by Jordan Stacy

Coffee: GOOD or BAD

To make this article as UNBIASED as possible, considering I am a devoted coffee lover *insert two venti americanos daily*, I decided to list three health advantages and disadvantages to drinking coffee and let you determine if the negatives outweigh the positives.

Health Advantages

  1. Antioxidants.

Coffee contains a lot of disease-fighting, immune boosting antioxidants that are great for fighting off disease, sickness, or clearing up your skin. Many studies have proven that drinking coffee daily decreases the risk of stroke, dementia, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Energy Levels and Mood

Caffeine is said to elevate levels of dopamine (“the happy chemical”) in your brain, making you feel happier and less moody. Believe it or not, a study was done with the connection of coffee and suicide and the outcome was that a person who drinks just TWO cups of coffee per day has a 50% lower risk of suicide.

  1. The Taste and Coffee Culture

I personally think that 1) coffee tastes amazing especially with some vanilla soy milk and cinnamon. With that being said, it is an acquired taste and I have not always enjoyed it. Actually, if you would have asked me to even take a sip of coffee a year ago I would have laughed in your face. Anyways, 2) I think there is a sort of coffee “culture”, aka going to cute coffee shops with friends and trying new drinks or to make studying more enjoyable.

Health Disadvantages

  1. Restlessness, Insomnia, Sleep Troubles

Depending on when you drink coffee, the high amount of caffeine in it can affect how well you sleep because caffeine is a stimulant.

  1. Dependence On It

Some people can become dependant on caffeine and use it to mask other issues such as sleep deprivation. Someone who is really tired may think that a ton of coffee will wake them up and solve everything when really they need to go to sleep! People who are truly addicted to caffeine and go long enough without it, may experience “withdrawal” symptoms such as headaches, shaking, and nausea.

  1. Digestive Issues

Too much coffee can be hard on your gut and digestive system. The acidity of coffee is really hard on the bacteria (good kind) in your gut.

My Feelings

Personally, I will never give up coffee. It gives me something to look forward to in the morning, tastes amazing, gives me no bad side effects, and has huge health benefits associated with it! That being said, everything in moderation! Drinking coffee with an EQUAL amount of water and replacing coffee with tea or juice some days. (Except that seems kind of hypocritical of me to say because I just couldn’t)