Is it okay to drink Coffee Everyday?

For most of us, our mornings start with a good cup of coffee. We cannot function without it. We need the morning time to slowly savour our coffee and feel more human with every passing minute. But is it okay to drink coffee every day? Well, we’ll find the answers later but first let me tell you one thing about myself - If I do not get my coffee, or if it is not made like how I want it, that alone is enough for my day to begin badly and be a menace to all who see me that day. I crave coffee that high. It's one of the highlights of my day and I am the type of person who is down for coffee any time. 

Just the thought of coffee, the aroma of roasted coffee beans, or a freshly brewed batch of coffee is enough to stir my soul and transport me to my happy place. There’s something about coffee that is so incredibly soothing to the mind and body.

But what about coffee makes you run to it every time? Is it the caffeine we are chasing? Or is it out of habit? Or is it an addiction? What magic does it contain that keeps you coming back for more? 

Read on to know

What happens after we consume just one cup of coffee…

Let’s start with what coffee does to our body. Of course, there’s both the good and the bad here too, but let's begin with the good side.

 

1. Caffeine

This is the first thing that jumps to our mind when we think of coffee. It acts as a stimulant to your brain. The intake of caffeine makes you feel more alert and energetic. This is because caffeine helps block a chemical, adenosine, that makes us feel sleepy. 

Unless you develop caffeine intolerance, it helps you stay awake even when your body is completely against it. Caffeine reduces the levels melatonin, that puts your body to sleep.

2. Various health benefits

According to various studies conducted over time, it is a proven fact that the caffeine we get from coffee helps to reduce the risk of various diseases such as chronic heart diseases. Coffee consumption also makes your liver health thrive and you are less likely to develop type II diabetes (lowers the risk of insulin resistance). Further, it also helps reduce the effects of Parkinson's disease (like control over movements) and it also reduces the likeliness of one to get this disease. Some studies have also concluded that regular consumption of coffee helps in increasing longevity (increases your lifespan), says a research paper published by the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

3. Lowers risk of cancer (concluded through research)

Multiple studies and research conducted have concluded that people who consume coffee have a reduced risk (by almost 26%) of being diagnosed with many types of cancer, especially head, neck, colorectal, breast, liver and endometrial. It could be due to many reasons such as the anti-inflammatory properties of coffee, and many antioxidants present in it. 

Further, the polyphenols found in roasted coffee are proven to regulate the genes involved in DNA repairing inhibiting cellular damage healing properties. Though there is no solid proof or justifiable evidence against this, it is what was concluded through various studies and tests made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

4. Burns fat

Caffeine is known to promote ‘fat cells to break down’. In other words, coffee increases fat metabolism. It helps in initiating this process called Lipolysis. It helps to release fatty acids into our bloodstream which eventually get converted into energy. So, you’re gaining on both burning fat and boosting energy. This does not mean coffee alone is enough for you to lose weight. It requires adequate movement and a healthy diet along with it. Coffee intake boosts your energy levels, which helps you maintain the necessary level of movement the body needs, to remain fit and healthy.

5. Gives your brain a boost

Consumption of coffee helps us to improve our concentration, our level of focus and attention to things, our wakefulness and of course, it also helps alleviate the fatigue within us. It improves cognitive functioning and makes us more alert to things that happen around us. Caffeine is also known for releasing chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline into our bloodstream, which also helps stimulate the central nervous system.

Now, let's take a deeper look at the downside of increased consumption of coffee.

1. Caffeine tolerance

This is something that occurs when you consume caffeine regularly and it basically describes how a person’s body reacts to caffeine. For example, you may start by drinking only a cup of coffee a day and that would have been enough for a while. But then you start noticing that this one cup is not enough, and you need more. So now you switch to two cups a day, and then to three. This happens due to increased caffeine tolerance.

The more coffee we consume, the more our brain adapts and produces more adenosine. And this process goes on and on, and that is why you consume more and more caffeine to feel the same as how it felt during your first time. Thus it makes you completely addicted to Coffee. On the bright side, this caffeine addiction is reversible.

2. Affects fertility

A lot of studies claim that increased consumption of caffeine can affect fertility in women. Though it is still unknown how caffeine affects fertility, it has been found that caffeine affects the quality of the developing egg. 

Moreover, it also increases the chance of miscarriage. For pregnant women, it is generally advised to not consume coffee or to not consume over a particular level of caffeine in a day and that is because it is believed that caffeine can cross the placenta and affect the growing baby.

Though there is no conclusive evidence that states that caffeine affects a woman's fertility, it is still highly advised to cut down on caffeine (preferably below 200gm per day) if you are planning on conceiving or are pregnant.

3. It can get addictive (trust me. I know)

It does. It really does. I know because I am addicted to it. Our brain absolutely loves the high it gets when the caffeine hits us. However, this is temporary and it will wear off within 5-7 hours after consumption. And so, we reach out for another cup of coffee. And then another. This develops caffeine tolerance which we spoke about just a while ago. It happens when we go overboard and consume over 400mg of caffeine a day. And because of this, you end up taking in more than the advised amount of caffeine. 

You need more amount of caffeine than before to get the same high. Though caffeine is not something that causes true addiction, there’s a high chance that if you regularly consume coffee, you will become dependent and hooked on its effects on your body.

4. Has great potential to give you a heart attack.

I know it is contradictory to what is stated above. But to clear things out it’s the caffeine that could do this, not coffee. Due to the stimulatory nature of caffeine, it is known to raise blood pressure and develop a very rapid and increased heart rate. High blood pressure (BP) puts a great risk for heart stroke or a heart attack because high BP harms your arteries, which in turn reduces the flow of blood to your heart and brain. An increase in the rate of heartbeat due to consumption of caffeine might lead to palpitations and atrial fibrillation in individuals. Hence, it is advisable to cut down on caffeine if you notice that your heart rate is changing rapidly, or if you notice symptoms of high blood pressure after its consumption. 

5. The anxiety

Excessive consumption of caffeine has been proven to cause symptoms of anxiety and for those who are already diagnosed with anxiety disorder, their symptoms may become even worse. Caffeine blocks the chemical adenosine, and this plays a major role in the development of anxiety in individuals. Excess caffeine can cause symptoms of anxiety, such as restlessness, nervousness, rapid heart rate etc., and it may also cause caffeine-induced anxiety in people.

There is a link between anxiety and your daily caffeine intake. Yet, a balanced consumption is regarded as safe and has more perks. 

If for some reason you feel that your anxiety is worsening due to caffeine, then it would be advisable to get a doctor's recommendation on it.  

As you can see, the consumption of coffee regularly, or its excess consumption has various effects on our body. However, have you ever wondered what one cup of coffee does to us? Every morning, we begin with a steaming hot cup of coffee, or an iced one (if you’re into that). Did you know that it takes only ten minutes for the caffeine in your coffee to enter your bloodstream?

What does Coffee do to our body (detailed process)?

Here’s a detailed process that goes unnoticed inside your body when you drink Coffee.

 

The moment it enters your body, it gets broken down into components such as paraxanthine and theobromine and they immediately affect certain functions of our body. You start noticing that you are more alert, awake, and focused, and you can think better, and you feel more energetic than you were.

After almost forty minutes of consumption, your brain starts producing dopamine (happy hormone) and serotonin (feel-good hormone). This is the reason why regular coffee drinkers feel happier and ‘more human’ after they have their morning coffee. This is the caffeine high that is often chased. Though caffeine is known to calm your anxiety and cope with depression, excess consumption of caffeine leads to caffeine-induced anxiety, restlessness, and irritability. 

By the third hour, you reach the peak of your energy level, you feel fresh and you might feel a bit acidic if you didn’t have any food along with your coffee. This is also the time that caffeine helps in breaking down fat cells. 

Five or Six hours after consumption, you feel the effects of caffeine slowly wearing off and this is the time you may find yourself reaching out for another cup of coffee. 

It takes approximately ten hours for caffeine to completely leave your bloodstream.

Here’s my take on Coffee (Personal Opinions)

Now, after analyzing both the benefits and drawbacks of regular consumption of coffee and its effect on our body with each passing minute, I am still going to continue drinking my coffee black (of course), extra strong and with no sugar. If you are worried about how much coffee you consume in a day, and you think you are at risk due to excess caffeine intake, you could always switch to its alternatives such as green tea, which is healthier and is also great if you are planning on starting a new diet.

Let’s answer - “Is it okay to drink Coffee every day?” 

To conclude, it's obvious that everything has both pros and cons, and well, so does coffee. It’s inevitable. What could be declared as the healthiest thing now, could be declared as a potential reason for cardiac diseases the very next month due to a new study or research conducted. Coffee has multiple effects on one’s body and mind, both good and bad.

It is advisable to be cautious about your daily caffeine intake to ward off any likely side effects of it. Excess consumption of caffeine (above the advised 400mg per day) will eventually affect your day-to-day life and may even lead to chronic health issues which may or may not be reversible. 

P.S. What’s your take on Coffee? Let me know in the comments.

~ Your Anjali Unnithan