You are now reading this article while holding a cup of joe in your hand, aren’t you? Coffee is the most consumed drink in the world and many are relying on it to keep them energized during the day. Even if most of us have it routinely, many don’t actually know much about it.
The Chemical Content of Coffee
Coffee is packed with caffeine and a lot of antioxidants. In addition, a cup of coffee also comes with trigonelline and quinic acid. These components provide humans with a lot of therapeutic benefits, which we will discuss in the latter part.
Before it gets transformed, caffeine stays in coffee beans in the form of chlorogenic acid. The chlorogenic acid will then be broken down during the roasting process, releasing free caffeine that we can consume.
How Our Body Reacts to Coffee Chemicals
Different people will react differently to coffee, and how each of us react is dictated by how our adenosine receptor binds to caffeine. What we should know is that caffeine will block the effects of adenosine. This will lead to us feeling more alert and awake.
While there are certain people that should never consume it, caffeine is generally safe to drink regularly. Some of the signs that we have reached our limit on caffeine intake are increased heart rate and feeling jittery.
What Benefits We May Get From Coffee
As mentioned earlier, coffee is packed with a lot of caffeine and antioxidants, which means it will provide several health benefits for us. To start, the antioxidants found in any kind of coffee can help fight the damage caused by harmful free radicals.
Moreover, the high caffeine content has been proven to prevent the development of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, several studies have also demonstrated that caffeine reduces the risk of death caused by cardiovascular disease and diabetes.