How dangerous is it to drink coffee?

Chapter 17

COFFEE

       As soon as we get up in the morning we ask for a cup of coffee or tea. Some people need the cup even before brushing their teeth. Coffee and tea have become such an important part and parcel of our lives. We even hear of people saying that if they don’t drink coffee/tea they will get headache. They are addicted to drinking coffee/tea. What is so special in coffee/tea?

Coffee: Coffee seeds produced by the coffee plant are roasted and powdered. This powder is brewed with or without milk and sugar as required. Coffee is usually drunk hot though cold coffee is also well known.

       Coffee was discovered in the high lands of Ethiopia in the ninth century. The coffee beans are roasted to various levels to get the different flavours of coffee. The roasting changes the bean physically and chemically. As the bean is roasted, the starch in the bean breaks down into simple sugars that begin to go brown changing the colour of the bean. Sucrose is lost rapidly and may be completely absent in the darker roasts. During roasting aromatic oils, acids and caffeine weaken changing the flavour. Oils start appearing. One of these oils is responsible for the coffee smell.

       Depending upon the colour of the roasted bean it is classified into different types. The darker roasts are smoother due to less fiber and more sugary flavour. Lighter roasts have more caffeine and are hence slightly bitter.

       The roasted beans have to be stored in air tight container to preserve the fresh taste. The roasted beans are ground in a roastery or in the coffee shop or at home.

       Instant coffee powder is also available in the market which can be added to hot water to prepare coffee. Canned coffee both hot and cold is also available. 

Danger: The problem with drinking coffee is that it is addictive. You want it again and again. If you don’t get it, you feel lethargic, irritated and can’t sleep. Coffee stains the teeth, making them look yellow. Coffee is dangerous to people who have frequent attacks of heart burns and stomach ulcers. They can have indigestion due to coffee.

Many diseases have been linked to the consumption of coffee. The negative effect is due to the presence of caffeine in coffee. Taking coffee regularly can lead to iron deficiency anaemia in mothers and children. It also interferes in the absorption of iron supplement. Coffee can lead to stiffening of the walls of arteries.

                People who want to give up coffee can take decaffeinated coffee or coffee substitutes. One method of decaffeinating is to treat the green coffee beans with chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents before roasting them.