Cheers to the coffee bean, which otherwise often gets its fat off. Studies show that moderate consumption even improves memory performance. Blood pressure-boosting poison or excellent stimulant: experts have been arguing about coffee and its effects for years.

How does coffee affect our body? Many researchers have looked into this question in recent years. We present five surprising study results

If you enter the beginning of the sentence "coffee makes you tired" into Google, you will be presented with words such as "tired", "sick", "beautiful" or "old", a collection of extremely contradictory terms. And thus an indication that there is a lot of confusion about the effects of coffee.

For a long time, doctors warned that coffee damages the heart or dehydrates the body. Recent studies say otherwise and have thoroughly revamped coffee's image. They even attest to the health benefits of regular, but of course not excessive, coffee consumption.

So nothing stands in the way of enjoyment. However, a cup of coffee will not be available on prescription in the future either. Most studies are based on purely statistical observations and not on reproducible cause-and-effect relationships, as is the case with the effects of medication.

Coffee boosts the memory

Drinking coffee after learning acts as a booster for long-term memory. This was found by researchers led by Michael Yassa from the University of Baltimore after a study involving 160 test subjects who drank little or no coffee.

The researchers showed them several objects in pictures, which had to be categorized as "outside" and "inside". One half were then given 200 milligrams of caffeine tablets, the other half placebos.

The actual memory test took place 24 hours later: The test subjects were shown pictures again - the same, completely new and very similar ones, which were recognized significantly better by the caffeine group.

A cup of coffee contains 80 to 120 milligrams of caffeine. Anyone who now thinks that a constant coffee-to-go would stimulate the brain will be disappointed. According to the study, the caffeine effect cannot be increased at will - and it says nothing about the practical benefits. Perhaps a habituation effect with regular consumption will put the super memory into perspective.

Fighting the kilos with coffee

A study published in 2016 shows that regular coffee consumption can help you lose weight and even keep it off. The study, led by Professor de Zwaan from the University of Hanover, analyzed data from 500 men and women from the German Weight Control Register. They consumed more caffeine than over 2000 control subjects from a population sample.

The register contains information and data from people who successfully lost at least ten percent of their weight over a year and were able to keep it off for at least a year. The coffee drinkers fared better - they had a lower body mass index (BMI) and were able to maintain their weight better in the long term than the control group. Caffeine, which stimulates the body to use more energy and burn more fat, is said to be responsible for this. Of course, coffee is no substitute for diet or exercise - but coffee drinkers have an easier time losing weight.

Coffee lowers the risk of cancer

Sunscreen, parasols ... and coffee. When it comes to protecting yourself from UV radiation, coffee is not necessarily the first thing that springs to mind. What at first sounds confusing was proven in laboratory tests some time ago: Some coffee ingredients can protect against cell damage caused by UVB radiation.

Reactions in the test tube do not say much in practice, which is why a team of researchers led by Erikka Loftfield from the Yale School of Public Health analyzed the data from a completed American nutrition and health study in which almost half a million people recorded their eating habits and UV exposure over ten years. In the follow-up study, a good 2,900 participants were diagnosed with melanoma.

Calculations showed that four or more cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of skin cancer by 20 percent. The caffeine in coffee appears to be responsible for this effect.

Coffee drinkers live longer

Coffee can apparently not only prolong stressful working hours, but also life, according to an American study. A team from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed data from more than 200,000 people that had already been collected as part of the Nurses' Health Studies and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. These are long-term American studies that have been running for over 30 years.

The result: coffee drinkers live longer than people who completely abstain from the hot brown beverage. Up to five cups a day reduce the risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease. It is not entirely clear which ingredients are responsible for this. It is unlikely to be caffeine, as decaffeinated coffee had the same effect.

So should you become a coffee drinker quickly? Of course not, the researchers have only shown that there were statistically relevant correlations. Of course, personal circumstances also play a major role.

Coffee is also important for the fluid balance

The rumor that the aromatic drink dehydrates the body is as persistent as a coffee stain. However, studies have shown that coffee has almost the same effect as any other liquid. Well, caffeine is a diuretic. You "have" to drink more often, but you don't excrete any more water throughout the day. Regular coffee drinkers don't notice the diuretic effect, they get used to it. British researcher Sophie Killer found this out in a study with 50 test subjects who enjoyed three to six cups a day.

They were given four cups of coffee a day for three days, and after a ten-day break they were given the same amount of water instead of coffee. The liquids were labeled with a hydrogen isotope. In this way, the researchers knew whether they were incorporated into the body or quickly excreted again.

No dehydration, no dehydration: coffee contributes just as much to the water balance as water. The glass of water often served with coffee is a nice gesture, but not necessary.

CoffeeTime

Super Admins

Admins