Some people view coffee as a holy grail necessary for survival. Some choose to stay away from it from fear of caffeine addiction. No matter how hard I try, though, I can’t seem to rid my daily coffee fix from my morning routine. So I decided to put it to the test with some research -- is coffee actually bad for you? Does it stunt your growth? Does it cause cancer? Does it trigger anxiety? Does it make you smarter?
- Coffee Does Not Stunt Your Growth: This myth has been around for years, and for some reason, people still seem to believe it. Not sure where this came from, but there has been no scientific research to prove it.
- Coffee is Healthy: Okay, if you take your coffee with ten packets of sugar and a bunch of creamer, then sure, it’s unhealthy. But coffee itself is loaded with tons of antioxidants and nutrients.
- Nutrients in Coffee: In a single cup of coffee, you’ll get:
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA (Recommended Daily Amount).
- Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA.
- Manganese and Potassium: 3% of the RDA.
- Magnesium and Niacin (B3): 2% of the RDA.
- Coffee Improves Your Mood: The caffeine in coffee does more than just wake you up--caffeine helps boost energy levels, mood, and also stimulates some neurological senses in your brain.
- Coffee Can Help Prevent Serious Diseases: Although there is no known cure to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia, studies have shown that coffee drinkers were 65% less likely to develop these diseases, and 60% less likely to develop Parkinson’s.
- Coffee May Help With Depression: A study conducted at Harvard in 2011 found that women who drank 4 or more cups of coffee a day had a 20% lower risk of depression, and that people who drank four or more cups a day were 53% less likely to commit suicide.
- Coffee Might Help You Live Longer: It’s already been stated that coffee can help prevent some diseases that could be life-threatening. But that’s not all--several studies have been conducted that suggest coffee-drinkers have up to 30% lower risk of death.
- Coffee Can Trigger Anxiety: This is one of the downsides of coffee, and something that inspired me to lower my daily coffee intake. However, it’s the sad truth about coffee and other caffeinated drinks -- they can trigger anxiety attacks and cause panic or shaking. If this may affect you, it is probably best to stay away, or simply know your limits.
