A nutritionist told about the benefits and harms of coffee

Dmitry Semiryadov, a nutritionist and nutritionist, told Izvestia on November 24 about the benefits and harms of coffee, in what quantities it can be consumed and why it gives you strength.

Caffeine is the most commonly sold drug in the world, and it is very easy to become addicted to it. Consuming low to moderate doses of caffeine is generally safe and even beneficial: one to three cups of coffee a day reduces the risks of type II diabetes, dementia, depression, liver disease, stroke, and heart disease. Coffee contains beneficial antioxidants that reduce inflammation and protect the body.

That said, 2-3 cups of coffee gives the maximum reduction in cardiovascular disease risk, but as much as 4 or more cups a day can increase risks.

Caffeine is a stimulant which, like all other substances in this group, can cause addiction and side effects. A growing number of clinical studies show that some caffeine addicts become addicted to coffee and cannot reduce their consumption despite health problems and side effects - tachycardia, blood pressure spikes, anxiety, GI disorders. The World Health Organization and some health professionals recognize caffeine addiction as a clinical disorder.

According to the nutritionist, one should seriously consider reducing coffee consumption or giving it up if, first, it is hard for a person to wake up without coffee, and feel a loss of energy, headache, etc. This indicates that the nervous and hormonal systems are exhausted and do not work normally without constant aids. Further stimulation with caffeine will only worsen burnout and withdrawal, and in the future may lead to more serious pathologies (depression, anxiety disorder) and the need for psychiatric treatment. And, secondly, if a person cannot reduce consumption or give up coffee - to tachycardia, blood pressure spikes, anxiety and GI disorders.

Anxiety and tachycardia can indicate an imbalance of adrenal hormones (lots of adrenaline, cortisol deficiency), an underlying anxiety disorder, incipient depression, etc.

"If you are a healthy active person who feels good even without coffee, it will be beneficial in the amount of 1-3 cups a day. Any addiction is bad, so if you can't live without coffee, it's worth taking the recommendations," Semiryadov said.

Coffee and tea contain caffeine, which is a stimulant. Coffee has more of it, tea has less. It increases the production of hormones responsible for activity (cortisol, norepinephrine), accelerates the brain (dopamine and acetylcholine), mobilizes the body's forces, suppresses the feeling of fatigue (blocks adenosine). Due to such hormonal changes and suppresses appetite, the body simply does not think about it at that moment. However, in some people coffee can increase appetite, but this is rare.

Semiryadov noted that hypertensive people are not recommended to drink coffee, because it increases blood pressure. People with GI diseases and microflora disorders should not drink it either, as coffee can aggravate these problems.

"Personally, I recommend no more than one or two cups a day. More, in my opinion, it is an unnecessary load on the nervous and hormonal systems, the work of which is accelerated anyway," - concluded the nutritionist.

Earlier, on October 28, Marjana Dzhutova, a nutritionist at JSC "Medicine" (Clinic of Academician Roitberg), told Izvestia about the principle of "Harvard plate", what this approach is and what are its advantages. According to her, it improves nutrition and health.