Hot or cold?

Coffee is one of the country’s most beloved beverages, fawned over like black gold in a cup. Ever since its introduction to the islands in 1740 by Franciscan friars, Filipinos have taken to drinking and even producing their own coffee.

(The Philippines was once the fourth largest coffee exporter, being one of a handful of countries able to grow the four major types of beans.)

Eight out of 10 Filipinos consume 2.5 cups of coffee a day, with 93% of households buying coffee every week.

But exactly how healthy/unhealthy is this aromatic beverage that we Filipinos drink every day?

Let’s find out.

The Benefits of Coffee

1) A known energy booster.

The first thing you think of when drinking coffee is the instant energy boost. People down a cup of joe to perk up their mornings and get ready for the day.

Caffeine in coffee acts as a stimulant by facilitating the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine.   

 Studies have found that drinking coffee decreases the feeling of fatigue. In addition, the drink has also been linked to significantly improved performance in physical tasks.

Gulping it before an exercise regimen leads to enhanced endurance and athletic performance.  

2) Coffee drinkers are less likely to suffer from diabetes.

Coffee has loads of antioxidants that mediate insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, glucose absorption, and metabolism. All of these processes play a role in regulating glucose levels in the blood and therefore impact whether or not an individual develops type 2 diabetes.

When a systematic review of 30 studies was done, they found a 6% decrease in the risk of diabetes for every cup of coffee consumed—lending more credence to the idea that coffee consumption helps prevent the disease.  

3) Coffee significantly decreases the risk of stroke and heart failure.

In a survey of 21 coffee studies, researchers noted a 21% decrease in the occurrence of stroke for people who consume 3-4 cups a day.

Another study found that consuming 3-5 cups a day represents a 15% decrease in the risk of heart disease. So it would seem that coffee is good for the heart.

But a quick caveat: While these studies certainly lean that way, you have to remember that consuming coffee can increase blood pressure for up to 3 hours. And so folks with issues with high blood pressure should take this into account.    

4) Coffee loves your liver.

Study after study has shown that drinking coffee is good for your liver.

Researchers have found an inverse relationship between coffee drinking and dying of liver diseases. Coffee is said to have “hepatoprotective properties,” keeping a variety of liver diseases at bay. A cup of black is said to reduce liver ailments by 15%, and four cups mean a decrease of 71%.

Liver scarring, liver stiffness (fibrosis), and liver cancer all could get a much-needed respite from a cup or two of joe.  

5) Coffee is a depression buster.

Every cup of coffee you drink lowers your risk for depression by 8%. This is what researchers from Qingdao University Medical College found when they looked at the data of 11 coffee studies involving over 300,000 participants.  

The study even pointed out that the risk for depression drops at a faster rate as more cups of coffee are consumed.

6) Coffee helps you look after your weight.

Drinking coffee affects how the body stores fat. It depresses the function of fat cells, ultimately leading to weight loss. (Tea acts similarly!)

In both men and women, consuming coffee led to lower body fat.

Coffee also tackles weight management in more ways than one. Because coffee boosts your energy and keeps you moving, it can lead drinkers to burn more calories and exercise longer, leading to weight loss.

7) Coffee and longevity…

That’s right. In addition to all the mentioned benefits—reduced risk for diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, etc.—coffee just might be one of the keys to longevity.

A team of researchers looked into 40 coffee studies that involved around 3.8 million participants and discovered that drinking 2-4 cups of coffee a day was associated with lower risks of death. They found this to be consistent, regardless of age, sex, weight, and even alcohol intake.

Why?

A coffee study involving yeast has found that the anti-radicals in coffee helps decrease the breakage of the yeast DNA. While these results are preliminary and have yet to be replicated with human DNA, it may provide clues as to why drinking coffee aids in longevity.

But it’s not all rainbows and butterflies with coffee. It also has a bit of a dark side. 

The Downsides of Coffee

1) Coffee raises blood pressure.

There are two camps on this issue. There’s research that says coffee benefits people with hypertension, even pointing to modest decreases in bp. But some studies report modest increases in blood pressure with regular coffee consumption.  

Caffeine in coffee acts as a vasoconstrictor, decreasing the size of blood vessels. Doing so leads to higher blood pressure.  

While, for the most part, drinking coffee is safe even for hypertensive individuals, some caution needs to be taken, especially for people drinking copious amounts of coffee daily. It’s best to drink the beverage in moderation.

2) Coffee can be mildly addictive.

Although not on the same level of addiction as illegal drugs or alcohol, caffeine can be addictive. As a stimulant, people can develop a mild physical dependence on it. They can also build tolerance where more caffeine is required to get the same hit.

Many coffee drinkers claim they need a cup of joe in the morning before they are “themselves.” And when they don’t get it for several days, they experience withdrawal symptoms like headache, lethargy, lack of focus, irritability, and depressed moods.

But again, this is not the kind of addiction like drugs that lead to harmful behaviors, physical deterioration, strained personal relationships, and ruined finances.    

So how much is too much?

According to the FDA, 400 milligrams, or around 4-5 cups of coffee a day is a good ceiling to observe.  

3) Coffee can disrupt sleep.

Drinking coffee, especially late in the day, may disrupt your sleeping pattern.

Coffee is the most widely used stimulant in the world and the beverage is often taken at the beginning or in the middle of the day as an energy boost. Having it too late in the day may lead one to toss and turn in bed when one’s supposed to be getting much-needed sleep.

To prevent this, avoid coffee at least 6 hours before bedtime. That would give ample time for caffeine to be flushed out of your system and not disrupt your sleep schedule.

Or try having decaffeinated coffee instead. Just know that “decaf” doesn’t mean 100% caffeine-free. There’s around 3% caffeine left in that cup. But don’t lose sleep over it, that’s by far a better bet than the regular fare.   

4) Coffee could have different effects on different people.

At best, the advantages and disadvantages we’ve listed thus far, like saying coffee is good for the liver, etc., are correlations—not causations.

Our bodies react differently to substances, and coffee is one of them. Some folks feel tired and sleepy soon after drinking coffee. Their bodies react in such a way that caffeine has the opposite effect. For these folks, when they are having trouble sleeping, they heat a cup of joe and are soon on their way to slumber.

So mind these individual differences when enjoying your hot cup of java.     

5) Coffee is rarely ever taken by itself.    

This is not talked about enough. We’ve discussed coffee, its benefits, and drawbacks, in pure terms. In practice, this is not often the case. Coffee is rarely ever taken black.

These days, it’s mixed in a myriad of flavors and sweeteners. Coffee can be “spiked,” made “special,” or fashioned with syrupy concoctions. One’s imagination is the only limit.

Yes, coffee by itself may be beneficial for your weight and helps the risks of diabetes. But if it’s taken with loads of sugar, and worse, slices of cakes, pastries, and desserts, that complicates our calculus of its benefits a bit.

So we need to factor in all the different substances and food that’s eaten with the drink. Because oftentimes, the drink is just one little part of what can be a whole meal.   

So that’s what we have to say for one of the Philippines’ favorite drinks! Just like any other beverage, coffee has its benefits and drawbacks. And as with everything else, we need to take it in moderation.  

Do you want to monitor your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels? Bloodworks Lab offers packages like the “Well-being Package” to inform you or your family of any health risks like diabetes and hypertension.

Bloodworks Lab is your one-stop shop for all your blood test needs and offers a wide range of medical screenings. We are also the first in the Philippines to give the Anti Acetylcholine Receptor (lgG) Antibody Test and the Anti N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor (Anti NMDA Receptor) Antibody Test.

Book your appointment today.

Our branches are in Alabang, Katipunan, and Cebu.