Habitual Coffee Consumption Correlation to Health

A variety of health concerns can attribute to coffee; nevertheless, coffee is addictive and can cause a dependence. Different bias exists based on research on whether coffee is beneficial to the body or if it could be harmful.  Research shows that these varying biases from researchers are contingent upon how much coffee is consumed in healthy persons with normal blood pressure levels and that of people with an uncontrolled blood pressure level. Some studies indicates that habitual coffee consumption in healthy adults can lead to a cardiovascular disease reduction, while on the other hand also declares that hypertensive people with uncontrolled blood pressure shouldn’t consume large amounts of coffee. Coffee is one of the top commodities in the world. Aside from oil, it has been noted to be the second most traded commodity on earth. It’s a part of many adult’s daily regimens; however, a correlation exists between habitual coffee consumption and health concerns.

Being that 83 percent of the United States population drinks coffee, it is critically important to see and understand how it’s linked to the population’s health (Plitt). Coffee can be made instantly or percolated in just a few minutes; however, I’m curious and interested in knowing how it’s brewing in our delicate yet intricate bodies. Coffee is comprised of a compound called caffeine which is a bioactive substance that has stimulatory effects on our central nervous system.  Researchers suggest that it has some positive effects on long-term memory (Elvira). Caffeine’s stimulatory effects starts within the first fifteen minutes of consuming coffee and could last up to six hours. Apart from coffee, caffeine is taken through other beverages such as tea, soft-drinks, chocolates and energy drinks. Elvira suggests that caffeine has both positive and negative effects. The article suggests that caffeine helps in reducing the chances of getting some diseases and conditions. For instance, most of the literature used in this paper argues that caffeine intake may protect against cardiovascular disease, stroke, and asthma and type II diabetes. Unlike other psychoactive substances, caffeine is socially acceptable and perhaps it is the most consumed psychoactive substance (Kwok, Leung and Schooling). The negative effects according to Elvira are that if one consumes 500-600 mg of caffeine in a day it can have some negative implications. Some conditions that may develop are irritability, insomnia, fast heartbeat, and nervousness.

The effects of caffeine are believed to vary in each individual and this is the main reason why mixed messages exist as to whether caffeine is good or bad for the body. For instance, it has been proven that people with anxiety disorders are more likely to get anxiogenic effects caused by caffeine. Rebelo says that caffeine is metabolized differently among individuals because of many various reasons (Rebelo). An example is that cigarette users metabolize caffeine twice as fast as compared to non-users. Caffeine metabolism is also slow among pregnant women and children and individuals who have a history of liver disease. Furthermore, some medications have proven to slow down caffeine metabolism. Caffeine has the potential of causing an addiction. Given that caffeine is a stimulant it has addictive effects when used for a long period of time or in large quantities. Coffee has been proved to activate neuropharmacological mechanisms like other drugs that are commonly abused. Caffeine is responsible for some effects like alertness, energy, increased well-being, and sociability. This is the reason why some people have become so dependent on caffeine. When those individual withhold the use of caffeine, some symptoms are triggered, such as fatigue, depression, headache, difficulty in concentration and drowsiness among other negative effects. Caffeine dependence among some individuals have become so strong such that they aren’t able to stop or reduce its consumption.

Pediatricians recommend that children and adolescents should avoid consuming caffeine being that it has a negative impact on their brain development. It’s evident that coffee interferes with sleep. This is very detrimental because sleep plays a vital role in learning. Animal experiments and laboratory research has shown that caffeine affects sleep and learning and consequently hindering the normal neurobiological development that can be noticed in adulthood. Psychologists are worried that caffeine use among young people may prompt them to abuse other drugs. Several studies have suggested that habitual consumption of coffee could have a relation to diseases such as Alzheimer, depression, ischemic hearts disease and type 2 diabetes (Kwok, Leung and Schooling). The results of this study perhaps contradict with other studies. Kwok, Leung and Schooling suggest that the use of coffee is inversely related to type II diabetes, Alzheimer and depression. These authors say that it could be associated with Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD). Coffee for many decades has been protected in the American dietary guidelines. Some trials that have been done have suggested that it raises adiponectin and lipids; however, they have neutral effects on most glycemic traits.  The research showed that the use of coffee may not have advantageous effects on individuals with Alzheimer, depression and type II diabetes. To the end of the research, the authors suggested that other interventions should be used to prevent these complex and chronic diseases (Kwok, Leung and Schooling).

Another research study declares how little to no coffee consumption decreases the risk of the development of type 2 diabetes, while another states that coffee has neutral effects on glycemic traits. “Several studies have demonstrated that coffee consumption has a significant association with decreased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and that every additional cup of coffee is associated with a 7% reduction in disease risk. However, other studies have shown that caffeine alone causes deterioration of glucose tolerance” (Gonzalez de Mejia and Ramirez-Mares). The research findings are confusing and conflicting. The varying factors from the research makes some of the data inconsistent. Coffee may have addictive properties; however, I find it to help with some of my own personal ailments. A cup of coffee can have some life saving qualities for someone like me who has chronic asthma. Coffee contains caffeine, which acts as a natural bronchodilator helping to relieve the symptoms of asthma, by opening the airways of the lungs. Research supports that habitual and non habitual coffee consumption correlates to health.

In the contemporary world, there are multiple ways in which coffee beverages are prepared that has been increasingly been part of our daily lives (Rebelo and Casal). Despite the many decades of coffee being considered as an unhealthy beverage Rebelo and Casal say that it has increasingly been making headlines in medical journals all suggesting that it reduces the risk for several diseases. People have different views that are perhaps contradictory, some saying that coffee beverage modulates mood and gives pleasure. Among healthy individuals, Rebelo and Casal suggest that the long-term use of coffee reduces the risk of developing type II diabetes. Coffee is comprised of several compounds in which those elements aids in homeostasis and anti-oxidation activity in the body. This the reason why many people believe that coffee is beneficial to our bodies.

In conclusion, it’s evident that majority of the researched literature still believes that a large amount of research needs to be done to elucidate the truth between coffee and some medical conditions. The relation between cardiovascular diseases has been another area of concern among the medics. Epidemiological studies have been presented suggesting that the use of coffee can be associated with cardiovascular disease (Rodríguez, Lopez and Esther). Hypertensive patients and those with uncontrolled blood pressure are advised to reduce the consumption of large doses of caffeine. Despite the arguments suggesting that using too much of coffee has negative implications on our health, there are many other positive arguments about the same. It’s obviously clear that the continuous research and literature provided is not sufficient enough to show the impact of coffee and health. The topic, therefore, continues to be a topic of much-heated debate. Most sources of literature not only suggest the beneficial effects but also the detrimental effects of coffee intake.

This inquiry has revealed a lot of inconsistencies that exist which poses a challenge to researchers. People will continue to remain confused about the effects of coffee and health; moreover, it will be a great blessing if researchers can come to a point of agreement declaring whether coffee is bad or whether coffee is good. I believe that researchers should find the benefits and the negative effects of coffee consumption and show the side that carries more weight than the other. People would therefore have clarity when making important decisions regarding their health as they would  have a full comprehension on the correlation of coffee to their health. Essentially, this means that there’s a great need for much more research to reduce much of the debate that has existed for many decades.

 

Works Cited

1. Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia Marco, Vinicio Ramirez-Mares. “Impact of caffeine and coffee on our health”. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism. Volume 25, Issue 10. Elsevier Ltd. Oct 2014. pp 489-492. ScienceDirect. https://www-sciencedirect-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/science/article/pii/S1043276014001283#sec0020.

2. Fernau Karen. “Coffee grinds fuel for the nation”. USA Today. 9 April 2013. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/04/09/coffee-mania/2069335/.

3. Kwok Man Ki, Leung Gabriel M, Schooling C Mary. “Habitual coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, depression and Alzheimer’s disease: a Mendelian randomization study”. Scientific Reports. Volume 6, Article number: 36500. 15 Nov 2016. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27845333.

4. Rebelo Irene, Casal Susana. “Coffee: A Dietary Intervention on Type 2 Diabetes?”. Current Medicinal Chemistry. Volume 24, Issue 4. Bentham Science Publishers. 2017. pp 376-383. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27697076.

5. Rodríguez Artalejo, Fernando; Lopez-Garcia, Esther. “Coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease: a condensed review of epidemiological evidence and mechanisms”.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 66 (21). American Chemical Society. 25 Dec 2017. pp 5257–5263. One Search, https://onesearch.cuny.edu/primo-explore/fulldisplaydocid=TN_medline29276945&context=PC&vid=cc&lang=en_US&search_scope=everything&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,coffee%20and%20disease&sortby=rank&offset=0.