Black coffee: Health Benefits, Uses and Side Effects

This is regarded as a beverage that is obtained after roasting coffee beans.

The coffee beans are first grounded and then soaked in water and this leads to the release of flavor, various nutrients, caffeine, color and other contents.

Usually this is served in a hot form but in some cases it can be served cold as well.

In most of the places, this is usually taken at the time of breakfast and this is taken in the morning because of the caffeine content present in it.

The caffeine present in the black coffee has a very stimulating effect on your body which helps you feel awake more than usual.

During consumption, some people like to add half and half, creamer, sugar, milk or sweetener in it to make it much more creamy, reduce its bitterness or both of them.

This is usually used as a base for so many drinks like macchiatos, lattes and cappuccinos.

There are so many types of black coffee available and the type will depend upon the origin of the bean and how it is roasted.

There are decaffeinated coffee beans available which are obtained by the chemical processing of the roasted coffee beans.

This chemical processing leads to the extraction of the caffeine content from the coffee beans.

You should be aware of the fact that a lot of nutrients are present in this.

Apart from them, you can also obtain vitamins, polyphenols and minerals by drinking it.

Along with these beneficial compounds, it has chlorogenic acid which is known to be helpful in fighting against inflammation and providing stability to the blood sugar levels.

The amount of nutrients, polyphenols and other contents can be varying depending upon the type of coffee and how the coffee was brewed.

Studies have been done and proved that it is very effective in reducing the risk of developing various kinds of cancers.

People who drink coffee lie at very lesser risk of developing endometrial cancer and liver cancer.

It is also observed that consumption of coffee also reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.

Apart from this, you should be aware of the fact that overall cancer risk is not affected by the consumption of coffee.

To prove its further effectiveness for this condition more research and study is needed to be done.

This substance is brought under application for the promotion of alertness.

The caffeine present in coffee is considered to be nootropic or a cognition or brain enhancing substance.

Because of this particular property of this substance, speculations are made by researchers that whether or not it can be consumed to provide protection against Alzheimer's disease and age related cognitive decline.

Studies have proved that its consumption has halted the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Consumption of caffeinated coffee is also responsible for the enhancement of mental performance but no such boost is found in decaf coffee.

Consumption of coffee and its relation to reduction in the risk of cognitive decline is not strongly linked.

But, there are links present that point out the connection between Alzheimer's disease and consumption of coffee.

Although it is very beneficial and effective , much more quality research needs to be done to get to know about the effect of coffee consumption on the risk of neurodegenerative conditions.

The consumption of coffee provides a great protection against liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Liver cirrhosis is considered as a type of chronic liver disease at a late stage which is characterized by fibrosis.

Fibrosis is regarded as the scarring and eventual death of the tissues of the liver.

People who suffer from liver problems, when they consume an adequate amount of coffee will never develop this condition of liver cirrhosis over those who do not drink coffee.

It is observed that the caffeine present in coffee is responsible for the benefits that are associated with the health of the liver.

Apart from these miraculous benefits to the liver, much more vivid studies are to be done regarding this.

This has been consumed for getting energy and its consumption makes a person feel much more awake.

Consumption of regular coffee decreases the reaction time and increases the alertness of a person as compared to placebo.

Regular coffee also enhances the test accuracy and it reduces the headaches and tiredness way more than that of decaf coffee.

Decaf coffee consumers also have increased alertness that those who take placebo.

So, if you consume decaf coffee you can expect placebo effects of its own.

You may also experience the effect of various contents present in the coffee other than caffeine and these other contents will contribute to various cognitive effects.

The consumption of coffee has proved that it reduces the risk of development of type 2 diabetes.

It has contents like caffeine and chlorogenic acid which are responsible to keep you away from type 2 diabetes, when consumed in adequate quantities.

A strong relation has been established between coffee intake and its clear dose dependent response on type 2 diabetes.

People who are known to never or rarely drink coffee fall at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

When you take decaf coffee the risk of development of this kind of diabetes also decreases.

So, it is obvious that a compound other than caffeine is responsible for this great benefit.

You should be aware of the fact that when you add sugar or any sugary products to your coffee the diabetes fighting effect of the coffee, nullifies.

For the consumption of this, you just need only two ingredients which are grounded coffee and water.

You can simply grind your beans from the whole, you can roast your coffee beans or you can just purchase the pre grounded coffee.

As a lot of varieties of coffee are available, you may take some time in experiencing the best type of coffee for you and your taste buds.

Some of the most common ways in which you can consume your coffee are given below:

• Pour over or drip
• Percolator
• Coffee pods
• French press
• Cold brew
• Iced
• Instant coffee

When you limit the intake of black coffee to moderate quantities no kind of problems or side effects are observed.

Some of the common problems that are found to be associated with the large intake of black coffee are listed below:

When you take too much caffeine no matter the source of it, the source can be any kind of energy drink or black coffee itself.

This high level of caffeine could lead you to some uncomfortable situations like nausea, stomach upset, insomnia, anxiety, rapid heart rate and headache.

When you are pregnant or breastfeeding you should be limiting the intake of caffeine to 200 mg per day.

You should also limit the intake of caffeine, if you are taking certain prescribed medications.

The prescribed medications could be birth control pills, antibiotics and heart medications.

Some people who take this black coffee could lead you to suffer from stomach irritation as black coffee is acidic.

Black coffee has a diuretic effect as well and this means that its consumption will lead you to produce more urine.

It may lead to some laxative effectiveness in some people as it pulls fluid into the digestive tract.

So if you are falling under any of these categories, it will be best for you to speak to your doctor before consumption.

Your doctor will help you to determine a much more specific amount of caffeine that is to be consumed and safe for you.

For children and adolescents, the quantity of caffeine consumption is said to be minimized as much as possible.

The coffee that is grown world wide can be traced back to many centuries to various old coffee forests that are located in the Ethiopian plateau.

After this was discovered there in those plateaus it then traveled throughout the world and became one of the most famous and drinked beverages.

The traditional way of cultivation of coffee was done in the shades of the trees.

This mimics the natural growing conditions of this plant in the forest habitat.

Shade grown coffee is grown in plantations where they are planted alongside shady trees. These shady trees allow the farmers to put appropriate spaces between the plants.

Black coffee can be regarded as one of the most healthy beverages and especially in cases where you are not interested in drinking sugary coffee drinks.

Although it has so many health benefits, you should be limiting its intake to about 400 mg on a daily basis which is almost equal to 4 cups a day.