The truth about the coffee

There has been a long discussion about the healthy or damaging effects on drinking the coffee. Even though there are proofs and studies to show that coffee has plenty beneficial properties for one´s health but on the other hand, there are also known facts that prove coffee is harmful too.
We are going to look now on both sides and discover or more remind ourselves why not to drink or drink this caffeine drink.

Firstly, coffee is a major source of antioxidants and shows the ability to increase the mortality.  It reduces the risks of various diseases such as liver, colon, breast and skin cancer and also reduces chances of developing Parkinson´s disease. It also has the ability to protest against diabetes. Study showed that in women who drank 4 or more cups daily were 20% less likely to develop diabetes. Daily intake of coffee also fights against depression and it may also increase the memory capacity and therefore protects against Alzheimeir´s.
Drinking coffee also speeds the passage of waste through the digestive tract.
As for the weight loss, coffee has both positive and negative effects. Caffeine is a stimulant which can enable people to be more alert and help them to be more active. Drinking coffee in the afternoon or after dinner can also help with the sweet cravings by filling the stomach without the additional calories.
It may also stimulate the metabolism by increasing the rate of thermonegesis, that is how the body burns calories to create heat and energy, however this may have only slight impact on weight loss.
Coffee itself has very few calories and no fat, but people mostly drink it with added sugar, milk, syrup etc, to modify the taste.

Caffeine has the ability to inhibit insulin activity and increase blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. Although, the sugar in coffee may be the reason for insulin resistance and not the coffee itself.
Coffee depletes vitamins and causes mineral loss, including magnesium - the relaxation mineral. It is also addictive and it is not advisable to drink it on empty stomach. Drinking coffee also causes urinary excretion of calcium and contributes to osteoporosis. People with poorer sleep should limit the intake of coffee or completely avoid it, as well as people with heartburn and reflux disease. Coffee gives lift but only for a short time, after a while the effect is actually counteractive. Some studies showed that the consuption of coffee had no effect or even lower the risk of heart-related illneses.
As for the negative effects on weight loss, caffeine may increase the stress levels which may lead to overeating. Caffeine also contains other chemicals which encourages the production of adrenaline and cortisone, which increase the stress levels and cortisone has been linked to increase the abdomen fat which is of more concern than any other areas.

Personally, I love coffee. For me, its not something that I need to have in order to wake up in the morning or something to give me that energy but rather it is a kind of pleasure and a treat to spoil myself. I drink coffee for its smell and especially for the taste and how it feels while I am drinking it. So, in a way, it is a small ritual, that I love to do. Loving the taste of coffee, I prefer to have a small espresso rather than cappuccino or latte. These versions are full of milk or cream and therefore loaded with more fat. That is why I think it makes a difference what one drinks, and is better to have a small or medium black coffee and bit of sweetener or hint of milk, if one prefers. This way you will avoid a lot of calories and the coffee will not be a big fat injection for you.

So, even though drinking coffee is not very harmful, everything in moderation, because heavy drinking of 4 -7 cups daily, can cause problems such as restlessness, anxiety and sleeplessness.
As I noted before, it is more dangerous and unhealthy accompanied with cream, milk and sugar, which adds fat and calories into the diet.
Although coffee is proved to be full of antioxidants, it should not be and cannot be a substitute for berries, legumes, nuts and other fruits and vegetables, that provide antioxidants along with a wide range of vitamins, protective components and dietary fiber.