Many of us love the rich aroma of a freshly poured cup of coffee, even non-coffee drinkers do. For many, a cup of coffee is the ideal morning companion, be it at home or on getting to work. Most people become acquainted with the brown bean from the higher institution where it’s is a vital tool against sleep, especially during the exams. For some, it’s their go to drug at the office to boost the concentration needed to combat the ever piling workload or to avoid becoming a dozing meme on social media during a not so captivating meeting.
I have been on and off the coffee train myself and have cycled through the popular types in my neck of the woods. Not too long ago I even ventured into non-instant coffee and toyed with the idea of brewing my daily cup. Daily because two cups of the dark caffeine drink seems to put my nervous system on the fringes of overdrive, so I dare not take more than one. That said I have friends who are coffee addicts – by their flasks you shall know them. The typical coffee die hard is a black coffee, no sugar no cream tanker. They don’t do cups, they do thermos flasks. They are like the caffeine drug dealers at work. You need a coffee boost at work, you go to them for a fix.
But recently I have had cause to reconsider my affinity to coffee. The need to do a little examination into the effects – benefits and adverse effects alike, was prompted when someone remarked that my resting hands had a slight shake to them. Now this was a tremor I was unaware of but was evident to someone else. At the same time I started wondering if the mild headaches (absent before my morning cup) could be my body asking me to slow down or quit. Where’s the sphyg? So ruling out an elevation beyond the 140/90 millimeters of mercury, I proceeded to carry out my probe.
Coffee is said to date back to the 11
th century. It was discovered by a goat herder in the plateaus of Ethiopia who noticed that his goats became over energetic after eating the berries of a plant. So energetic that the goats didn’t want to sleep at night. 8 centuries later it had eventually spread globally to become one of the most important commodities in the world. Today over 80% of adults in the United States drink coffee. I wonder how many of us drinkers exist in Nigeria? hmmm.
There’s said to be over 15 types of coffee drinks today, from the good old plain cup to the exotic like the cappuccino with its frothed milk topping. The main ingredient or culprit in coffee is caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant or for ease of understanding, a psychostimulant, one of the legal ones. It’s what gives you the kick. And guess what, it’s also found in soda, our other C,
Coke Cola.
The good news. Research has shown that beyond being able to pull all-nighters after a cup or two, coffee intake has several benefits experienced by both caffeinated and decaf overs alike. A large study of over a decade long period revealed that, coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections. Coffee is protective against cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. So is it all good news? No. Caffeine in coffee is addictive and many a cupper can become dependent on it and find it difficult to quit or even reduce intake. Withdrawal symptoms do occur and include pounding headaches (I’m a witness), mental fuzziness and fatigue for a couple of days until the body adjusts. Excessive intake can mess with your sleep cycle taking one from restless sleep to outright insomnia. It can also affect your ability to control sugar levels in the type 2 diabetic, raise the BP a bit and cause heart burn.
So there you have it, there’s the good and the bad and I guess you can see some ugly in there as well. But I would say the key approach to coffee as is for most things is moderation. Know thyself and establish your limits. Heed your body when it gives you symptoms that it’s had enough.
I’ve tried to quit myself after some of the bad but oh that aroma, so I think I’ll make the switch to the decaf blend, cos me still love my cup of morning joe.
Next time we’ll look at another C- the almighty Coke Cola.
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This article was first published on 11th July 2017
amuta
Uncle as he's popularly known, is a public health physician living in the coal city state of Nigeria.
He's a Lion and a Mattie with degrees from the university of Nigeria Nsukka and Stellenbosch University.
Passionate about getting fit in the prime of life, he got serious about his own journey and tells his story of ups and downs to motivate others.
You can get that hook up at unclescorner.wordpress.com
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