There are two sides to coffee, one with many health benefits (if consumed in moderation) and one with side effects (if overconsumed).
Its caffeine content is a central nervous system stimulant famous for its ability to fight fatigue and increase energy levels. That’s exactly why billions of people rely on it to wake up, to get through a night shift or an afternoon slump.
Coffee connects to adenosine receptors in the brain without activating them, leading to reduced tiredness, while also increasing adrenaline levels and brain activity of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine.
In all, this is a potent combination of brain stimulation. Yet overconsumption is generally considered habit-forming, with some side effects linked to anxiety, restlessness, tremors, irregular heartbeat, and trouble sleeping. This can also lead to headaches, migraines, and high blood pressure in some individuals.
Moderation, however, is key to enjoying coffee’s benefits, and this article focuses on maximizing the health benefits of balanced coffee consumption. These include increased mood and brain function, increased metabolism and fat burning, enhanced exercise performance, reduced risk of type 2 heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and many more astounding benefits. This runs counter to evidence during the 1980’s that showed mostly negative benefits.
A possible drawback is that coffee is acidic. The word can be a little confusing because when coffee professionals talk about “acidity,” they’re talking about the presence of certain acids that influence coffee taste. However here, I refer to the acidity on the acid/alkaline scale. Acidity is generally determined using the pH scale (ranging from 0 to 7), while a solution registering from 7 to 14 is considered basic (not acidic).
Most coffee varieties are acidic, with an average pH value of 4.85 to 5.10.
0 ------------ 3.0 ------------ 4.8 – 5.1 ------------ 7.0 ------------ 14
[Acidic] Lemon Juice Black Coffee Neutral [Alkaline]
(pH ~2.0-2.5) (Pure Water)Although this is still less acidic than drinks like beer, orange juice, and even soda, if you’re a regular coffee consumer, then you should pay attention to the acidic nature of your coffee.
A neat little trick I use is to add baking soda to coffee. This can be done while brewing a pot (adding 1/4 teaspoon) or adding a pinch to a cup of ready-to-drink coffee.
Baking soda is alkaline by nature, with a pH value of around 8. A pinch added to your coffee (about 1/16 tsp or 0.3 grams) shifts coffee from moderately acidic (pH 4.8 - 5.0) to nearly neutral (pH 6.2 - 6.8). At this level, stomach irritation drops dramatically, and bitter/sour notes smooth out without ruining the flavor.
Too much (1/4 tsp+ per 12 oz mug) pushes the pH above 7.2 - 7.5. This neutralizes all natural acids, leaving the coffee flat, soapy, and unpleasantly salty.
Studies also show that baking soda prevents the build-up of uric acid and phosphorus. These acids can lead to health problems such as kidney stones, and stomach ulcers. Baking soda may also help with gout (a form of inflammatory arthritis).
As a bonus, scientists at the University of California, Irvine now claim that because baking soda neutralizes the acidity of coffee beans, it reduces the amount of caffeine present by about 10 percent. This is not only because the baking soda acts as an alkali, but also because it changes the chemistry of the bean itself. So if you love coffee but are prone to anxiety and stress, this fix reduces the amount of total caffeine in the drink.
As you can see, a little bit of baking soda can have a lot of positive effects.
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