On April 14 is celebrated World Coffee Day. In Brazil, there seems to be a reason to have that coffee. The Brazilian consumes, on average, 1,430 cups/year. The country is the second largest coffee consumer in the world, in bags, behind only the United States. But it’s the first to happen, with 5.01 kg/hab. per year, of roasted and ground coffee, according to data from the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association (ABIC).

Even with price oscillations, consumers are increasingly demanding and look for different nuances and flavor profiles. It is a global cultural phenomenon that unites people at any time of the day or place: from the bar counter to the exquisite coffee shops.

Besides being a social aggregator at meetings between friends and family, this Passion for drink brings other benefits: coffee is good for health, Thanks to its nutraceutical properties, effective for improving attention, concentration, memory and learning.

Coffee stimulating action

Prof. Dr. Durval Ribas Filho, Nutrologist, fellow and The Obesity Society -TOS (USA), president of the Brazilian Association of Nutrology (Abran) and professor of the postgraduate degree of the National Course of Nutrology (CNNutro), however, remembers that the coffees are not all equal. The composition of each type depends on the way the plant was cultivated, the changes during the process of manufacture and even the way the drink is prepared and served.

“Recognized for contributing to various functions of our body, caffeine – the main substance of coffee – is not 100% harmless. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system that can interfere with the functioning of the brain and the rest of our body, positively or negatively, depending on the dose ingested,” explains the expert.

According to the doctor, the constant desire to drink coffee is more psychological than biological. “When associating the drink at the greatest disposition and energy, in a moment of stress, for example. The rapid absorption of caffeine is what brings this sense of well-being, and non-consumption, abstinence, because ‘coffee addiction’ is not a scientifically recognized condition,” he says.

In addition, it is possible to consume caffeine in other foods. “Caffeine is not just in the cup of coffee, but in the composition of other foods, such as glue -type sodas, energy drinks, teas (green, mate and black), chocolate, food supplements for training and even medicines,” adds Prof. Dr. Durval Ribas Filho.

Health Coffee Benefits

Below, Prof. Dr. Durval Ribas Filho lists some of the benefits of coffee to health. Check it out!

1. Protection of antioxidants

In addition to caffeine, the café It is rich in antioxidants, chemicals that help protect cells. They are minerals, vitamins and flavonoids, important in blood circulation. Therefore, moderate consumption may be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

2. Improves the brain and reduces risk of depression

Coffee consumption assists the brain in the release of natural stimulants, such as adrenaline, a hormone related to disposition and euphoria, and dopamine, known as the “hormone of happiness”, associated with motivation.

There is an improvement in brain function with increasing concentration, memory and focus, essential at work and everyday activities. Together, antioxidants and bioactive compounds of the drink can reduce the chances of neurodegenerative diseases.

3. It brings energy, less fatigue and improves performance

Among the scientific evidence on the physiological effects of coffee, the extra energy gain is the best known. This increase in disposition is thanks to caffeine, stimulating alkaloid of the central nervous system, which helps to combat fatigue, after an exhaustive day of study or work, and contributes to increasing resistance and performance in the exercises Physical.

Consuming coffee properly

For the benefits of coffee to health, it is important to consume it properly. Next, Prof. Dr. Durval Ribas Filho explains how to insert the drink in the routine properly!

1. Excess can hurt

Excess caffeine may favor a warning state, with increased concentration, attention and even euphoria, trigger irritation, anxiety, nervousness, agitation and arrhythmias, as well as affecting sleep, leading to crises of insomnia, harmful to quality of life and regulation of metabolism.

In more severe and rare cases it can reach a caffeine overdose with cardiac acceleration, dizziness, muscle uncontrolled and difficulty breathing. But the effects They are not the same for all people. Age, weight, and liver’s own ability to digest caffeine interfere with its action.

2. At dossee

Caffeine tolerance is variable according to age, height, weight and habits of daily drink consumption. It is important not to account for coffee caffeine, but also the caffeine present in other foods. For a healthy adult, with about 70 kg, the European Food Safety Authority It recommends a daily consumption of 300 to 400 mg of caffeine, equivalent to 4 cups of strained coffee.

3. Prefer without sugar

The ideal is sugar -free consumption, but it is a matter of habit and many people can’t eat it this way. The non -added sugar in coffee has been associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as both caffeine and other bioactive compounds can help improve insulin sensitivity and control blood sugar levels.

4. The ideal time for consumption

The ideal is to have coffee to the middle of the afternoon. It is recommended to consume two hours before or after the main meals. For some people, caffeine can interfere with sleep and impair attention and concentration the next day.

But it will also depend on the type of coffee: if it is made with grains with greater or less caffeine content, and if it is expressed or strained. The drink also contains substances that can disrupt the absorption of certain nutrients, such as hindering the absorption of iron present in meat, vegetables and beans and milk calcium.

5. The best type of coffee

Express coffee has triple caffeine that the strained. While only 30 ml of express coffee has 60 mg of caffeine, 125 ml (half cup) of straw is 85 mg. The decaf is going through several steps in the industrial process to eliminate caffeine and become an option for those who like coffee, but cannot ingest the substance.

6. Dawn coffee is bad

The dawn coffee is not bad, but the ideal is not to consume it 30 minutes after the preparation. In addition to the change in taste and aroma, there is the beginning of an oxidation process, generating the degradation of drink substances, which can cause nausea and even gastrointestinal problems.

7. Who cannot have coffee

The drink is not recommended for pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding, people with sleep disorder, individuals suffering from anxiety and panic bouts, under 12 and people with reflux. Carriers of heart problems or glaucoma should avoid, or consume with medical advice. Even in healthy individuals, excess can generate anxiety, insomnia, tremors and heart palpitations.

By Edna Vairletti