Black Coffee: A slow poison – Erakina

I thought we would make it into the list of top coffee consumers with all the coffee craving people around me, but India never fails to surprise me. It’s not even in the top 50, making us more tea people (28th in global consumption). Coffee is a slightly acidic beverage that stimulates consumers because of the chemical compound caffeine. The powdered form of roasted berries of Caffea sps can be dissolved in hot water and consumed directly (black coffee) or additives as sugar, milk, or cream to reduce the sourness.

Health aspects of Black coffee

Kick start the day: 

Many readers here kick start their day with a cup of black coffee. It boosts your metabolism and pumps up energy while doing physical activities with an adrenaline rush setting a certain mood to the day keeping up the concentration.

Weight loss: 

The unique selling proposition of black coffee is by labelling it as a weight loss drink. Want to know how? Firstly, the composition of one cup of black coffee has a zero amount of carbs and fat with around two calories and vitamins like thiamin and niacin, minerals like potassium. So no matter how many cups you have, it doesn’t add to your weight. Secondly, the chlorogenic acid present in the beverage delays the glucose breakdown process and reduces fat cell formation.

Safer Heart: 

Black coffee is rich in antioxidants as equally as in fruits. Regular consumption helps maintain blood pressure, and the probability of heart stroke reduces.

Liver cleanser: 

Alcohol consumption makes the liver prone to cirrhosis and liver cancers. But black coffee acts as a cleaning agent for the liver by eliminating bad cholesterol and making metabolism efficient.

Apart from the beneficial aspects mentioned above, black coffee proved to show its magical results in reducing stress and boosting memory, thereby reducing the chances of occurrence of Alzheimer’s in old age and type 2 diabetics.

When Black coffee backfires

To every upside, when uncontrolled or overexploited, its downside begins, and the same goes with Black coffee. Excess and unmonitored consumption of this slightly acidic beverage act as a slow poison killing your body from inside.

Sleep deprivation: 

The sleep cycle will be messed up with an increased intake of black coffee. Therefore, it is best to avoid black coffee late at night, four to six hours before bedtime. Unmonitored caffeine content takes you to insomnia in no time.

Anxiety: 

The adrenaline rush, when spiked, causes the release of the stress hormone cortisol, and anxiety sets in instead of initial calming effects.

Heat burns in the stomach: 

The acidic drink and caffeine start hurting the stomach’s gastric juices, leading to hyperacidity.

Making it difficult for others: 

The black coffee could alter the uptake of other essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, making the consumer deficient.

Constipation, hunger suppression, loss of bladder control, Osteoporosis (thinning of bones) due to lack of Calcium are a few other side effects that can set right in.

One cup of black coffee contains 96 mg of Caffeine, and the permissible limit is 400 mg. Therefore it is best to cut down your black coffee intake to 3 to 4 cups.