Like every other thing in life, coffee has its pros and cons. I spent some time investigating about the different arguments that exist and now I’ll show them to you. As much as I love coffee I’ll try to present both sides, so you can decide for yourselves. :)
Let’s start with the negative problems that some claim coffee might cause:
1. It is already known that caffeine is an addictive substance, and this may cause some problems such as anxiety and sleep disorders.
2. Something I’ve also heard is that too much coffee might be bad for your teeth; this is because it can turn them yellowish, stain them, and/or create cavities.
3. If you suffer from gastritis or similar stomach issues, coffee –especially when drank unaccompanied by food– might also cause pain because of the stomach acids created. (Been there, done that… it’s not nice).
4. Now, according to what I investigated, caffeine might cause modest cardiovascular effects (for instance, increase heart rate and blood pressure).
5. Also, some say it might have negative effects on women, such as breast cancer and osteoporosis. But this isn’t confirm, some others deny it.
6. Finally, it is said to raise cholesterol levels. Usually, paper filters help, since they capture the two substances that produce this. However, the rest of the people who drink non filtered coffee might be in risk.
(health.harvard.edu)
On the other side, here are the good qualities coffee possesses, [ besides keeping you awake when you need it the most (meaning at night while doing all the work you should’ve done during the day, or in the mornings when you regret not going to bed early the day before ;P) ].
1. It is said to prevent diabetes since coffee might contain some substances that lower blood sugar levels.
2. Contrary to causing cancer, as believed, it might actually help preventing it. (Especially liver cancer.)
3. Also important, they claim enzymes found in coffee actually helps protect men against Parkinson’s disease.
(health.harvard.edu)
4. Coffee has antidepressant effects, which results (according to statistics) in less people committing suicide or turning to alcoholism.
5. It is proven that exercise combined with water and caffeine can reduce the damages in skin done by the UV rays from the sun.
(vidasana, 32)
So, this is basically it. For me, coffee isn’t a harmful or unhealthy drink, if drank properly. I think coffee is useful and its effects may be really beneficent, but it needs to be taken with moderation. Ultimately, anything in excess is bad for your health. So, you decide. Pros are better than cons? Are they tied up? Is there really a way to judge coffee and its effects on people? I guess it depends on how people respond to it, it can’t be generalized that coffee is bad for everyone, or really good for everyone. It’s up to us to know how take care of our own body and health.
Works cited:
Harvard Health. "Coffee Health Benefits : Coffee may protect against disease." Health Information and Medical Information - Harvard Health Publications. Feb 2006. Web. 1 Sept. 2011.<http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_health_benefits> .
Harvard Health. "Coffee Health Risks - Harvard Health Publications." Health Information and Medical Information - Harvard Health Publications. 8 Aug. 2004. Web. 1 Sept. 2011<http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_health_risk>.
VidaSana. "¿Nos tomamos un café?." VidaSana Apr. 1: 28+. Print. (Magazine)
Hey Angie!!! Nice blog dedicated to coffee ;) Like you, i think driking coffee may saved us when we have a lot of homeworkd. Believed me, i've been there and coffee is my savior. I think IB students should appreciate this invention :P. Anyways, i didnt know about the advantages and disadvantages that driking coffe may bring. I hope some of this disadvantages are just made up by people because they are a a little bit dangerous and i like starbucks a lot. In counterpart, i hope the benefits are true because that way i will never be depressed, get any cancer and no damage in my skin :). Thanks for the information angie i really liked your blog. I hope that you talk about starbucks and its specialties :3. By the way, i thought that the figures that appear in the coffee were fiction! but know that i see your pictures in your last post, i understand its an art! It seems cool, but at the same time weird because art with coffee? Strange but awesome. Also i wanted to ask you, if there is a way that you could make a post of the differences that decaf has with normal coffe? The thing is that i know its "supposed" to be without caffeine, but for me they both taste the same. Hope you liked my idea of the compare and contrast on this two types of coffee :). But at the same time, i asked my self, is there another type of coffee? I would like to know because of the variety coffee has like in Starbucks. They all taste delicious! Except for teas, i dont like them :/. Oh well thank you for doing this blog, i would try to comment every know and then because i really liked your blog.
ReplyDeleteAtte. Fredy "starbucks lover"
Angela! It's nice to see that coffee does have some advantages, from the comments my mother usually makes I had always thought coffee was a bad thing that should only be drunk when you are about to pull an all nighter to study for a test. But then again my mother is extremely biased since she has been having trouble with cardiovascular diseases since she was very young, and as you mentioned, in these situations coffee might just complicate things. It is also very true that excess is almost always the problem and not the actual food or drink being ingested. I think its very interesting to think about both coffee as a drug and about the psychological effects of this drink. What if it is extremely addictive? And what about the different types of coffee? I believe that scientists might also have trouble studying the effects of coffee since its effects on a human body vary a lot from one person to another. I've only drank coffee about once or twice, and although I've had a couple of friends telling me that they cannot live without it and that it really gives their energy levels a boost coffee just makes me feel sleepy, and I believe it tasted really weird. Though, I'll admit I like the way it smells. Then again, I would like to think that Starbucks coffee is actually natural coffee but, how does commercial coffee differ from organic coffee? I think this is a really interesting topic, just imagine how many people are going to buy a cup of coffee tomorrow morning!
ReplyDeleteHey Fredy! Thanks for the comment :) I'll keep in mind your suggestions, I think those are great topics, so I'll investigate more about them :)
ReplyDelete(and btw, I'm a Starbucks lover, too :P )
I think I'll check out your blog as well. Ttyl.
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ReplyDeleteMarce! I'll consider that idea of comparing Starbucks or commercial coffee to organic coffee! It would be pretty interesting. :)
ReplyDelete