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Coffee and Health
As well as being a popular drink purely for the flavour, coffee has been used as a medical compound for many years as it contains several compounds that are known to change human body chemistry. These chemicals are toxic in large doses and could have been an evolutionary development to protect the plant from being eaten. It is well known as a stimulant and is often used in the morning and working hours in order to keep energy levels high. There has been a discovery that even when you remove the caffeine there are other chemicals present that raise cortisone and adrenaline levels which are both also stimulants. As yet it is not known what causes this to happen.
There are many benefits to reasonable doses of coffee. These include reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. reduced risk of gallstones, reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease, improved cognitive performance, enhancement of analgesic effects, antidiabetic, anticancer, cardioprotective, laxative and diuretic properties, it is an antioxidant, protective against dental diseases and can help with gout prevention.
There also however are some risks that are associated with coffee consumption. These include anxiety, sleep disturbance, constipation, staining of teeth, can raise LDL levels in blood thus increasing cholesterol and increased blood pressure, increases PMS symptoms and worryingly it has been suggested that it can increase the risk of coronary artery disease. It has also been shown to pose significant risk to pregnant women as it can substantially increase the risk of stillbirth if excessive amounts are consumed during the pregnancy.