Advantages and Disadvantages of Coffee

Coffee is a drink prepared from coffee beans. It was black, dark brown, light brown, or beige in color. The flavor of Coffee is somewhat distinctive, mainly bitter. It was slightly acidic. The presence of Caffeine has a stimulating effect on humans. Currently, Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and it may be served hot, cold, or ice cold. The region where Coffee originated in Africa and South Arabia. Around the 15th century, people first used Coffee mainly due to its caffeine content.

• The seeds from which Coffee is produced are coffee beans; firstly, the beans are roasted, and then Coffee has converted into fine particles. And these fine particles are mixed with the hot water and produce a cup of Coffee after filtering. Coffee is usually served hot, but chilled or iced Coffee is also popular worldwide. Coffee can be prepared and served in different ways; for instance, it may serve as espresso, French press, caffè latte, etc. Along with Coffee, it substitutes sugar, milk, and cream to increase its taste. And These substitutes are used to lessen the naturally bitter taste of Coffee and enhance the flavor.
• At present, Coffee is used all around the world, and it is now a global commodity. But it has a long history closely related to the eating habits of the people of the Red Sea. The earliest evidence of using Coffee as a drink was discovered in the Sufi Shrines of Yemen in the mid-15th century. Sufi Shrines are the places where the coffee seeds are first roasted and brewed.
• The Yemenis were the first to procure coffee beans from Ethiopia's highlands with Somali intermediaries. Later, Yemenis in itself started the cultivation of Coffee. And by the beginning of the 16th century, Coffee as a drink began popular in the rest of the world, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, and after sometimes due to trade, it became popular in Europe too. And with the advent of the 20th century, Coffee became a global commodity, and the use of Coffee as a drink created different coffee cultures worldwide.
• Coffee beans are of different types, but the two most commonly grown coffee beans are C. arabica and C. robusta. For the cultivation of Coffee, climate and other factors play a major role; for instance, coffee cultivation requires a temperature between 15°C to 28°C. At present, coffee cultivation takes place in around 70 countries. The coffee plantation's favorable conditions are mainly found in the equatorial regions of the Americas, South East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Africa.
• Brazil is the leading coffee producer, producing 35%-40% of the world's Coffee. Green, unroasted Coffee is regarded as the world's most traded agricultural commodity and is second in place in the most traded commodities after petroleum.
• Despite being one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world, it has several criticisms too- first, critics pointed out that Coffee has billions of trades around the world, and the farmers who produce Coffee are in poverty. They get few shares in the profits of coffee trading.
• Second, critics also pointed out that being the most traded or profitable agricultural commodity, their production increased due to high demand. And because of high demand, farmers clear more land for coffee cultivation, which creates environmental problems. Excessive cultivation of Coffee affects the productivity of lands too.

Characteristics of the Coffee:

1. Flavor-

The flavor of Coffee is different from the other drinks, and because of that, it has become the most popular drink in the world.

2. Acidity -

Due to its acidic nature, Coffee produces a different taste not found in other drinks and rests on the tongue. Every time a person tastes Coffee, it has the same taste all over the time.

3. Body-

The body is the weight of the Coffee, allowing the Coffee to rest on the tongue and by rubbing the tongue against the roof of the mouth.

The body of Coffee ranges from thin to light to heavy. The body of Coffee is due to the fat content of the Coffee.

4. Aroma-

Aroma is the other characteristic that is different from the other drinks. The coffee aroma is a complex mixture of volatile compounds in the brew. And nearly 800 compounds have been identified which affect the aroma of Coffee.

As Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world, it has several advantages and disadvantages. Let us discuss some advantages and disadvantages of Coffee.

Advantages of Coffee:

As Coffee is the most popular beverage globally, it has been known for centuries. Coffee is used and enjoyed in many different forms throughout the world. Let us discuss some benefits of Coffee that many people don't know about.

1. Increase metabolism:

The most notable advantage of Coffee is that it helps with weight loss. Coffee contains Chlorogenic acid, which automatically increases the body's metabolism and helps reduce weight. Chlorogenic acid is also an antioxidant used to decrease the risk of cancer.

2. Increase energy levels:

Coffee provides instant energy, Caffeine which is present in Coffee, is a stimulant, and this helps to increase the energy level. Besides providing energy, Coffee has antioxidants that help the body fight diseases like heart disease, diabetes, etc. Also, Coffee helps people when they need extra wakefulness.

3. Helps with type 2 diabetes:

Several arguments favor or against whether Coffee may help with type 2 diabetes. But drinking Coffee helps to maintain body weight for sure. In a study, researchers found that people who used to drink Coffee 2,3 times a day have lesser chances of getting infected with type 2 diabetes.

4. Coffee benefits brain health:

Drinking Coffee has several health benefits not only in the physical sense but in the mental sense too. Drinking Coffee reduces the risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and several other mental diseases. Researchers found that it is due to the antioxidant properties that Coffee or due to its ability to increase levels of a neurotransmitter in the human body called dopamine. Unfortunately, drinking lots of Coffee made it addictive too.

5. Beneficial for weight management:

Several studies found that Coffee helps weight loss by decreasing calorie intake and appetite. The study found that the peoples who used to drink more Coffee or at least two or three cups of Coffee have significantly less body fat than those who don't drink Coffee. Additionally, the presence of Caffeine in Coffee also reduces inflammation and pain in the body.

6. Potentially lowers the risk of depression:

A cup of Coffee will give you joy, happiness, a sense of relaxation, etc. Coffee has lots of benefits, but the most notable is related to depression. The researchers conducted a study between the people who consume Coffee and those who don't. And they found that coffee drinkers have lower rates of Anxiety, fatigue, Insomnia, and even depression rates than nondrinkers.

7. May protect liver function:

Another advantage of coffee drinking is that it also protects the liver and kidneys. Drinking Coffee reduces the risk of stone formation in the kidney. Several studies found that drinking Coffee helps reduce the risk of liver diseases, most importantly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), caused by obesity and type 2 diabetes.

8. May be beneficial for heart health:

In Coffee, there is the presence of many compounds that potentially protect heart health. Also, drinking Coffee reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart attack is one of the major diseases in the world and accounts for the most deaths globally. Coffee may play an important role in decreasing the chances of cardiac arrest and other heart diseases.

Apart from these numerous advantages of Coffee, several studies found that people who used to drink Coffee live longer compared to those who don't drink Coffee. Coffee has many health benefits, which help the drinker to be physically fit and mentally active.

Disadvantages of Coffee

1. Coffee can cause Insomnia:

The most discussed disadvantage of Coffee as a drink is Insomnia, which is very common these days. Today's world is full of competition, and to participate in the competition, the competitors have to prepare well. For instance, when we have to prepare for an exam with a massive syllabus to complete the whole syllabus is a very difficult task. And to prepare for the exam, coffee becomes the beverage of choice. And this disadvantage of Coffee is for all the students who used to consume lots of Coffee in an attempt to complete the whole syllabus before the exam.

And the longer you are awake, the more adenosine is produced in your brain. And Caffeine is the main constituent of Coffee and binds to the same receptors as adenosine. And Caffeine blocks the receptors preventing adenosine from binding, and it helps the body from feeling tired. And this leads to Insomnia which leads to several other health problems.

2. Coffee usage can cause Anxiety:

Anxiety includes the constant feeling of worry, agitation, or sometimes feeling tense. If a person drinks lots of Coffee, it can cause Anxiety. After some time, Coffee may not be enjoyable, and it may disturb the sleep patterns of drinkers. And all this leads to Anxiety. And today, anxiety attacks are the most common health problem worldwide.

3. Coffee over usage can cause digestive issues:

For people who have indigestion issues, Coffee enhances their problems of indigestion. People having cordial stomachs and drinking Coffee can cause unpleasant complications like heartburn. Coffee can enhance the release of several acids produced in the human body, and excess release of acid can cause complications. And these complications may be increased or decreased depending on the type of coffee beans used to produce Coffee. Some coffee beans are more acidic than others.

4. Bad for pregnancy:

We all know how the child is nurtured in the Womb of the mother, and nurturing a human for nine months is not easy. The mother of the child must be aware of what she is eating because it may be beneficial or harmful for the child. A cup of Coffee relieves the mother, but when the usage of Coffee is excessive, it may disturb the pregnancy. Excessive consumption of Coffee may increase blood pressure and heart rate, which is not favorable for the child.

5. LDL Cholesterol Levels Increase:

There are two types of cholesterols - HDLs and LDLs. In the last decades, it was observed that cholesterol is majorly due to the usage of oils. Various brands offer an alternative in their marketing strategies as the particular brand is free of cholesterol and other oil-related diseases. But several studies found that it increases the level of LDL in the body. And this leads to blockage of the heart and may enhance other heart complications. And the individual must be alive.

6. Coffee can be addictive:

Excessive usage of Coffee as a drink may be addictive to the drinker. Coffee has certain compounds which may help to release various hormones. And the release of hormones may ignite the drinker to drink more Coffee and become addictive.

7. Restlessness:

Too much usage of anything harms the user; Coffee is attributed to the adrenalin release, which Caffeine triggers. And the presence of too much adrenalin in the body can cause restlessness.

8. Coffee can disturb Blood Pressure:

Another disadvantage of Coffee is that several studies claim it may disturb blood pressure. Coffee can blockage of various hormones responsible for keeping arteries wide and open, which is necessary for the passage of blood seamlessly. It may increase the pressure exerted by blood on the walls of the vessels, increasing blood pressure.

The Conclusion

In this article, we discussed Coffee and its advantages and disadvantages both. Anything consumed in good proportion is very beneficial for health; if used excessively, it may cause serious health problems. So it is advisable to use any drink according to the need of the body. Today, numerous advertisements try to capture the consumers to choose products accordingly, which is beneficial for health.