Is a beverage made from coffee beans healthy?

For many people, a cup of so-called "little black" is even a ritual. Often there is also an afternoon latte or cappuccino for afternoon tea. However, some people have doubts about how frequent coffee drinking affects our health. Well, there is a lot of talk about the fact that coffee can negatively affect blood pressure, and also that it leaches magnesium from our body. However, how is it really?

Coffee and its origins

Coffee is a beverage that is prepared from roasted and then ground coffee beans. In Europe, coffee beans appeared in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and was brought by the British and Dutch from the East Indies. It became popular a little later, as at first it was considered very unpalatable and harmful. As it was a very expensive commodity, only representatives of the elite could afford it. Only its mass production made it appear in almost all homes. Currently, coffee is grown especially in Vietnam, South America, Africa, as well as in Indonesia, and as much as 70% of the crop is a variety called Arabica, which is considered at least the best coffee bean for espresso machines.

Coffee and its nutritional value

It can be argued that coffee is the most widely consumed hot beverage, and the most popular, generally available stimulant. An estimated 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide each year. It earned special attention not only for its taste, but also for its high caffeine content. Because of this, it has a stimulating and invigorating effect on our nervous system, thus improving performance, concentration, and our overall mood. Coffee also contains polyphenols, which have strong antioxidant properties, as well as caffeic acid, ferulic acid and chlorogernic acid. It is worth knowing that as the degree of coffee roasting increases, the content of these compounds will be lower. The pleasant smell of coffee beans comes from the volatile compounds they contain, and this m.in. pyrazines, pyrroles, sulfur and phenolic compounds, furans, or pyrazines.  A cup of coffee will certainly not harm people who care about their lines, as it is calorie-free. Moreover, there are small amounts of magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium in it.

Coffee and its health properties

Despite the fact that coffee is very often considered a harmful stimulant and in the same line with cigarettes and alcohol, it can actually have a very beneficial effect on our health.

Weight loss and metabolism

Caffeine, contained in good coffee beans, has a very positive effect on fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Changes the insulin sensitivity of tissues, while increasing glucose and insulin concentrations. Caffeine also makes us speed up our metabolism, and, as a result, fats are broken down much faster, which, of course, will promote the process of weight loss. In fact, very often we meet with slimming preparations, in the case of which, coffee is one of the ingredients. Regularly drinking good coffee also reduces the risk of developing diabetes, as well as liver cirrhosis.

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

Coffee's good effects on our nervous system are due to theobromine and theophylline, which improve concentration, reduce fatigue and feelings of drowsiness. Studies prove that there is some correlation, between systematic coffee drinking and delaying the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Moreover, it is also considered that drinking coffee also protects against these diseases, while this is not scientifically confirmed.