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Ah, coffee. The first thing you drink when you wake up, the drink you rely on to cure your afternoon sleepiness, and the solution to your sleepless night.
But what about all the common myths we’ve heard about coffee? Does drinking it lead to long term weight loss? Is it true that drinking coffee will shorten our life expectancy? Is it really unhealthy? Do we have more caffeine if we go for a darker coffee roast?
USA TODAY spoke with experts to help unravel some of the mysteries behind one of the world’s most popular drinks.
Drinking coffee makes you lose weight
According to Katherine Zeratsky, dietician at the Mayo Clinic, caffeine is a stimulant that increases the body’s metabolism. She says caffeine alone, however, doesn’t help with long-term weight loss because there are other factors to consider, including eating a healthy diet and exercising.
“Caffeine can increase your basal metabolic rate, but basal metabolic rate is only a small percentage overall of what’s going on with how we burn calories,” Zeratsky told USA TODAY. “It probably won’t be big enough to see the weight change that most people are looking for.”
Zeratsky adds that while the research on the link between caffeine and weight is not definitive, there are a few theories on how caffeine might affect weight. One theory is that caffeine can suppress appetite and reduce feelings of hunger.
Ashley Shaw, Consulting Dietitian at Natus Wellness, explains that appetite suppression due to caffeine can depend on how often coffee is consumed between meals.
“If you drank coffee before eating a meal, you would probably feel a little fuller than usual if you drank a cup of water. You might not eat as much of your meal, and that’s probably where you’re going to see that weight loss effect, ”Shaw told USA TODAY.
Shaw adds that the way bodies respond to coffee is personal.
“Coffee acts as a stimulant and appetite suppressant for some, but it is individualized as some people may not have this effect.”
Coffee is unhealthy OR coffee is healthy
Edward Giovannuci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, says that in major research reviews, coffee has been linked to a likely lower risk of certain cancers and type 2 diabetes.
“Coffee contains unique compounds that are beneficial to health. These include antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds,” Giovannuci told USA TODAY.
But, Giovannuci says the possible health benefits aren’t always there.
“Caffeine in pregnant women is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy loss,” Giovannuci said.
He also says that there can be acute effects of too much caffeine in sensitive people by raising blood pressure and causing trouble sleeping.
“Yet overall, coffee drinkers have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. So as long as you don’t suffer from these acute effects, don’t worry,” he said.
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The darker the roast, the stronger the caffeine
According to the National Coffee Association (NCA), roasting by itself does not affect the amount of caffeine in coffee beans.
“A lot of people assume that the strong, rich flavor of darker roasts indicates a higher level of caffeine, but the truth is that light roasts could actually have a very slightly higher caffeine content,” said a representative from the NCA at USA TODAY.
Coffee slows your growth
Zeratsky says that coffee or caffeine itself does not directly retard growth. Instead, if a child consumes coffee, soda, or other beverages that substitute for the consumption of drinks considered nutritious, then parents would be wondering if they are getting the right nutrients to promote or reach their growth potential.
“This is the idea that we don’t want caffeinated drinks to replace other nutritious foods and drinks that will promote proper growth, which is why caffeine is not recommended for children at all and adolescents, ”Zeratsky said.
Coffee will shorten your life expectancy
According to a 2018 JAMA internal medicine research study, researchers analyzed data from half a million Britons over a 10-year study period and found that consuming coffee, whether decaffeinated or containing of caffeine, was inversely associated with a lower risk of death, including those who drank eight. or several cups per day.
A 2019 Pubmed research study, after analyzing 21 cohort studies with over 10 million participants, found that drinking one cup of decaffeinated or caffeinated coffee per day was associated with a 3% reduced risk of death, and drinking 3 cups of coffee was associated with a 13% reduced risk of death.
“In an acceptable amount, coffee can be part of a healthy diet and, in fact, for many people, coffee is a rich source of antioxidants. So when you think about healthy aging, consuming foods or drinks containing these antioxidants is considered helpful, ”Zeratsky said.
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Coffee will dehydrate you
Coffee contains fluids that can be counted towards hydration requirements, and it is good to take it in moderate amounts. But, Shaw says getting too much can have a mild diuretic effect.
“Basically a diuretic kind of makes you go to the bathroom more, so you have more fluid leaving the body, so a one or two cup balance should be good,” Shaw said.
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