Can I drink instant coffee?
People who drink coffee at home, but do not have a coffee machine, in most cases choose instant coffee. It is not surprising, because it brews quickly, has a mild taste and does not leave cake.
However, the debate on the negative impact of granulated coffee on the human body does not subside for a minute.
So is it harmful to drink instant coffee?
To solve the dilemma, you need to understand what this coffee consists of.
No manufacturer reveals the exact recipe for the mixture. The fact is that instant coffee contains up to 90% of impurities - these are preservatives, flavorings, sugar and other chemical additives - as well as some rejected coffee beans.
Naturally, such raw materials cannot be called natural. In terms of strength, instant coffee is much inferior to ground coffee, and the drink acquires a charming smell due to an impressive number of flavorings.
Possible harm
The negative properties of coffee most often manifest themselves against the background of abuse (exceeding the safe dose - 6 teaspoons per day). The most common adverse events include:
- Restlessness and irritability. Coffee increases the secretion of adrenaline, a hormone that activates the activity of all body systems and contributes to feelings of anxiety and increased vigilance. Nervousness and panic attacks may develop.
- Sleep disorder. Instant coffee (in large volumes) disrupts the structure and duration of sleep and increases the time required to fall asleep. In order to prevent this side effect, it is recommended not to drink the drink earlier than 5-6 hours before going to bed.
- Disorders of the digestive tract. Caffeine disrupts the homeostasis between the “protective factors” and “aggression factors” of the gastric mucosa and may contribute to disruption of the esophagogastric sphincter. The motility of the large intestine also accelerates, which leads to diarrhea.
- Rhabdomyolysis. At the moment, only isolated cases of this complication have been described, occurring exclusively with an overdose of caffeine.
- Addiction. Coffee is addictive, since caffeine provokes certain disturbances in the production of neurotransmitters, as a result of which the desire to consume the product increases. The higher the initial level of coffee consumption, the stronger the effect. With the sudden exclusion of the drink from the diet, a clinical withdrawal syndrome is observed.
- Feeling tired. Coffee stimulates the functioning of all systems, transfers them to a higher level of activity. As a result, the body gets used to the new way of life and when you stop drinking the drink, you experience the development of feelings of fatigue, depression, and drowsiness.
- Increased diuresis. Caffeine accelerates the formation of primary urine in the glomeruli, which is manifested by frequent urination. The effect may be important for persons with edema.
Do not exceed the recommended amount of coffee to prevent adverse effects.
Why can't you drink instant coffee?
It is unlikely that a drink consisting almost entirely of chemicals will benefit the body. Quite the contrary.
Here are just some of the unpleasant consequences of drinking unnatural granulated coffee:
- Development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Gastritis, malfunction of the pancreas, ulcers - this is not a complete list of problems that arise in people who start the morning with a cup of coffee on an empty stomach.
- Development of diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Coffee is contraindicated for people with heart problems. This drink is especially dangerous in tandem with cigarettes.
- Development of diseases of the urinary system.
Due to the diuretic effect, coffee not only deprives the body of moisture, but also washes away calcium.
We must not forget about the addiction that avid coffee drinkers experience. Without a cup of aromatic drink in the morning, they cannot wake up, and in the afternoon they cannot concentrate on important issues. A kind of withdrawal occurs: without “refueling” with caffeine, a person feels unhappy, overwhelmed and risks falling into depression.
You can learn more about nutrition rules and the principles of forming a reasonable diet in dietetics courses.
To date, little is known about the effect of dietary composition on the risk of heart failure.
The journal Circulation: Heart Failure published an analysis of three large prospective observational studies in which patients completed detailed questionnaires about their eating behavior at baseline. Data from the Framingham Heart Study were processed using machine learning. This method allowed us to analyze the role of 204 potential risk factors in relation to the development of CHF, stroke and coronary artery disease. We selected 20% of the most significant features based on the results of machine learning, which had the greatest impact on the risk of developing CHF, stroke and coronary artery disease. These included both known risk factors and behavioral parameters such as drinking coffee or decaffeinated drinks, red meat, whole milk, alcohol, eggs, and cheese. These “dietary” factors were compared with known “classical” CVD risk factors in a multivariate analysis that, in addition to data from the FHS study, also included data from the Cardiovascular Heart Study and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities.
It was shown that of all dietary “habits” only coffee consumption was associated with the risk of CHF: each cup (on average per day) was associated with a 5% reduction in the risk of developing CHF (p = 0.03). The risk of stroke and coronary artery disease did not increase.
The results obtained are consistent with previous data, according to which coffee consumption is associated with a decrease in the incidence of CVD (primarily stroke) and cardiovascular death.
The methodology of the conducted studies does not allow us to judge the cause-and-effect relationships between coffee and CVD. In addition to caffeine, coffee contains a lot of other nutrients - potassium, magnesium, niacin, tocopherol. Perhaps drinking coffee is simply associated with other “healthy” behavior patterns. An interesting hypothesis has been put forward regarding the previously postulated association between heavy coffee consumption and a potential increase in CVD risk: it is assumed that such frequent coffee consumption is associated with frequent smoking.
The authors emphasize that the findings do not constitute a basis for recommending drinking more coffee (especially since coffee may increase the consumption of cream and sugar). However, accumulated data allow us to exclude coffee from the list of significant CVD risk factors with a certain degree of confidence.
Based on materials:
Stevens LM, Linstead E, Hall JL, Kao DP. Association Between Coffee Intake and Incident Heart Failure Risk: A Machine Learning Analysis of the FHS, the ARIC Study, and the CHS. Circ Heart Fail. 2021 Feb 9:CIRCHEARTFAILURE119006799. doi: 10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.119.006799. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33557575.
https://www.ahajournals.org/
Text: Shakhmatova O.O.
Is it possible to drink instant coffee while losing weight?
Many diets allow the consumption of instant coffee due to its low calorie content. Indeed, if you drink black coffee without milk and sugar, then its calorie content is less than 3 kcal per mug, which is a very low figure.
Another question is that in addition to extra calories, you won’t be able to get any nutrients or a boost of energy from such coffee.
How to choose quality coffee?
A low-quality product is definitely harmful to health. A price below average indicates that slag - waste and grain fragments - was used for production. We advise you to follow simple rules when choosing instant drinks:
- preference is given to natural freeze-dried coffee;
- the size of the coffee granules should be the same, the color should be uniform;
- packaging requires a sealed bag or glass jar.
If, when opening a package of freeze-dried coffee, coffee particles of uneven color or powdered are found, then this product should not be consumed. This is an unscrupulous brand that has violated production technology.
Can I drink instant coffee during pregnancy?
Pregnant women and nursing mothers are strictly prohibited from consuming granulated coffee. In the first case, the likelihood of abnormal development of the fetus increases significantly, and the risk of miscarriage also increases.
As for nursing mothers, their consumption of unnatural coffee often leads to nervousness and psycho-emotional disorders in the child.
It is also recommended to avoid instant coffee:
- To old people.
This age group has a high chance of worsening sleep problems and developing tachycardia.
- Drivers.
Most often, drivers drink coffee to cheer themselves up. The instant drink contains too little caffeine, so it cannot effectively energize you, which means you are more likely to fall asleep while driving.
- For children.
The child’s overly active body reacts to caffeine by increasing nervousness, excitability and aggressiveness.
conclusions
The composition of premium freeze-dried coffee is identical to its grain counterpart, having a pleasant taste and aroma. First of all, the negative impact is due to excessive consumption or low quality coffee produced by dubious brands. The dose of instant coffee per day for a healthy person is no more than 3-5 cups. It is advisable to refrain from invigorating drinks for people with chronic heart and pancreas diseases, pregnant and lactating women, as well as those who are under stress.
Is it possible to drink expired instant coffee?
Expired products are a direct threat to human health. Everyone knows that expired dairy products cause serious harm to the body, but what about instant coffee?
There are currently no established cases of serious poisoning from instant drinks, but doctors strongly do not recommend consuming it after the expiration date. This tip applies to both ground coffee and 3-in-1 coffee bags.
Most often, an expired drink loses its aroma and richness of taste. But improper storage of the product also leads to such consequences. It is best to pour the coffee into a jar with a tight-fitting lid, preferably tin or glass, but not plastic.
Benefit
Instant coffee can hardly be called a completely natural product. During the production process, coffee beans lose essential oils, which impart a lasting aroma to the finished drink. Therefore, various synthetic additives, flavorings, etc. are added to the instant drink. And as you know, synthetic additives are not considered healthy.
Still, an instant drink can also be beneficial for the body. For example, drinking small amounts of instant coffee helps activate the brain and increase body tone, speeds up the heart.
Other beneficial effects
Depending on what time of day you drink coffee, its effect on the body will be different. It will be useful to know that:
- A cup of brewed coffee, drunk after waking up, will invigorate and energize you for several hours.
- Evening coffee can have a double effect. For hypotensive patients, it will become a savior from insomnia, slightly raising blood pressure and normalizing vascular tone. For the rest, on the contrary, it will serve as a stimulant and drive away sleep, prolonging the period of wakefulness.
- To prevent diseases such as asthma, Parkinson's disease and cancer, as well as to normalize carbohydrate and fat metabolism, it is recommended to drink 2-3 cups of freshly ground drink per day.
- Coffee beans contain the amino acid tryptophan, which generates the production of serotonin (the hormone of happiness) and melatonin (the hormone of sleep and wakefulness). By choosing the right dosage for yourself, you can regulate your sleep, and also easily lift the mood of yourself and those around you.
It is important to understand that coffee is not a medicine, but simply a tasty and aromatic drink that can be used not only for your pleasure, but also as a preventive measure to maintain health.
The benefits of coffee for the liver
The liver is the main laboratory of the body, which carries out the important function of filtering and cleansing it of toxins and harmful substances. Drinking coffee in reasonable dosages can have a positive effect in the fight against a number of diseases. In particular:
- Minimize the risk of developing liver cirrhosis, as it promotes the regeneration of hepatocytes.
- Prevent the formation of liver fibrosis, since regular feeding of the body with caffeine helps to slow down the process of scar formation in the area of parenchymal tissue.
- Correct and stabilize lipid metabolism. It has been proven that a person’s life expectancy is proportionally dependent on the degree of obesity, that is, the more overweight, the more people get sick and age faster.
- Help in restoring strength after hepatitis C. Caffeine is a natural blocker of receptors responsible for the production of the intracellular enzyme alanine aminotransferase.
This video provides detailed information about the benefits of coffee for the liver.
Coffee and liver
From a medical point of view, coffee affects the liver and other organs as follows:
- The effect of coffee on the stomach is manifested by an increase in the secretion of gastric juice, which promotes faster digestion of food.
- The gallbladder reacts to coffee with increased production of bile, and the main reason for this effect is not caffeine, but substances formed during the roasting of beans.
- Coffee contains substances that reduce the release of histamine, so drinking it can have an anti-allergic effect.
- Coffee performs a diuretic function, stimulating the genitourinary system.
- The drink is able to regulate the balance of insulin in the blood, which means it can be an assistant in the fight against diabetes.
Important! People suffering from gastritis and ulcers are contraindicated to drink coffee.
