8 Common Coffee Myths and the Truths Behind Them
It may be hard to enjoy your cup of coffee if there are so many scary myths surrounding itself. And what it can possibly do to our body. In fact, there are ton of tales that are passed around. That leave a negative impact on how you can possibly consume coffee. Next to alcohol, this makes coffee one of the most misunderstood drinks in the world. Now, it is time to debunk these well-trodden myths.
Your afternoon cup will give you insomnia.
As a stimulant, caffeine is expected to reduce sleep. However, if you consume your coffee after lunch, then it is processed by your liver really quickly. Your body then flushes out around 75% of this coffee within the next four or seven hours.
Thus, it would be unreasonable for you to get scared after you have your second or third cup of coffee in the early afternoon. That second or third cup should not bother you at all. Unless, it is pooping in the office that scares you.
Coffee dehydrates you.
This is one of the biggest coffee myths you may have heard. British researchers once found out that in a study of 50 men. T-myth0-ythsyhe body fluid levels were the same regardless of whether these men drank coffee or water. It is always OK to have coffee as a part of your daily fluid intake. In fact, doctors say that watching out for signs of dehydration should be the rule instead of entirely eliminating coffee from your diet. In fact, studies have found out that caffeine boosts your brain power and your antioxidant levels.
Thus, why is there a myth? Caffeine is considered a natural diuretic although the amount of urine that you expel is not that significant compared to what medical experts used to believe. Still, since an excess of caffeine can make you jittery, then you should understand that the best form of hydration must be water. The advice is still to drink plain water for your fluid intake, but you may always opt for coffee in the morning.
Coffee will help you lose weight.
As a stimulant, caffeine is often found in some weight-loss pills. This stimulating effect in coffee also results in a short-term increase in your metabolic rate. Nonetheless, there has been no scientific proof that coffee can help you lose weight.
One reason could be that when people drink coffee, they do so with creams and sugars that are densely packed with calories. Therefore, a good suggestion is to use skim milk and to see to it that you are taking in more coffee than milk. Thus, you may avoid lattes and limit your sugar. That should actually make your coffee habit healthier, and it may help you lose weight in the long run.
Caffeine is highly addictive.
Although there is a bit of truth to this claim, it is definitely not as bad as you think. While it is true that caffeine stimulates your central nervous system and can make you slightly dependent on it, quitting it would be easy. In fact, the withdrawal effects would only last for a day or two. In fact, this is a far cry from the withdrawal effects of heroin and even cigarettes. Definitely, coffee is not considered a gateway drug.
Coffee causes cancer.
Some uninformed cancer patients would advise others to cut out coffee because they have been advised the same thing by equally uninformed doctors. However, coffee is on the American Institute for Cancer Research’s list of anti-cancer or cancer-fighting foods. This is because of the high antioxidant content of coffee.
Antioxidants protect your cells, especially your DNA, from damage. This is important in order to keep these cells healthy. Antioxidants also repair cells damaged by secondhand smoke or accidentally inhaled chemicals and pollutants in the air. Antioxidants have decreased the risk of cancers of the breast and prostate. It has also reduced the incidence of melanoma skin cancers.
Coffee is bad for the heart.
For some coffee drinkers, coffee causes a temporary rise in blood pressure but this does not last long, and it is not considered harmful in the long run. In fact, coffee is one of the best foods that can prevent clogged arteries. Coffee drinkers have the capacity to build up a certain tolerance to the caffeine.
However, people with high blood pressure must consult with their doctors or must pay attention to how their body reacts to a cup of coffee. If you find your heart rate getting faster or if you notice palpitations, these are signs that you may be drinking too much coffee. This is especially true if you do not have high blood pressure yet you still experience the palpitations.
Coffee increases bad cholesterol levels.
One way that your cup of coffee can affect your body is when it alters your cholesterol levels. Cafestol found in coffee can potentially stimulate levels of your bad cholesterol. The good thing is that this compound is found only in the oily portion of the coffee. If you filter your coffee with a paper filter or a French Press, then you can get rid of cafestol. You should not use mesh filters because they cannot eliminate cafestol. Nonetheless, this is only a reminder for those with elevated LDL cholesterol levels.
Coffee cures a hangover.
If you are groggy after a night of fun and alcohol, and if you don’t feel very active the next day, coffee might do the trick. However, this is not always the case because the best cure for a hangover is still high-quality sleep. Coffee helps in the stimulation of the central nervous system so that it can improve your focus. The problem is that there is no way coffee can flush out the alcohol out of your system. Thus, your end-of-the-night coffee will never help you sober up.
Not all coffees are the same because not all have been brewed the same. This means that some have more caffeine than the others like McDonald’s with a mere 9 milligrams while Starbucks has a massive 20 milligrams. The fact that not all coffee is created equal may explain why these beliefs are just myths. So, the next time someone tells you something about coffee, he may just be telling you about his own coffee and not coffee in general. Please keep that in mind.
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