Five myths about coffee
Centuries of coffee drinking have produced plenty of myths. Is coffee addictive, does it make you gain weight, and is it always bad for your health? Is caffeine found only in coffee, and should pregnant people avoid it entirely? Let us examine five familiar claims.
Claim one: coffee is addictive
A coffee habit is not the same thing as every form of substance addiction, but caffeine can cause dependence and withdrawal symptoms. Regular drinkers may develop tolerance, and suddenly stopping can bring headaches, sleepiness and reduced alertness for a few days.
Many people enjoy coffee without continually increasing the amount. If you want to reduce your intake, doing so gradually can be more comfortable than stopping abruptly.
Claim two: caffeine is found only in coffee
Not true. Caffeine is a stimulant found in several plants. The caffeine in tea is sometimes called theine, but it is the same molecule.
Guarana, tea leaves, yerba mate and coffee all contain it. The original guide compares approximate concentrations in the raw plant materials — around 5% in guarana, 3–5% in some tea leaves, around 3% in mate and 0.6–2.8% in coffee. These broad figures do not tell you how much caffeine is in a prepared serving, which depends on quantity and brewing.
Cocoa and chocolate can also contribute smaller amounts.
Claim three: coffee is completely forbidden during pregnancy
Not necessarily, but pregnancy calls for a lower caffeine limit and individual advice. A commonly used guideline is no more than 200 mg daily from all sources; follow your clinician's recommendations.
Counting “one weak cup” is unreliable because cups differ in size and strength. Questions about caffeine and fertility also deserve a careful view: avoid assuming that unlimited intake is harmless or that coffee alone determines the chance of conception.
Claim four: coffee is always bad for your health
Amount and individual circumstances matter. Moderate coffee consumption can fit into a healthy diet, while too much caffeine may cause unpleasant effects. One person's comfortable intake may be another person's excess.
Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, may temporarily affect blood pressure and can have a mild diuretic effect. Coffee also contains antioxidant compounds studied for their relationship with health. That does not make it a guarantee against disease or cancer.
Claim five: coffee makes you gain weight
Plain black coffee contains very few calories — around 5 kcal for a 250 ml serving is the estimate used in this guide, with variation between brews.
Additions change the picture. Milk, sugar, whipped cream, chocolate and flavoured syrups can contribute substantial energy. If you are managing your weight, consider the whole drink rather than blaming the coffee itself.
Photo by Enric Juvé via Flickr, under a Creative Commons licence.