Category: Studies

The truth about caffeine: how coffee really affects our bodies

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Coffee. Go juice. Liquid gold. The one with all the psychoactive properties. Once used by Sufi mystics as an aid to concentration during religious rituals, it’s now one of the most ubiquitous drinks on the planet: we get through about 2bn cups a day.

It’s also one of the most valued and pored-over drinks. One particularly sought-after blend, Black Ivory, which is produced by encouraging elephants to digest arabica berries, retails at more than £2,000 a kilogram, while coffee-making championships attract thousands of spectators.

But what does it actually do to you? You might have a vague idea that caffeine wakes you up, wrecks your sleep and can aid sporting performance, but do you know how much you can drink safely? Considering that a typical americano contains more than 100 biologically active ingredients other than caffeine, what do you know about the drug you are glugging two or three times a day? What is happening inside your body when you have a double espresso in the morning?

How quickly does it act?

The effects may start before you even take a sip. Just inhaling the scent of coffee can improve memory and stimulate alertness, according to a 2019 study of 80 18- to 22-year-olds. Another study, from 2018, found that subjects did better in tests of analytical reasoning after a whiff of the good stuff. That said, the researchers in the 2018 study suggested that the effect probably had a placebo element, with the expectation of improved performance proving at least partly responsible.

  • A lot of people have three coffees back to back in the morning. They’re at 1,000-1,500mg before lunchtime

What about when you actually drink it? “There’s a chance that the use of any supplement will carry a placebo effect,” says Dr Mike T Nelson, a researcher and performance specialist who recently co-wrote the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s position on coffee. “Many researchers use randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials to try to ferret that out. And if you look at some of the higher-dose caffeine studies and when they have been compared with a placebo, we still see a performance-enhancing effect of caffeine.”

This is why the effects really kick in some time after you start drinking. While a 2008 study found that the effects of a cup of coffee can occur just 10 minutes after ingestion, it said peak caffeine concentration in the blood occurred after 45 minutes.

How does coffee wake you up?

Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant – making you more alert and focused, but potentially also more irritable and anxious. It’s all to do with your body’s adenosine receptors, which help to regulate your heart rate, blood flow and sleep-wake cycles. When adenosine – an organic compound that occurs naturally in your body – binds to these receptors, it triggers physiological responses that lead to a decrease in cellular activity, often promoting drowsiness and sleep.

Caffeine can fool your nerve cells and bind to these instead, preventing adenosine from doing its thing. This promotes increased alertness, while also allowing the brain’s stimulating neurotransmitters (such as dopamine) to run wild. This makes it a mood-booster for many people, but can also lead to anxiety after high doses. While your body adapts to caffeine’s effects after a while, different people can have very different responses to the same amount of it.

Can it really boost athletic performance?

The amount of caffeine in seemingly similar high-street coffees can vary significantly.

It certainly can. A 2020 study of amateur cyclists found that coffee improved performance by an average of 1.7%. This may not sound like much, but it’s a big deal for even moderately competitive athletes. An older British study reported a dose-related improvement in tests of reaction times, memory and visual-spatial reasoning among coffee drinkers.

Most of these performance benefits come from caffeine, which is why coffee isn’t always the best option. A recent analysis by the consumer group Which? found that a medium cappuccino at Costa contains 325mg of caffeine, while the Starbucks equivalent has just 66mg. Even more confusingly, a 2003 study found a wide range of caffeine concentrations (259mg to 564mg a serving) in the same drink obtained from the same outlet on six consecutive days. (The NHS doesn’t give an upper limit for daily caffeine intake unless you are pregnant, but the US Food and Drug Administration suggests that 400mg is fine.)

“Beans can make a difference – standard robusta beans are higher in caffeine than arabica beans, for example,” says Nelson. “But there are other factors – roasting actually breaks down caffeine, so in general darker roasts will have a lower caffeine content. But even when outlets try to control for beans, brewing method and so on, the variability in caffeine content is still quite high.

“This is why, for athletes, if you’re using it purely for performance-enhancing effects and you want to be very specific with it, I recommend taking caffeine in a pill form, because you can control your intake better.

“I’ve worked with some endurance athletes in the past who would just stop and get a normal coffee at any shop before the race – and a lot of times their performance might be a little bit different, probably because the caffeine amount wasn’t as tightly controlled.”

When should you stop drinking it?

This is hotly contested. Caffeine has a half-life of about six hours, which means that if you have your final espresso at 4pm, half of the caffeine is still in your system at 10pm, when you should be winding down for the night. Plenty of people subscribe to the idea of a caffeine curfew – stopping at 2pm or 3pm, for instance – but that doesn’t mean it’s open season in the morning.

“It should be a nice, balanced thing,” says Nick Littlehales, a sleep coach who has worked with several high-profile football teams. “I see a lot of people who have three coffees more or less back to back in the morning. They’re at 1,000-1,500mg before they get to lunchtime – then they stop their intake. That’s not a sensible way to do things: it’s about keeping it nice and level, with no big ups and downs. Keep track of when you have a little bit of a low-energy lull, then you can actually use your caffeine intake strategically, to help you out at key times.”

Is it good for you?

This is where those other biologically active compounds come in. It’s also where the science becomes less clear. A few people suggest that excess intake may be linked to increased cancer risk or heart problems, while others say a few cups a day is fine.

It’s helpful to look at meta-analyses of many studies – or, even better, an “umbrella review”. One of the largest of these, which looked at more than 200 meta-analyses in 2017, said: “Coffee consumption seems generally safe within usual levels of intake, with summary estimates indicating the largest risk reduction for various health outcomes at three to four cups a day, and more likely to benefit health than harm.” Another from the same year found that coffee was associated with a probable decreased risk of several forms of cancer, alongside cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease and type 2 diabetes.

What about coffee’s other long-term benefits? There is some evidence that its mood-elevating effects can be beneficial over the long term. In a 2016 meta-analysis of observational studies, caffeine consumption was found to decrease the risk of depression, while a Finnish study from 2010 found a similar result with coffee. In the Finnish study, the connection was weaker when other caffeinated drinks were consumed – suggesting that there is something in coffee specifically that can affect mood. One theory is that it’s the antioxidants, as these tend to correlate with reduced stress overall.

Coffee can also help with burning fat, but it’s most effective in conjunction with exercise. “In order to get rid of fat, you have to break it from the cell and then burn it,” says Nelson. “Caffeine has been shown to increase lipolysis, or the breaking part.” So, having a quick cup before your morning workout does more than just give you an energy boost.

What about the way you drink it?

Does how you drink it make a difference? In short: yes. Darker roasts, as well as being lower in caffeine, tend to contain fewer antioxidants and lower levels of chlorogenic acid, a compound that can protect the body against inflammation and cell damage. When you grind the beans doesn’t matter (unless you prefer that fresh-ground flavour), but how much you grind them probably does – a finer grind releases more polyphenols, giving fine-ground brews slightly more beneficial effects.

Coffee filtered through paper (in an Aeropress or a V60, say) may be healthier than coffee made with a metal filter (in a cafetière, for example) or no filter at all. A study published in 2020 that followed more than 500,000 healthy coffee drinkers for about two decades found that those who drank filtered coffee (as opposed to just boiling ground beans and drinking the water) had lower rates of arterial disease and death. The study’s authors concluded that the substances in coffee that can raise LDL cholesterol – the “bad” kind – can be removed using a filter; they said a cup of unfiltered coffee typically contains about 30 times the concentration of the lipid-raising substances compared with filtered coffee.

Filtering coffee through paper using a V60 or other pour-over cone is healthier than using a cafetière, research suggests. Photograph: GS Visuals/Getty Images/Image Source

The brewing temperature doesn’t matter that much; while some purists will claim that pouring boiled water directly on to your coffee grounds will “burn” the flavour, it seems to have little effect on the beneficial compounds inside.

As for which of the dizzying array of options in most coffee shops is best, surprisingly little research has been done. “I’d expect having a dose of fat – milk – with your coffee would slightly slow the effect of the caffeine, just as eating food with it would,” says Nelson. A study from 2001 looked at giving people caffeine with carbohydrates and found no additional performance-enhancing effects from taking the two together.

Obviously, if you drink half a pint of milk and two sugars in your latte, it increases the calorie count; is there any way to mitigate that? With a sprinkle of cinnamon, perhaps? “It’s probably not going to have a huge effect on fat-burning,” says Nelson. “There are some studies showing that it may help with glucose metabolism if you give it in a pretty high dose – so if you’re looking at glycemic control, it may be helpful for that. But I wouldn’t count on a little dusting doing much good.”

As for “bulletproof” coffee – the now-trademarked staple of aspiring biohackers made with butter or coconut oil – evidence of its benefits is more scarce than the marketing might make you think. Yes, it can curb cravings and stop you feeling peckish in the mid-morning lull – because it comes with a big scoop of calorific fat – but if you are using it to replace a breakfast like eggs and spinach, you may be cutting down on the nutrients you get first thing in the morning.

So, what is the prescription? Up to three cups a day is probably fine, filtered if possible, dark roasted if you are trying to cut down on caffeine, but light if you are trying to benefit from the other ingredients. Space them out in the morning and try to leave a decent gap after your last one before you go to bed. Oh, and if you want to try your hand at the Aeropress world coffee-making championships, give it a go – they let anyone in.

 

A Study Reveals the Relationship Between Moderate Coffee Consumption and Low Blood Pressure

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In a landmark study, researchers from the Brisighella Heart Study (BHS) present compelling evidence on the intricate relationship between coffee consumption and blood pressure. The study, conducted in a well-characterized Italian rural population, sheds new light on the cardiovascular benefits and potential nuances associated with coffee intake.

Key Findings:

Moderate Consumption Matters: The research, based on an extensive dataset from the BHS, suggests that the impact of coffee on blood pressure is nuanced. Moderate coffee drinking is associated with either higher or lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared to heavy coffee consumption or abstaining from coffee.

Central Blood Pressure Insights: The study goes beyond peripheral blood pressure, delving into central blood pressure parameters. Regular coffee drinkers exhibit lower SBP, pulse pressure, aortic blood pressure, and aortic pulse pressure, indicating a potential positive impact on overall cardiovascular health.

Arterial Stiffness: Contrary to some expectations, the study finds that arterial stiffness, a key factor in cardiovascular health, remains similar across different levels of coffee consumption.

Strengths of the Study:

Longitudinal Design: Leveraging data from the BHS, one of the longest-running European epidemiological studies, the research provides a robust foundation for its groundbreaking findings.

Comprehensive Analysis: The study encompasses a wide range of clinical, laboratory, and hemodynamic parameters, offering a thorough examination of the complex interplay between coffee and cardiovascular health.

Population Specificity: Focused on a well-characterized Italian rural population, the study offers insights that could be particularly relevant in understanding the impact of dietary habits and lifestyle in such communities.

Limitations:

Self-Reported Data: The reliance on self-reported coffee consumption introduces a potential source of bias, as individuals may not accurately report their actual intake.

Coffee Types Not Differentiated: The study does not differentiate between types of coffee (caffeinated vs. decaffeinated, preparation methods), which could influence the observed associations.

Population Specificity: The characteristics of the study population may limit the generalizability of findings to other demographic groups with different dietary patterns.

Implications:

The findings underscore the positive association between regular coffee drinking and cardiovascular health in the Italian population. As coffee remains one of the most widely consumed beverages globally, these insights could have far-reaching implications for public health strategies aimed at cardiovascular disease prevention.

This groundbreaking study prompts a reevaluation of the relationship between coffee and blood pressure, offering new perspectives that could shape dietary recommendations and health policies globally.

Types of coffee reduce the risk of death.. know them

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Caffeinated coffee may have more power to help you wake up in the morning. A new study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that drinking sweetened or bitter coffee is associated with a lower risk of death compared to non-drinkers.

The researchers surveyed 171,616 study participants from the United Kingdom about five times within a year about their lifestyle, which includes coffee habits. Then the scientists looked for death certificates to find out who died, after seven years on average.

Participants ranged in age from 37 to 73, and reported that they had no cardiovascular disease or cancer during the survey.
Not involved in the study, Dr. Kristina Wei, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who is also deputy editor of the Annals of Internal Medicine, said the results showed that the risk of death for those who drank a moderate amount of coffee ranged between 1.5 and 3.5 cup per day, was about 30% lower in people who sweetened their coffee compared to non-coffee drinkers.

She added that those who drink unsweetened coffee have a 16-29% lower risk of death compared to those who do not drink it.

The results were adjusted for social, demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors, with the aim of excluding their impact on the results. For example, Wei noted, the research team asked questions about smoking level, amount of physical activity, education level, and dietary habits.

She noted that the researchers’ adjustments were limited because they did not ask about other factors that could influence the results, such as income level and occupation.

Watch out for added sugar

And if you drink a latte rich in sugar and caramel, you won’t be out of luck, as the study showed that the average amount of sugar a participant reported sweetening their coffee with, assumed to be a teaspoon.

“If you add about a teaspoon of sugar to your coffee, it doesn’t completely negate the benefits of coffee that we think are there,” Wei said.
The results for people who used an artificial sweetener in their coffee drink were less clear, so the researchers couldn’t draw any conclusions from those who used sugar substitutes.

“Based on this study, clinicians can tell their patients that the majority of coffee drinkers do not need to eliminate this drink from their diet,” said lead study author Dr. Dan Liu, from the Department of Epidemiology at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China. Be careful about high-calorie coffees.”

How does coffee affect the body?

Previous research has shown that coffee can protect the heart and help treat other diseases, Liu said. A 2021 study found that coffee consumption may also reduce the risk of liver disease.
Gunter Konleh, professor of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Reading in the UK, who was not involved in the study, notes that coffee has different health profiles, depending on how it is produced.

He said some types contain phenolic compounds that he believes are beneficial.

These chemical compounds affect the flavor and aroma of coffee, and are valuable because they can act as antioxidants, and have anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties.

The two most common types of coffee are Arabica and Robusta, and research has shown that Robusta coffee has a higher phenolic component than Arabica coffee.

Unroasted green coffee beans contain high levels of phenolic compounds, but the weak aroma when brewed leads people to roast them. Accordingly, some phenolic compounds degrade depending on the level of roasting.
The way coffee is brewed also can contain high levels of diterpene, which are chemical compounds that may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to Conley.

Both boiled coffee and French press contain diterpene amounts that are among the highest, according to findings from a 2016 study.

Mocha and espresso coffees contain a moderate amount of diterpene, while the lowest amount of these compounds we soak in instant coffee or filter coffee.

Is Coffee Good For You?

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Men who drink espressos could have higher cholesterol levels than women, a new study suggests.

Previous studies have linked naturally occurring chemicals in coffee with higher levels of cholesterol in the blood, an issue which is linked to heart problems including stroke.

To examine the link between brewing method and cholesterol, a team of academics from Norway set out to look at the way people drink their coffee and also assess the levels of cholesterol in their blood.
Their study, published in the journal Open Heart, examined information from more than 21,000 people over the age of 40 who live in Tromso, Norway.

Analysis of the data showed that the association between coffee and cholesterol varied depending on brewing method, with significant differences seen across the sexes.

Coffee drinkers who consumed three to five espressos a day were significantly more likely to have higher levels of cholesterol in the blood compared with those who did not drink espressos.
Men who drank this many espressos appeared to have higher concentrations compared with women.

Those who had six or more cups of cafetiere coffee – also known as boiled/plunger coffee – also had raised levels compared with those who did not.

Drinking six or more cups of filtered coffee was linked to higher levels of cholesterol in the blood among women, but not men.

The researchers did not find a significant link between instant coffee and cholesterol levels.

“The most important finding was that espresso coffee consumption was significantly associated with increased S-TC (serum total cholesterol),” the authors wrote.

They added: “Espresso coffee consumption was associated with increased S-TC with significantly stronger association for men compared with women.

“Boiled/plunger coffee was associated with increased S-TC in both sexes.

“Filtered coffee was associated with a small increase in S-TC in women.”

They added: “Coffee is the most frequently consumed central stimulant worldwide.

“Because of the high consumption of coffee, even small health effects can have considerable health consequences.

“Increased knowledge on espresso coffee’s association with serum cholesterol will improve the recommendations regarding coffee consumption.”

Commenting on the study, Dr Dipender Gill from St George’s, University of London, urged caution when interpreting conclusions from the data, adding: “The observed differences could instead be explained by confounding factors giving rise to spurious associations.

“Specifically, men and individuals with a preference for a certain type of coffee may happen to also have other lifestyle factors that affect their cholesterol levels.”

List of 10 countries with a unique coffee culture

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Coffee is a favourite drink around the world, but each country has a unique take. Find out what to order in these countries for a taste of local life.

Coffee is a popular drink around the world with each country serving its own version. In many places, the local way of serving or consuming coffee is steeped in rich culture and tradition. Therefore, learning about the coffee culture of a country teaches visitors about the country itself.

These 10 countries have unique coffee cultures that are sure to excite travelers’ taste buds. Find out what makes them different and what drink to order when visiting for an authentic experience.

1 Turkey

Turkish coffee bears many similarities to Greek coffee in how it’s made and the small serving size. However, the role of coffee in Turkish culture is more ritualistic and centers around friendship and hospitality. Freshly roasted, high-quality beans are ground to a fine powder and then added to a pot with cold water and sometimes sugar. The pot is placed on heat and brewed slowly, so a layer of foam develops on top of the coffee. The coffee is served with a glass of water and a piece of Turkish delight.

The ritual of brewing coffee properly is passed down through families, as are the etiquettes associated with this practice. For example, guests should drink from more elaborate cups than the host to honor them. Sitting down for an authentic cup of Turkish coffee when visiting Turkey will provide travelers with a whole new appreciation for the cultural and spiritual properties of the beverage.

2 Costa Rica

Costa Rica is famous for its coffee beans, but that’s not the only advantage the country has in the coffee department. Costa Ricans enjoy a traditional method of brewing coffee called a chorreador. The chorreador consists of a sock-like bag that hangs on a wooden stand and allows hot water to pour through to a cup while filtering out the grounds. The classic method of brewing Costa Rican coffee is reminiscent of the North American “pour-over” coffee that has become popular in recent years.

Ordering a café chorreador while visiting Costa Rica is the best way to get a taste of what the local coffee culture is all about.

3 France

France might not be on many people’s radars as a country with exceptional coffee culture, but it should be. The French are responsible for the delightful drink known as Café au lait, and every traveller should order this once while visiting Paris.

Café au lait is coffee with hot milk, which is different than coffee with regular milk. In France, they call that “white coffee”. Café au lait also differs from a latte because the ratio of coffee to milk isn’t the same. A latte has a 2 to 1 ratio of milk to coffee while Café au lait has a 1 to 1 ratio.

4 Italy

Italy is integral to the world coffee scene. It’s the birthplace of the cappuccino and the world-famous espresso came from Milan. In many ways, Italy is the coffee capital of the world so coffee connoisseurs visiting this beautiful country should get a taste of these beverages in their homeland.

When ordering a coffee in Italy, espresso is the default. If you ask for a cup of coffee, you’ll receive an espresso shot. People typically drink this right at the counter, like a bar, rather than taking a table. For breakfast in Italy, order a cappuccino and a croissant for an authentic experience.

5 Australia

The land down under has high standards for a cup of coffee, so travelers must see what the fuss is about when visiting. Australians have an abundance of locally-owned coffee shops to choose from rather than flocking to massive chains like Starbucks, as Americans commonly do. Instead, Australians enjoy specialty roasts in smaller sizes and are typically stronger than coffee in America. They also add fewer sweeteners.

When in Australia, order a flat white for an authentic taste of the local coffee culture. This drink contains two espresso shots with foam and steamed milk on top.

6 Indonesia

Indonesia has a true one-of-a-kind coffee experience for travelers to try when visiting Southeast Asia. Kopi Luwak refers to coffee made from partially digested beans that are passed by a civet cat. Among tourists, it has earned the nickname “poop coffee”.

The civet cat eats the coffee cherries and doesn’t eat the bean, so it poops the bean back out with an enhanced flavor.

7 Mexico

Mexican coffee culture is not as widely known as some other nations’ traditions, but the taste is unlike any other coffee in the world. Mexicans enjoy the traditional beverage called Café de Olla, which is spiced coffee. It’s prepared in a clay pot, which is where the name comes from.

The coffee is sweetened with piloncillo, and then it’s spiced with cloves, star anise, and cinnamon. The cinnamon flavor comes through strongly when sipping a cup of a Café de Olla, making it perfect for a cool morning.

8 Sweden

Sweden is an excellent destination for coffee enthusiasts, especially since Swedes have one of the highest levels of coffee consumption per capita in the world. Swedish people enjoy a practice called Fika, which refers to a coffee break where people gather and socialize over a drink and a bite to eat.

Swedish Lapland also has a unique coffee tradition known as Kaffeost. In northern Scandinavia, Kaffeost means “coffee cheese”. The name may seem strange to some, but it’s common in northern Sweden to dip cheese into a cup of coffee before eating it.

9 Greece

Greece has incredible coffee culture and offers a unique taste for those who like to drink their caffeinated beverages hot or cold. Traditional Greek coffee is made with a strong brew using finely ground beans. The drink is unfiltered, so the grounds are at the bottom of the cup and there is a nice layer of foam on top.

For those who prefer an iced drink, the Greek frappé (also called a Nescafé frappé) is a must-try. This cold drink contains milk, sugar, ice, and instant coffee

10 Vietnam

In Vietnam, coffee isn’t just a drink to start the day; it’s something people enjoy morning, at noon, and even at night. Vietnam has some of the best coffee in the world and offers two unique beverages every traveler should try while visiting. Vietnamese iced coffee consists of medium or dark roast coffee over ice, combined with condensed milk. It’s the perfect refreshment for a hot day.

Another unique coffee order that shouldn’t be overlooked when visiting Vietnam is egg coffee. This delicious, creamy hot drink is made by combining egg yolk with condensed milk to create a frothy addition to a cup of coffee.

Coffee reduces the risk of Prostate Cancer

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A morning routine is not complete for many without drinking a cup of cappuccino, espresso or other type of coffee, but this routine is actually not just a daily habit, it can bring a lot of health benefits, and may even play a role in saving the lives of some.

A Chinese study published by the website “Daily Express” suggests that coffee consumption can play a role in reducing the risk of prostate cancer.

The study found that “high coffee consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer” after reviewing 16 different studies conducted between 1989 and 2019, involving more than one million people, more than 57 thousand of whom developed prostate cancer.

According to the aggregated data analysis of the available evidence, published in the Electronic Journal BMJ OPEN, the results indicate that each additional cup of daily drink is associated with a reduction in relative risk of approximately 1%.

Compared to the lowest coffee consumption category, those considered the most consumed appeared to have a 9% lower risk of prostate cancer, and further analysis found that the highest consumption was associated with a 7% lower risk of prostate cancer compared to the lowest coffee intake.

The researchers found that there was a 12% reduction in the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer, and a 16% reduction in the risk of dying from prostate cancer among those who drank more coffee.

Chinese researchers suggest that coffee improves glucose metabolism, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and affects levels of sex hormones, all of which may affect preventing the development of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death in men, and what makes it difficult to deal with prostate cancer is that it is not clearly linked to any preventable risk factors, and this is not the first time that studies have shown that coffee has some health benefits.

In previous studies, coffee has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes.

The drink may also help reduce the incidence of the most common types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, and other diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

Moreover, thanks to the caffeine in the drink, coffee also reduces fatigue and increases energy. However, not all the news is good, for our favorite brown drink, as drinking too much coffee can trigger cardiac arrhythmias, in addition, drinking it late can severely disrupt sleep.

As for prostate cancer, if you’re worried about having this condition, there are some symptoms to look out for.

These include the need to urinate frequently during the night, stress or a long time to urinate, poor urine flow, and a feeling that the bladder has not fully emptied.

What do Birds and Bees have to do with Coffee Taste?

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Researchers from the Center for higher education and Tropical Agriculture Research in Central America and the Caribbean recently revealed the secret behind the finest coffee, and found that birds and bees are key contributors to making the grain larger and richer in taste, especially when animals meet in pollination and plant protection.

The researchers relied, according to a report for the site “Daily Mail”, on real-world experiments in 30 farms to produce coffee.

They conducted the tests on four comparison scenarios, where only the activity of birds was adopted in the first, the activity of bees in the second, the absence of activity of both animals in the third, and the natural environment, where birds and bees work together in the fourth.

In each of the scenarios, the research teams experimented with the quality, weight and homogeneity of the resulting fruit set. The three elements turn out to be better when birds and bees work together.

Alejandra Martinez Salinas, who led the study, pointed out that until now, researchers have typically calculated the benefits of nature individually, and then simply collected them, but nature is an interactive system full of synergies and exchanges.

“We are demonstrating the environmental and economic importance of these interactions, in one of the first experiments, to real-life scales within an actual farm,” she said.

Coffee Without Coffee

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The coffee world is an industry worth a hundred billion dollars, but it is the most fragile due to climate change, not to mention the rise in prices in future decades to the highest level in 10 years, “according to the Financial Times. In the recent period, there have been many attempts to invent “coffee without coffee beans”, similar to the varieties of meat, eggs and milk vegetarian. In a move led by the US Food Technology Startup “Atomo coffee” with a team of scientists and chemists to produce coffee from recycled ingredients.

The emerging American food technology company “Atomo coffee” with a team of scientists and chemists took over the work to produce coffee from recycled ingredients for the better than the husks of sunflower and watermelon seeds and subjected to a certain chemical process to acquire the flavor and sensation of real coffee with a dose of caffeine.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Andy Klitsch, CEO of Atomo Coffee, said he believed he would have faced a” counterattack”when announcing that he was producing alternatives to traditional coffee, but he received unexpected support and encouragement. He pointed out that three years ago when the company was founded, his team conducted a lot of studies and research that showed the existence of a real problem. “The areas where coffee trees grow today are exposed to the effects of climate change, prompting farmers to move their crops to higher land areas, which could lead to desertification within the next 30 years,”he said. Andy points out that they hope to meet increased demand around the world without causing desertification. The company “Atomo” produces good-flavored coffee that is friendly to the planet.

“To reinvent coffee, we need to identify the elements that are actually inside the coffee cup. We were able to identify 28 compounds necessary to reproduce an actual cup of coffee. “In order to make coffee without coffee beans, we had to find the equivalent of a coffee bean.

Nucleus dates

The product is made from the best recycled materials produced by American farms and is made entirely from plant-based materials. “Atomo” coffee differs from traditional coffee, of course. The main reason for this is its reliance on the principle of sustainability. The process is mostly based on the date kernel as a first ingredient that is generally discarded by farmers. “There is enough date kernel in the world to make billions of cups of coffee,”says Riley Erickson, research and development scientist at Atomo. “When people ask us if this is really coffee, we answer that it certainly is.

Andy says, adding that coffee is weather, habit and experience, so we want to enjoy the flavor and aroma as with caffeine, and “Atomo” coffee provides the same experience, the same result and the same texture. And the journey of the product begins with a can of cold brewed drink. And soon we will produce ready-made coffee to prepare a hot drink as ground coffee.

The researchers say: very soon we will be able to put that coffee in the refrigerator and taste it the next day and enjoy its taste. So the company decided to share its first product in the form of cold coffee cans, as an optimal way to show how we control things. Andy believes that every coffee lover wants to do what’s best for the planet every day. He says, as long as we produce coffee in a very similar way, we believe that coffee connoisseurs have a chance to have a new experience.

When Drinking Coffee Doesn’t Affect Your Heart?

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Andrey Ardashev, an arrhythmologist, professor of the Medical Scientific and Educational Center of Lomonosov Moscow State University, called a useful dose of coffee.

The Russian specialist said:” In reasonable amounts, coffee does not affect the rhythm of the heart. It is known that the development of arrhythmia is caused by factors affecting the myocardium at the cellular level, impairing the interaction of cardiomyocytes with each other, and as a consequence, impairing the electrical conductivity of the heart tissue. Among such risk factors for arrhythmias: hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease,myocardial infarction, inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), surgery, but not coffee”.

For twelve years, scientists from the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) conducted a study involving about 80 thousand people, as a result of which it was found that coffee and products containing caffeine do not lead to an increase in the number of newly arisen arrhythmias.

According to the expert, even large doses of caffeine did not affect the health of both those study participants who already suffered from arrhythmia and those who were diagnosed with it during the 12-year follow-up period.

Coffee is a complex mixture of more than 150 chemicals. It contains alkaloids, organic acids, tannins, amino acids and many other substances, each of which affects the body.

For example, antioxidants and phenols reduce inflammation, and as a result, they can prevent the development of cancer, as well as reduce insulin resistance, which means they have an antidiabetic effect, explains Ardashev.

But the main positive effect of coffee is that it “helps to cheer up and concentrate”, this is due to the fact that the molecular structure of caffeine resembles the neurotransmitter adenosine. Therefore, caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in the brain and, as a result, reduces the effects of this mediator.

This confirms the well-known scientific fact that “the point of application of the action of caffeine, the target organ is the brain, but not the heart,” says the doctor.

“In moderate doses (from 40 to 300 mg), caffeine can counteract the effects of adenosine, that is, reduce fatigue and increase alertness. At the same time, as in the case of other products, the main thing is to know the measure and not exceed the daily norm,” the arrhythmologist notes.

According to WHO, the permissible amount of caffeine (not coffee) is 300-400 ml per day, which corresponds to about two cups of coffee beans. It should be remembered that caffeine is found not only in coffee, but also in other products, the doctor points out.

“The well-known cardiac effects of coffee, familiar to everyone— are an increase in heart rate, and in rare cases a change in blood pressure or even a feeling of an irregular heartbeat, frightening some fans of this drink, are rather mediated and realized on the heart through exposure to the central nervous system.

Such effects are rather a reflection of the quality of the drink consumed, which may consist in different proportions of different varieties, including grains of low-quality weed origin,” the agency interlocutor believes. The direct effect on the heart cells of the above-mentioned chemical components of coffee is not proven, Ardashev summarizes.

source :

https://1prime.ru/exclusive/20220201/835942416.html

A New Study Warns Of The Impact Of Climate Change On Coffee

Posted on by Qahwa World

A recent study warned of the dangers of climate change on coffee production, stressing that with moderate climate change, the world may lose half of the land suitable for growing coffee in Brazil, which is currently the largest coffee producer in the world, as the area of ​​land suitable for growing coffee will decrease by 79 percent.

During the study, conducted by scientists from Switzerland, the potential impact of climate change on coffee, cashews and avocados was evaluated, as the scientists concluded that climate change will affect the growing areas of all these crops. This, in turn, can affect both producers and consumers around the world.

Fortunately, scientists say, because of climate change, some other regions may, on the contrary, become more suitable for coffee cultivation. Those regions, for example, are some parts of China, Argentina and the USA.

Below is the full text of the study published by the THE CONVERSATION

Coffee May Become More Scarce and Expensive Thanks To Climate Change – New Research

The world could lose half of its best coffee-growing land under a moderate climate change scenario. Brazil, which is the currently world’s largest coffee producer, will see its most suitable coffee-growing land decline by 79%.

That’s one key finding of a new study by scientists in Switzerland, who assessed the potential impacts of climate change on coffee, cashews and avocados. All three are important globally traded crops that are mainly produced by small-scale farmers in the tropics.

Coffee is by far the most important with an expected revenue of US$460 billion (£344 billion) in 2022, while the figures for avocado and cashew are respectively $13 billion and $6 billion. While coffee mainly serves as a stimulatory beverage, avocados and cashews are widely consumed food crops that are rich in monounsaturated plant oils and other beneficial nutrients.

The major take-home message from the new study is that predicted climatic changes are likely to result in significant declines in the amount of land suitable for growing these crops in some of the main regions where they are currently cultivated. In turn this could impact both growers and consumers around the world.

To date, most research into the future impacts of climate change on food has focused on principal staple crops such as wheat, maize, potatoes and oilseeds that are grown in temperate regions. This has mirrored the tendency of climate scientists to focus on the potentially severe impacts of climate change on temperate ecosystems, especially due to altered temperature and rainfall patterns.
In contrast, there has been less work on the tropical ecosystems that constitute about 40% of global land area where more than 3 billion people make their living, with as many as 1 billion more people expected to do so by the 2050s.

The tropics also sustain vast reservoirs of biodiversity, as well as areas to grow many important crops that provide income and food for their huge human populations. The new research confirms and significantly extends findings from the relatively small number of existing studies on coffee, cashew and avocado crops.
An important innovation in the study is to examine land and soil parameters in addition to purely climatic factors such as temperature and rainfall patterns. This enables them to provide a more nuanced view of future impacts that might significantly change the suitability of some tropical regions for growing certain crops due to changes in factors such as soil pH or texture.

The new study complements other recent research into oil palm. Though controversial and often linked to deforestation, oil palm is still one of the most important tropical crops in terms of human nutrition, helping feed more than 3 billion people.
Colleagues and I recently reviewed several modelling analyses of how climate change could impact the incidence of disease and overall mortality in oil palm. The stark conclusion was that tree mortality is likely to increase significantly after 2050, possibly wiping out much of the crop in the Americas. In addition, incidence of the major stem rot disease was predicted to increase drastically across south-east Asia.
Surprising extent and complexity
Collectively, these studies are beginning to reveal the surprising extent and complexity of the impacts of climate change and associated factors on some of the most grown crops in the tropics. Importantly, the impacts will not be distributed evenly and some regions might even benefit from climate change.
For instance, parts of China, Argentina and the US are likely to become more suitable for coffee growing just as the likes of Brazil and Colombia see their land become less suitable. It is likely that many of these changes are now “locked in” at least for the rest of this century, irrespective of the disappointingly sluggish response of global leaders in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Therefore, it will be necessary for us to adapt to the ongoing changes in the tropics, for example by shifting cultivation of specific crops to different regions where climate impacts will be more benign. However, it seems likely that, whatever mitigation measures are adopted, many tropical crops will become scarcer and hence more expensive in the future. In terms of coffee, it might even move from a cheap everyday beverage to a prized treat to be sampled on special occasions, rather like a fine wine.

 

Coffee Protects Women From Uterine Cancer

Posted on by Qahwa World

Scientists are still researching the benefits and harms of coffee, one of the most widely consumed stimulants in the world, containing a complex mix of more than 1,000 chemicals.

In this regard, scientists have revealed in a new study, published in the journal “research of Obstetrics and gynecology”, that coffee has the ability to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer.

According to the study, caffeinated coffee may provide better protection than decaffeinated coffee, to protect against uterine cancer.

Most uterine cancer begins in the layer of cells that make up the lining of the uterus, and there are other types of cancer that can form in the uterus, including uterine sarcoma, but they are much less common than endometrial cancer, according to Sky News Arabia.

Endometrial cancer is often detected at an early stage; it causes abnormal vaginal bleeding, and if detected early, it is often surgical removal of the uterus is the cure for endometrial cancer, according to the site “Mayo Clinic” medical.

Scientists say coffee is one of the most widely consumed stimulants globally, and contains a complex blend of more than 1,000 chemicals such as phenolic compounds (including chlorogenic acid), which produce catechins, caffeine, Ferulic, and comaric acids.

These substances may have beneficial and harmful effects on health, as a negative statistical association between coffee consumption and the incidence of certain cancers has been reported.

Previously, the relationship between coffee consumption and endometrial cancer was unclear, and it was common for coffee consumption to have the potential to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer.

The new study removed this mystery surrounding the relationship of coffee to cancer of the uterus, as the efforts of researchers included the analysis of 24 studies on coffee intake included about 10 thousand new cases of endometrial cancer.

The scientists found that people who consumed the most coffee had a 29 percent lower relative risk of developing endometrial cancer than those who consumed the least.

According to the study, endometrial cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignant tumors worldwide, with an incidence rate of 12.9 per 100 thousand women, and an estimated mortality rate of 2.4 per 100 thousand women.

In developing countries, it is the second most common gynecological malignant neoplasm, with an incidence rate of 5.9 cases per 100 thousand women, while the mortality rate is 1.7 cases per 100 thousand women.

Causes of endometrial cancer include long-term exposure to excess estrogen, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, while the most important protective factors include physical activity, aspirin intake and healthy eating habits.

The researchers believe that more studies are needed that expand the sample size (the patients being studied), to get more information about the benefits of drinking coffee in relation to the risk of endometrial cancer.

7 Informations You Probably Didn’t Know About Coffee

Posted on by Qahwa World

If you’re a coffee drinker, you probably know everything about the difference between Arabica and Robusta beans, dark and light roast, and caffeinated vs. decaf.

You have likely noticed that just smelling coffee can give you a boost of energy before you take your first sip – not that it’s enough to make you skip that cup of joe.

Coffee is clearly an extremely popular and widely consumed beverage, so it might not surprise you to hear that coffee is the second most traded product in the world (after oil), with 25 million farmers in over 50 countries involved in its production.

But how much do you know about the history and the science of coffee? Get ready for a fascinating look behind the curtain of your morning pick-me-up.

7. The world’s most expensive coffee costs up to $600 a pound

For that much money, it’s got to be something truly special. We guess that’s one word for it – this particular coffee is extracted from the feces of a Sumatran wildcat called a civet. The animals love the berries but are unable to digest the beans.

The beans are therefore fermented in the stomach of the animal before being excreted. This apparently produces a smooth and chocolaty coffee with no bitterness once the beans are collected from the feces (and, we assume, washed). To each their own, we guess.

6. It only grows well near the equator

Today, the majority of coffee is grown in Brazil, which produces a full 40% of the world’s supply. That’s twice as much as 2nd and 3rd place producers, Colombia and Vietnam. The only state in the U.S. that grows coffee commercially is Hawaii, with its distinctive Kona beans.

Each of these locations enjoys the year-round warmth and humidity associated with equatorial regions, a climate that is much preferred by coffee berries. In fact, the area between latitudes 25 degrees North and 30 degrees South has been nicknamed the “Bean Belt” for this reason.

5. Coffee has been banned many times throughout history

As world governments became more advanced, so did efforts to harsh everyone’s buzz. Coffee was banned in Mecca in 1511 because officials were sure that it caused radical thinking.

Italian clergymen took it a step further in the later 16th century by labeling coffee satanic. By 1623, Ottoman leader Murad IV decided to institute punishments for drinking coffee, such as being beaten or thrown into the sea.

The Swedish government made owning coffee paraphernalia illegal in 1746, and that included mugs and dishes that could theoretically be used for other things.

Another attempt to ban coffee occurred in 1777, when Frederick the Great of Prussia banned coffee because he was worried about beer sales. But as we know, nothing could stop the runaway train that is coffee consumption. (And beer is doing just fine, too.)

4. Shepherds discovered coffee in Ethiopia around 800 A.D.

The legend goes that goat herders in the early 9th century noticed that their goats seemed to dance after eating coffee berries. A local monk got the idea to make a beverage with the berries, and after drinking it, he predictably stayed up all night. That event marks the birth of the original cup of coffee, but in the earliest use of coffee overall, the berries were mixed with fat to create an energy-rich snack.

If you prefer your history codified, the first written record of the coffee plant comes from Yemen at the end of the 15th century. After discovery of the plant, coffee was very quickly exported to the rest of the world. Cultivation began in the 1600s.

3. Coffee stays hotter when cream is added

And now for a little something about the science of coffee. Adding cream to your brew actually keeps it warmer longer, even though the initial addition of cold cream cools it somewhat.

Overall, coffee with cream cools 20% slower than black. That’s true for a couple of reasons. First, the darker the beverage, the faster it gives off heat. And second, the more viscous the beverage (coffee with cream is thicker than black coffee), the slower it gives off heat.

There is also some evidence that the caffeine in coffee with a dairy additive (milk or cream) is absorbed more slowly by the body. That can decrease the zing you get from it. However, it’s not decreased by much, and other things play a greater role in how quickly caffeine is metabolized, including how much fiber you also have in your stomach.

2. Coffee is a fruit

The coffee “beans” that we use are actually seeds. More accurately, they are the pits of a stone fruit that resembles a cherry. Grown on bushes, coffee cherries contain two seeds, positioned with the flat sides together. About 10-15% of coffee cherries have only one seed, which is called a peaberry. It’s commonly believed that peaberry seeds have more flavor, though there’s no real proof of this claim.

But what happens to the cherry when its seed is extracted? Unfortunately, up to 46 billion pounds of them are simply thrown away.

Concerned about the waste, some companies are starting to produce a product called coffee flour, made from dried coffee fruit. It is said to taste nutty and slightly bitter, with as much caffeine as dark chocolate. But the nutritional benefits are the real surprise. Coffee flour is a rich source of fiber, antioxidants, iron, protein, and potassium.

1. Coffee is healthy

And finally, you don’t need to feel bad about drinking so much of it. Many regular coffee drinkers harbor some guilt about their habit, but that shouldn’t come from the quality of the beverage itself. Sure, if you spend half your food budget on Starbucks or dump a full day’s worth of sugar into each cup, that’s not great.

But coffee drinkers get health benefits from the habit, too. The coffee itself has high levels of antioxidants as well as potassium, manganese, and B vitamins.

And research shows that the caffeine in coffee offers protection against Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Women also seem to have a lower risk of skin cancer when they consume caffeine regularly.

So the next time you are sharing a cup of coffee with a new friend, or an uncomfortable silence falls over the breakfast table, you’ll have lots of interesting tidbits about coffee to share.

And don’t let anyone hassle you about your little habit – coffee is one addiction that’s okay to lean into. In fact, if you want to help save the planet, buy coffee flour, too.