Coffee, Coffee, Blood Pressure Rises Even More!
That恰到好处的 bitterness, with its rich and mellow aroma, captivates the senses. This is the charm of coffee. Whether you're tired from walking and looking for a place to sit, a good spot to chat with friends, or a way to boost your energy in the office, it's easy to be drawn to coffee. But how should you drink coffee to be healthy? And who should avoid drinking it?
Getting Up Close and Personal with Coffee
Caffeine, due to its stimulating effect on the central nervous system and muscles, can boost spirits, enhance thinking ability, and relieve muscle fatigue. On the cardiovascular system, it can improve heart function, dilate blood vessels, and promote blood circulation. For the digestive system, it can aid digestion and help break down fats.
Aids in Weight Loss
Many people have heard that drinking black coffee can help with weight loss. This is indeed one of the factors. Caffeine can accelerate fat breakdown, but it also requires muscle movement to convert excess fatty acids into energy to be burned. Without accompanying exercise, these excess fatty acids travel back into the bloodstream and get re-deposited as fat. So, you need to be active after drinking coffee to truly achieve its weight loss effects! Coffee itself has calories, but not many. The main calories come from the creamer and sugar you add.
Antioxidant Capacity
In recent years, foods with antioxidant properties have been all the rage. Well-known vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins A, C, and B, as well as tea, which is very popular in Japan, are considered healthy because they are rich in antioxidants that can combat the damage caused by free radicals. A recent study reported that coffee contains 4 times more antioxidants than tea and is better at fighting cardiovascular disease. Coffee itself also fits the profile of an antioxidant: it's dark-colored and bitter. The amount of antioxidants in a cup of coffee also varies depending on the brewing method; for example, American coffee has the least, while espresso has the most. Adding creamer to coffee does not affect its antioxidant properties.
Relieves Dry Eyes
A foreign report indicates that coffee drinkers have a significantly lower chance of developing dry eye syndrome than non-drinkers. This is mainly related to the purine components in coffee (eye drops containing purines can stimulate glands to secrete fluid, offering some protection for the eyes). For coffee-loving office workers, this is good news. However, it's important to note that coffee has a diuretic effect. Even though some components are protective, people with dry eye syndrome or those taking any medication with diuretic ingredients must avoid caffeinated beverages to prevent increased fluid loss.
Can Relieve Pain
Headaches from a poor night's sleep or pain from blood vessel constriction on the sides of the temples—these non-organic pains can be relieved by coffee, but it must be consumed in the morning or at noon (Note: Avoid from afternoon to night).
The Amount of Coffee
While coffee has health benefits, it shouldn't be consumed in excess. No more than 2 cups a day is advisable. For people who are prone to nervousness and anxiety, too much can be harmful.
When to Drink Coffee
It's best to drink coffee after breakfast and lunch. This can promote gastrointestinal motility, aid digestion, and break down high-calorie, high-fat foods. It also avoids the irritation to the stomach that comes from drinking coffee on an empty stomach. It's best not to drink coffee after dinner, as it might affect sleep. If you try to stay up all night by drinking coffee, you might unknowingly overconsume, which is bad for your health.
Adding Fuel to the Fire When Stressed
Caffeine helps improve alertness, agility, memory, and concentration. However, consuming more than you're used to can produce effects similar to taking a stimulant, leading to nervousness. For people prone to anxiety disorders, caffeine can worsen symptoms like sweaty palms, heart palpitations, and tinnitus.
Worsening High Blood Pressure
Because caffeine has its own analgesic properties, it is often combined with other simple pain relievers in compound formulas. However, if you have high blood pressure and consume large amounts of caffeine over the long term, it will only make your condition worse. Caffeine alone can raise blood pressure, and when combined with emotional stress, it can create a dangerous multiplicative effect. Therefore, people at risk for high blood pressure should especially avoid caffeinated drinks during times of high work stress. Some people who drink coffee regularly may think they are immune to its effects, but this is not the case. A study showed that after drinking one cup of coffee, blood pressure can remain elevated for up to 12 hours.
Inducing Osteoporosis
Caffeine has a strong diuretic effect. If you drink large amounts of coffee over a long period, it can easily lead to bone loss and have an adverse effect on bone density preservation. For women, this may increase the risk of osteoporosis. However, this is only a risk if your diet is already lacking in sufficient calcium, or if you are not very active. It also applies to post-menopausal women, who experience calcium loss due to decreased estrogen. Only when these conditions are combined with large amounts of caffeine does it pose a threat to the bones. If you can enjoy it in reasonable amounts, you don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
These People Should Be Cautious When Drinking Coffee
Patients with Liver Disease
Caffeine can prolong the time it takes for the body to metabolize it. Normally, it takes a healthy adult 2 hours to metabolize caffeine, but for patients with liver disease or impaired liver function, it may take 4-5 hours. Therefore, liver disease patients must be careful when drinking coffee. It's best not to drink it after evening to avoid affecting sleep due to the long metabolism time, and no more than 1 cup a day is recommended.
Patients with Digestive System Diseases
People who often suffer from stomachaches and other stomach problems all know that doctors always advise against eating irritating foods, including: alcohol, chili, coffee, tea, and carbonated drinks. Coffee is on this list because its tannins stimulate gastric acid secretion. Patients with acute digestive diseases must avoid it. After recovering, if you occasionally drink coffee, it's best to do so after a meal and avoid drinking it on an empty stomach.
Pregnant Women
Many women become very particular about everything they eat after becoming pregnant, and caffeinated drinks are naturally on the list of things to avoid. This is mainly because pregnant women metabolize caffeine more slowly, so it stays in the body longer. The fetus in the womb doesn't develop the ability to clear caffeine from the blood through metabolism until it is eight or nine months old.
Children
Because children's livers and kidneys are not fully developed, their detoxification ability is poor, which extends the half-life of caffeine metabolism. Therefore, children under 12 should be prohibited from consuming caffeine. Even in Western countries where people might drink coffee like water, there are very strict restrictions on children drinking coffee.