Article on Coffee

COFFEE: Healthy or Unhealthy?

                Maybe there is a cup of coffee on your desk right now but is that coffee healthy or unhealthy? The odds lean towards the latter, but if certain parameters are met, coffee can actually provide health benefits. This article will tell you the medicinal and helpful uses of coffee to our health.

Coffee is also known as Coffea Arabica. It is a brewed beverage with a dark, slightly acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. It is also a dark-brown, aromatic drink made by brewing in water the roasted and ground beanlike seeds of a tall tropical shrub (genus Coffea) of the madder family. It is native to the East African tropics but is now cultivated in tropical areas worldwide.

Coffee was discovered around 1000 AD when a flock of goats were observed jumping in excited fashion when they grazed on coffee berries (each of which contains two coffee seeds or beans). The goatherd, an Arab referred to by some as Khalid and others as Kaldi, decided to eat some of the fruit himself and he immediately felt more alert. As for how it came to be commonly roasted, according to one account some beans were accidentally burned but found to be better tasting that way. However it is also known that the beans were roasted to prevent germination as coffee was a trade secret, so that may have been the real reason they are now commonly sold in roasted form.

The fermented, sun-dried and roasted seeds of the coffee plant are commonly known as coffee beans. Coffee beans contain between .06% and .32% caffeine, a powerful stimulant, along with theophylline, a mild stimulant and muscle relaxer. One of the few bitter foods remaining in the Western diet, coffee enhances perception and increases physical performance by stimulating the nervous system, increasing heart output and improving the flow of digestive juices. Also, as powerful diuretic, coffee is used to treat acute diarrhea and headaches, and it is also used for detoxification and cleansing.

Previous studies have also indicated that drinking coffee lowers the risk of diabetes. In one study researchers looked at more than 28,000 post-menopausal women over a period of eleven years. Women who drank more than six cups a day were 22 percent less likely to develop diabetes compared to women who drank no coffee. The researchers found that the more coffee a person drank, the more beneficial effects it had in reducing diabetes.

Some would say that coffee improves concentration and alertness, boosts mood, and decreases suicide risk. In fact, just the smell of coffee relieves stress in animals. This popular drink also controls asthma and can even halt a full-blown attack in its tracks. Additionally, coffee can stop migraine headaches, curb appetite, prevent tooth decay, and increase the effectiveness of aspirin and other analgesics (Anacin and Excedrin both contain caffeine).

In conclusion to this, coffee, which is the favorite beverage for breakfast can be harmful and healthful at the same time depending on the how many cups of this a person intakes. It is always important to remember that any excess of even the healthiest coffee is bad for our health.