We know one man who has real expertise in this question – an ultra expert with more than ten years of experience – Alexey Nagibin.
To gain insight into this issue, we turned to a real expert in the specialty coffee market. Trained as a wine sommelier, as well, as a real ‘Robert Parker’ of the specialty coffee world, the author of the systematized method for evaluating coffee and the creator of his own training programs for baristas, Coffee Specialty Education Trust, founder the Coffee Collective brew bar – Alexey Nagibin!
This is a very good question because a lot has been said and studied about the benefits of wine, but coffee is still often classified as a harmful drink, which is primarily associated with low level of knowledge about its properties.
The most dangerous thing that scares people off in coffee is caffeine itself, though in many drinks, take tea, for example, its contents is a way more, but it does not have such a reputation. I have already been asked this question in lectures and I studied it in more detail, so let’s sort it all out at last! As a subject for comparison, let’s take a good biodynamic red wine, say, from Austria, and specialty coffee from Kenya.
What do we know about the benefits of coffee from scientific evidence?
There are certain studies that include information that those people who consume a moderate amount of alcohol are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases and may even have a longer life expectancy. We don’t know with absolute certainty, however, whether this is explained by the consumption of wine, seems more likely to be geographical peculiarities. Scientists have discovered that the substances contained in red wine can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and strengthen the walls of arteries. Scientists from University of Iowa published that daily consumption of red wine, in particular, helps to improve mental activity, but, at the same time,
alcohol can trigger cardiovascular diseases, increase in blood pressure, which will lead to an increase in weight and in fat levels in blood and bad cholesterol.
One shouldn’t forget the fact that alcohol, wine included, allows to relax and reduces stress level. The fact speaks for itself: doctors directly assure that for people with diabetes no amount of alcohol is safe.
Excessive consumption of any alcohol accounts for the following health problems: damage done to liver cells, the possibility of oncological diseases: throat cancer, laryngeal or esophageal cancer, pancreatitis, psychological problems. What’s more, some people should not drink alcohol at all. Take pregnant women, for example.
We know for sure that resveratrol is a useful substance, but its content in wine is so little that it is dangerous for your health if you drink alcohol in the hope of filling your body with this antioxidant.
There are even special recommendations for alcohol consumption for adults in America: up to 2 and no more drinks per day for men and 1 for women, that is, we are talking about equivalent to 50-75 ml of red wine. And all the doctors say that less consumption of alcohol or its complete elimination is definitely better for the body than its consumption.
As for coffee, the considered harm must be from caffeine, which is can be really dangerous for humans, but to get a dangerous dose you need to drink approximately 40-50 cups of high quality arabica coffee in less than a couple of hours. It is unlikely that someone will manage to do it (you should not even try to carry out such an experiment). What is that good we know about the effect of coffee on humans? Consuming 2-3 cups of coffee per day may reduce the risk of heart failure (Study ‘Circulation: Health Failure’ published by the American Heart Association, 2021). Also, studies have revealed the most beneficial effect of coffee on the liver and a positive effect for those with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
We also know that coffee interferes with the absorption of calcium and washes it out because has a diuretic effect, so it is prohibited for pregnant women with weak bones, as well as for those who have a hyperactive fetus, as coffee stimulates the central nervous system.
So, drinking water is important both when drinking coffee and drinking wine, as alcohol dehydrates. Drink a glass of water for every glass of coffee you drink to replenish water balance. It seems that wine has been defeated, but I still would not say that it all has only one side. One shouldn’t go from one extreme to the other, it is also important to think about the tastes of these drinks for a man.
Despite the fact that coffee objectively turns out to be a very good drink, which has the benefits of all trending movements: it’s healthy, gluten-free, lactose-free, alcohol-free, and vegan, and this is one of the reasons for growth of its popularity and the reasons why I like it very much because I can indulge myself in smacking the tastes in the morning, while driving and even in the evening. I put forward a life perspective from the point of view of hedonism, and if we exclude all the above, then even a glass of good wine combined with gastronomy is, first of all, incredibly delicious and a cup of specialty coffee with an almond croissant or a brownie can raise the level of serotonin and give real happiness!
If you are healthy and do not have any addictions, you can allow yourself both drinks, the key point is to stick to the principles of conscious consumption and select a high-quality product.
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