I’m totally the sort of coffee drinker who can’t start the day without a coffee. I thought about quitting it quite a few times, but the best I could do was to reduce it from 2-3 cups a day to 1 cup a day. 

As it looks like I’m not going to stop drinking my morning black coffee, I might as well enjoy it and find out what health benefits it brings.

Coffee and health

Coffee provides that pick-me-up effect I need in the morning. It contains high levels of chlorogenic acid which is also a component of many fruits and vegetables. Chlorogenic acid may help lose weight, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of diabetes. Other than that, coffee is also incredibly high in antioxidants and has been medically proven to be highly beneficial to our health.

Having coffee with sugary foods can cause heartburn and aggravate acid reflux?

A lot of people, myself included, like to pair coffee with dessert. However, this is indeed a dangerous mix that can cause heartburn and aggravate acid reflux.

Caffeine affects the oesophagus by relaxing the lower oesophagal sphincter, while sugary foods often cause the stomach to secrete large amounts of corrosive stomach acid. So when your caffeine intake is high, the muscles that connect the stomach to the oesophagus are relaxed. When this happens, an opening is created for the large amounts of stomach acid to come up into your oesophagus, which causes acid reflux. 

Here’s how coffee lovers should drink coffee without irritating the stomach.

Dark roast coffee is easier on the stomach

Other than caffeine, coffee contains a stomach-friendly compound called N-methylpyridinium (NMP), which blocks the ability of the stomach cells to produce hydrochloric acid and provides a way to reduce or avoid stomach irritation. 

Interestingly, NMP is only generated upon roasting and not found in raw coffee beans. The longer the coffee is roasted, the more NMP it contains. Dark roast coffee can contain as much as twice the levels of NMP as light roast coffee, which means it causes less irritation for your stomach.

Switching from coffee to lattes for the calcium?

Those who don’t like the bitter taste of the coffee will add milk to give it a smoother taste, and perhaps increase the daily calcium intake? The truth is, the tannic acid in coffee can inhibit calcium absorption. If you really want your body to absorb the calcium, try having a black coffee first, and then drink milk after half an hour. 

How much of a coffee drinker are you? Share with me in the comments below!

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