How coffee can affect your health

1. Coffee is also popularly called "the black gold" and "cup of coffee, pleur or consolation". It is the most consumed drink in the Netherlands; we drink about 150 liters of coffee per person per year. Reason enough to learn more about coffee.

1. The coffee plant traditionally comes from Ethiopia. The plant was discovered by the Arabs around the thirteenth or fourteenth century and later, around the sixteenth century, by the Europeans. A century later, our own little country has ensured that large-scale coffee plantations were founded. First in South and Central America, later also in Africa.

From bean to coffee

1. The coffee plant mainly grows in humid tropical areas where the average temperature is 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. The largest coffee producer is Brazil. The plant flowers once or twice a year. It takes three to four years for the plant to start bearing coffee berries. Each coffee cherry contains two coffee beans. The most important coffee bean varieties worldwide are Arabica and Robusta. After the manual or machine harvest, the raw coffee beans are released from the coffee berries under the influence of water or high temperatures. Raw coffee beans are odorless. Only during roasting - or rather roasting - up to 200 degrees Celsius, the well-known coffee scent arises. Quality and taste are guaranteed by composing different bean blends.

Coffee label

1. Coffee types that originate from fair trade can be recognized by the Max Havelaar quality mark. Other well-known trademarks and quality marks are the Fairtrade trademark, the EKO trademark, UTZ Certified and Rainforest Alliance.

2. Coffee types that originate from fair trade can be recognized by the Max Havelaar quality mark. Other well-known trademarks and quality marks are the Fairtrade trademark, the EKO quality mark, UTZ Certified and Rainforest Alliance.

The nutritional values

1. Roasted coffee beans consist for the most part of carbohydrates, followed by proteins and fats. In addition, roasted coffee beans naturally contain a relatively high amount of minerals, caffeine and chlorogenic acid. Roasted coffee beans consist of: Water    2.7 percent Protein   13.3 percent Fat (cafestol and kahweol)    12.8 percent Carbohydrates   67 percent Minerals     4.1 percent Caffeine    1.0 - 2.5 percent Chlorogenic acid    4.1 percent A During the brewing process, the carbohydrates, proteins and fats remain in the sediment. As a result, black coffee provides hardly any energy (kilocalories). Drinking three cups of coffee provides about 10 percent of the daily potassium and magnesium requirements and 8 percent of the daily iron requirement.

2. Roasted coffee beans consist for the most part of carbohydrates, followed by proteins and fats. In addition, roasted coffee beans naturally contain a relatively high amount of minerals, caffeine and chlorogenic acid. Roasted coffee beans consist of: Water    2.7 percent Protein   13.3 percent Fat (cafestol and kahweol)    12.8 percent Carbohydrates   67 percent Minerals     4.1 percent Caffeine    1.0 - 2.5 percent Chlorogenic acid    4.1 percent A During the brewing process, the carbohydrates, proteins and fats remain in the sediment. As a result, black coffee provides hardly any energy (kilocalories). Drinking three cups of coffee provides about 10 percent of the daily potassium and magnesium needs and 8 percent of the daily iron needs.

Acrylamide

1. Coffee contains small amounts of acrylamide. This is a substance that can form when starchy products are heated above 120 degrees Celsius. Acrylamide may be carcinogenic to humans, but this has not yet been proven with certainty.

Cafestol and kahweol: not good for cholesterol

1. Cafestol and kahweol are fats present in coffee beans and unfiltered coffee (boiled coffee, cafeteria coffee, Greek coffee and Turkish coffee). There is strong evidence that these substances (especially cafestol) increase LDL cholesterol levels. Five to six cups of coffee per day lead to an increase in LDL cholesterol of 0.30 mmol / l. With filter coffee (and coffee from coffee pods, instant coffee and vending machine coffee) the filter has captured the cafestol and kahweol.

Caffeine

1. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that promotes sleep and suppresses waking. The caffeine in coffee inhibits the action of adenosine, making us feel more alert and less tired after a caffeine shot. Endurance athletes sometimes use this effect to boost their performance. Healthy adults can take in 400 milligrams of caffeine (about four cups of coffee) daily with no negative effects to be expected. However, consuming too much caffeine is unhealthy. You can suffer from restlessness, anxiety, irritability, headache, shaking, dizziness, ringing ears and palpitations. For those who cannot tolerate caffeine, there is also decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated coffee is produced through the use of water, organic solvents, or steam or by blocking the expression of genes encoding caffeine.

2. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that promotes sleep and suppresses waking. The caffeine in coffee inhibits the action of adenosine, making us feel more alert and less tired after a caffeine shot. Endurance athletes sometimes use this effect to improve their performance. Healthy adults can take in 400 milligrams of caffeine (about four cups of coffee) daily with no negative effects to be expected. However, consuming too much caffeine is unhealthy. You may experience restlessness, anxiety, irritability, headaches, tremors, dizziness, ringing ears and palpitations. For those who cannot tolerate caffeine, there is also decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated coffee is produced through the use of water, organic solvents or steam or by blocking the expression of genes encoding caffeine.

Is coffee diuretic?

1. Research shows that drinking moderate amounts of coffee by people who drink coffee regularly does not lead to dehydration. In people who rarely drink coffee, caffeine may cause them to urinate slightly more often, but the total amount of urine remains the same over 24 hours.

Health Benefits

1. Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day seems to have a protective effect on the development of cancer of: the endometrium, the liver, the mouth and pharynx, bladder, breast, intestine, esophagus, leukemia and pancreas. In addition, drinking two to four cups of coffee per day is associated with an approximately 10 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. There is also strong evidence that drinking five cups of coffee per day (versus no coffee) is associated with a 30 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes. These protective effects have been found for coffee with one without caffeine. In addition, drinking coffee is said to protect against fatty liver, gallstones and Parkinson's disease. The airway function would also improve up to four hours after coffee consumption (beneficial for people with asthma).

Coffee advice

1. Drinking coffee daily (without sugar) contributes to the fluid intake and is part of a healthy diet. A cup of leut is actually very healthy, provided, as with everything, you drink it in moderation. You can drink about four cups of coffee a day from filtered coffee and automatic coffee (from liquid coffee concentrate, freeze-dried powder or with paper filters). You can drink approximately two to three cups of coffee per day from espresso, coffee from cups and automatic coffee (with a metal or nylon filter). Unfiltered coffee is not part of a healthy diet. Drink a maximum of one cup of coffee daily. Children should not drink coffee. For young people between the ages of 13 and 18, pregnant and breastfeeding women, it is recommended to drink a maximum of one cup of coffee a day.