometrium, skin and liver), from diabetes type 2, heart disease, of gallstones and some drop. The maximum beneficial effects are observed for a consumption of three cups per day.
Coffee as an anti-inflammatory
Stanford University Study Shows Caffeine Acts As anti-inflammatory in the pathologies related to aging. Coffee reduces the production of a protein inflammatory called IL-1-beta, responsible in particular for hypertension and less flexibility of arteries. Coffee would thus prevent cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases such as dementia or certain cancers.
Coffee against depression
In moderate doses (four cups a day), coffee would reduce anxiety and the risk of depression in women according to a study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine in 2011. A other study of 2000 found that people who drink more than eight cups of coffee per day have a 58% lower risk of suicide. These are again observational studies.
Coffee against erectile dysfunction
Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day would reduce erectile dysfunction according to a study published in Plos One in 2015. The authors suggest that caffeine induces relaxation of the arteries of the penis and muscle cells from cavernous body, which could facilitate the erection. This effect is also seen in obese and hypertensive men, but not in men. diabetics.
What are the harmful effects of coffee?
AT too high dose, coffee has many side effects, such as insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, tachycardia, stomach irritation, diarrhea. Like any psychoactive substance, coffee is addictive physical. The symptoms withdrawal usually appear after one or two days of abstinence and result in headache, nausea and drowsiness.
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