Gone are the the days of the ridicule and judgmental glances that translate to, “Are you really going to drink that?” from your tea-loving friends as you order your second venti coffee of the day.
While coffee has been a controversial health topic since its origins, Harvard has recently conducted a study that encourages coffee enthusiasts to proudly reach for that next cup. In fact, the study shows that people should reach for three to five cups a day, as this will decrease the chance of premature death by some illnesses. Drinkers of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee experience benefits such as a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and suicide.
Coffee has not always been given the thumbs up by society. From the beginning of its popularity centuries ago, societal and medical views on coffee have frequently changed from negative to positive, and vice-versa.
Dating back to the 16th century, coffee was first given a bad name when patrons of Arabian coffeehouses were found to be more likely to participate in criminal acts, such as illegal sex. The mayor of Mecca actually banned coffeehouses -- imagine a cold world with no Starbucks -- but this (obviously) did not last long.
In the following centuries, various myths about coffee said that it could cause you to go blind, increase your risk of heart disease, cause students to do poorly in school -- and my personal favorite, that it stunts your growth. True, I may be 5 feet 1 inch, but my lack of height is purely genetic and studies proving there is no relationship between caffeine and bone growth support my case.
If you’re still sipping your green tea and wondering to yourself how a large intake of coffee daily can possibly be healthy, consider the following. Coffee is bitter tasting. Our minds taste this beverage and think, “Coffee is bitter and therefore is poison and therefore I should not drink it.”
I will be the first to admit that I am addicted, so over the years I have come to enjoy a nice black cup of coffee. For most, however, this is confusing. I get a lot of disgusted remarks such as, “Do you even have a soul?” These are the people who are not receiving the positive health benefits from the drink. Taking a drop of coffee with your milk and sugar does help to mask the bitter taste, but I would advise against taking in more than one of these a day.
Now don’t get me wrong -- I have my fair share of tea from time to time, but tea is not coffee. Yes, I understand that tea contains caffeine, but I also understand that the caffeine jolt from tea is nowhere near the level of caffeine jolt from coffee. The jolt from coffee is more fun, stronger and makes interaction in the early morning considerably less painful.
Furthermore, if I ever miss my morning coffee, don’t expect me to attend my 8 a.m. and actually be attentive. The right amount of coffee helps me focus, and I refuse to go through my days coffee-less and unproductive.
And another thing: coffee makes me happy. If you ask me, life is too short not to be in a good mood at all times. And if you ask a Harvard researcher, life is too short to go without three to five cups of coffee.
