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“Coffee is a language in itself.” –Jackie Chan

Over the course of the last few months I have become an official member of the “a cup of coffee” every morning club. It started around finals last year stopped for summer and then commenced again right after school started. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no addict. I can stop whenever I want. That doesn’t mean I will but I could if I wanted to!

At first coffee tasted like bitter chocolate mixed in with a few clods of dirt to me (I drink it black). However, after a few weeks the bitterness became normal and the drink became a bit of a start of the day ritual. Fast forward a few months to a drowsy teenager driving down Herndon at 7am and sipping coffee like ice water.

Now coffee snuck into my diet like a little mouse and then decided to bulldoze in full throttle. Still like many others I barely noticed. Coffee by nature possess the title stimulate because of the high concentrations of the drug (yes it is classified as a drug) caffeine found within the bean. Caffeine increases the speed of the messages that travel between the brain and the body.

With all of this talk of stimulants, drugs and brain signals one begins to wonder if this whole coffee thing is really a healthy habit at all. Unfortunately, like most decisions in life coffee is neither black (except when it is literally brewed black) nor white but grey with various negative and positive effects. Is coffee overall a good idea or should we skip that daily cup of Joe?

The Cons
It’s probably best to start with the bad news first. Coffee as every stereotype indicates tends to give people the gitters. Increased heart rate and blood pressure as well as the possibility of headaches and a lack of concentration remain among a few of coffees most wide known side effects.

In addition, people often experience restlessness, insomnia, increased anxiety and in rare cases minor heart attacks. Coffee also often raises blood sugar, a significant problem for type two diabetics.

Older coffee drinkers (especially women) may be more susceptible to osteoporosis and a general thinning of bones. According to AARP, the gradual disintegration of bone due to coffee usually only affects older women who drink a significant amount every day.

“Caffeine potentially leads to some spinal bone loss in postmenopausal women if they typically drink more than three cups, or 300 mg of caffeine, a day, but don’t get enough calcium in their diet” –AARP

Those with acid reflex, heart burn or other stomach issues may also experience a level of discomfort from coffee. Unfiltered coffee introduces cafestol (a compound that increases cholesterol) into the body system.

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The Pros
Before you dump your favorite mug for a protein shake take note of coffee’s little publicized benefits.

Coffee is chalked full of antioxidants (counteracts the effects of oxidation) and many other beneficial nutrients including riboflavin, pantothenic acid, potassium and magnesium.

One obvious positive effect rests in Coffee’s ability to improve mood and brain function. This occurs because of the increased speed of firing neurons and remains one of the most popular motives (including my own) for drinking coffee. Authority nutrition reports various successful studies on coffee’s favorable effects on the brain.

“Many controlled trials in humans show that coffee improves various aspects of brain function. This includes memory, mood, vigilance, energy levels, reaction times and general cognitive function.” -Authority Nutrition

Caffeine also tends to aid in weight loss due to its tendency to increase metabolic rates. Although long term coffee drinkers may not experience as high metabolic reactions, coffee still remains among one of the few proven substances to effectively burn fat.

Perhaps the benefit of coffee with the most intrigue is its observed ability to prevent or lower the chances of several chronic diseases. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, hepatitis, fatty liver and even some cancers are thought to be prevented by the nutrients found in coffee.

A recent study published in the New England Medical Journal found coffee to increase the lifespan of both men and women who drank an average of two cups a day. Scientist surveyed a group of coffee drinkers, weighed out other factors and then concluded that death decreased by 10% in men and 15% in women.

Harvard Health Publications purposes the presence of chloroengenic acid and antioxidants as possible explanations for coffee’s disease preventative powers.

“We don’t exactly know why this little bean has such big benefits, since coffee has hundreds of compounds. But we do know that one compound, chlorogenic acid, functions as an antioxidant (which helps our body fight oxidative damage).” – Harvard health publications

So what’s the verdict? Coffee contains both pros and cons but overall the benefits seem to outnumber the side effects. The choice to drink coffee on a regular basis depends upon personal health conditions and individual body reactions. Remember to drink filtered coffee and leave out all the fu-fu cream stuff as much as possible. In short coffee contains several extraordinary health benefits and does not contradict a healthy lifestyle.

P.S. those old farfetched tales about coffee stunting growth are false (trust me I checked!)

The choice is yours. Will you be nutty about health?

To read more from Health Nut, check out A little bitty bit of Italy.