More than three-quarters of Australians drink coffee. This is not surprising considering coffee is the second most popular beverage worldwide (water taking out first place). Experts are now predicting we will be soon saying farewell to the pint at the pub, and hello to coffee as the new social drink of choice. It is a more versatile beverage with so many ways to enjoy it – latte, flat white, long black, cappuccino, iced, with or without sugar, with or without flavours – whether you are at home or out and about.
COFFEE CULTURE
Coffee has been harvested and brewed since the mid 15th century. However, it did not start gaining popularity until the early 18th century during wartime, in which coffee was cheap to obtain and didn’t spoil easily. Since then, popularity has only continued to climb, in part due to advancements in technology and a growing science of perfecting every cup of coffee.
Did you know that before you even have your first sip, your coffee has undergone a massive process?
Coffee beans are milled from cherries harvested from Coffea plants. Once milled, they are exported, tested, and roasted. These roasted beans are then ground and brewed into your favourite drink.
But coffee is more than a drink. Coffee is an intricate mix of more than a thousand chemicals. Each cup of coffee you drink is slightly different in chemical makeup because what defines a cup is a combination of the type of bean used, how it is roasted, the amount of grind, and how it was made.
Bean Type
The two most common beans are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica produces a mild tasting coffee, while Robusta is more bitter with a nutty aftertaste.
Roast
Coffee beans start out green and are then roasted from light to dark. The lighter the roast, the lighter the roast flavour and higher the acidity. Darker roasts produce a black bean with little acidity and bitter roast flavour.
Grind
The coarseness of the grind – fine to coarse – decides how the coffee is brewed from a French press to espresso maker, stovetop to drip machine.
Caffeination
For those that prefer caffeine-free, decaffeinated is available. Unfortunately, the process removing caffeine causes a loss of flavour and scent.
While each coffee will taste different, the health benefits have been found to be the same.
HEALTH BENEFITS
The first thing that comes to mind when someone says “health” and “coffee” in the same sentence is caffeine.
Human response to caffeine can vary substantially.
Low to moderate doses of caffeine (50-300mg) may cause increased alertness, energy, and ability to concentrate, while higher doses may have negative effects such as restlessness, insomnia, and increased heart rate.
However, while research has continued to debate the benefits and consequences of drinking caffeine, it is not the caffeine itself which provides the health benefits seen when drinking coffee. Instead, it is the complex chemical makeup of coffee, which includes minerals, polyphenols, proteins, and oils.
While the research is ongoing, coffee has been found beneficial for the following health conditions:
Type 2 Diabetes
Although ingestion can cause increases in blood sugar in the short-term, long-term studies have shown that habitual coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with non-drinkers. The polyphenols and minerals (such as magnesium) may improve the effectiveness of insulin and glucose metabolism in the body.
Cardiovascular Disease
Although caffeine has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system and can cause short term increases in bad (LDL) cholesterol, evidence suggests that drinking coffee regularly may lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. This is because the compounds found in coffee decrease the risk of blood clotting, decrease the oxidative stress, and decrease inflammation.
Cancer
Recent studies have found that coffee drinking reduces the risk of several cancers including liver, breast, head and neck, and colorectal cancer. However, the exact reason for this is still not well understood.
Depression
Polyphenols occur in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and act as antioxidants to reduce cell damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammation. This behaviour is believed to have neurological benefits in some people, acting as an antidepressant. Other studies have found that moderate caffeine intake is linked to lower depression and suicide risk.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Although the evidence is still limited due variation in study type (and thus outcomes), the results of three literature reviews suggest that coffee has a protective effect against late-life dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Mortality
Two large cohort studies have found that coffee drinkers had a lower risk of early death compared to non-coffee drinkers. The protective effect was present regardless of the type of coffee consumed (instant, regular, drip, caffeinated or decaffeinated).
HOW MANY BREWS SHOULD YOU DO?
Coffee lovers rejoice! The science is in your favour.
The overall conclusion is that moderate intake of three-to-five cups of coffee per day is the sweet spot for reducing disease risk.
However, not everyone should aim for this amount.
For instance, women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should limit their intake of coffee, due to the effect caffeine has on unborn babies. Limiting caffeine intake to 200mg per day – the equivalent of two cups of coffee – seems to be the safest way to go.
Similarly, women who have had a previous fracture are encouraged to limit their intake. Research has found that with each additional cup of coffee consumed daily, the risk of another fracture increases by 4.9%.
And those who are sensitive to caffeine or are not fans of coffee, should not drink an amount of coffee that makes them uncomfortable. Instead, drinking an amount that works for them; be it one cup or none.
One of the most important things for coffee drinkers to consider is: how do I drink my coffee? As although it isn’t discussed in this article, how you drink your coffee is just as important to your overall health outcomes as drinking it in the first place.
Not sure how your coffee order stacks up? We are here to help!
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