According to a research done at the University of Scranton, coffee is the ultimate source of antioxidants in the diet of Americans. Antioxidants are substances in foods, which help prevent and slow down down oxidative damages to the body. When the body uses oxygen, it naturally produces some by-products called free radicals that cause damage to the cells.

Antioxidants fight these free-radicals putting a stop to damages done by them. This specific study shows that coffee is the number one source of these antioxidants. What’s more important is that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee provides the same amount of antioxidants.

Coffee really has some benefits to our body but this must not be taken as an excuse to increase our daily intake of this little cup of heaven. In moderation — one or two cups a day — coffee is a nice source of antioxidants for our body.

Other benefits of drinking coffee in moderation is the lowered risk of developing colon cancer, reduction of the risk of developing gallstones, improvement of cognitive function, and decrease in the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

However, we must watch out for calories hiding behind our cup of coffee. We might be getting a cup full of sugar, calories, and fats, depending on the creamer or milk we use. One may follow these simple guidelines to maintain a good relationship with our body and our cup of coffee:

Opt for the smallest cup — eight ounces or twelve ounces. This could save us about 110 calories per cup. Choose fat-free milk instead of the usual whole milk, or if you can do without the milk, please do so. Minimize the use of sugar and eliminate the whipped cream or the flavored syrup to do yourself a favor.

For athletes and other physically active people, coffee might just be the answer to reaching your optimal performance. Studies show that caffeine, which is abundant in coffee, may help in improving physical performance especially during a hard day’s work. These studies showed that caffeine enhanced the performance of 21 endurance athletes by 12.4%. There is also a study showing similar effects on cyclists and other high-intensity sports performers.

This performance enhancement done by caffeine ingestion is associated with the ability of the substance to minimize the sensation of fatigue and stress on the ones who takes it.

Coffee, when taken in proper amounts, is a very good way to start a healthy day. On the other hand, we must not forget to couple it with fruits and vegetables for a complete diet.

Coffee consumption varies among different countries. The record holder of the highest consumption rate is Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and Australia, where a person consumes more than 10 kilograms of coffee a year. The lowest consumption is in Italy and the United States. where an average person consumes less than 5 kilograms of coffee a year.

The caffeine content per cup of coffee differs with the serving size, the way the coffee is prepared (filtered, boiled, instant, espresso, etc.), and the type of coffee, Robusta or Arabica. The cup size ranges from 40 to 200 ml and the caffeine content can be as low as 18 mg/cup in instant coffee or as high as 178 mg/cup when boiled coffee is served.

Caffeine is present in many other sources: cocoa beverages, tea, soft drinks, and even in candy bars. These food items contain varying amounts of caffeine in them, ranging from 32-42 mg/150 ml in tea, 4 mg/150 ml in cocoa, and 32-70 mg/330 ml in cola. An average person can consume about 76 mg of caffeine per day from all these sources and could reach up to 400 mg per day from coffee alone.

The presence of caffeine in most of the popular drinks makes it the most widely consumed behaviorally active drugs. It is a central nervous system pick-me-up, with the effect of temporarily taking off sleepiness and reviving alertness. It also has diuretic functions for people who generally do not have a tolerance for it.

It could take less than an hour to begin the effects of caffeine in the human body, and a little dose wears off after two to three hours. Coffee and caffeine does not really eliminate sleepiness. It only reduces the feeling of being tired after a hard day’s work.

Caffeine actually increases the power for mental or physical labor. It could actually help us increase our energy up to 51%.

Of course, too much of something is bad, and caffeine in large amounts can lead to caffeinism. This term refers to caffeine dependency and some unpleasant mental and physical conditions including irritability, nervousness, tremulousness, anxiety, hyperreflexia or muscle twitching, headaches, insomnia, heart palpitations, and respiratory alkalosis. Also, its high consumption may lead to erosive esophagitis, peptic ulcers, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

To minimize the adverse effects of high-caffeine consumption in humans, coffee producers have developed a way to making the same great coffee without the caffeine. that is decaffeination. There are a number of ways to do decaffeination. One is by simply soaking the coffee beans in water and then making this coffee water pass through some activated charcoal, removing the caffeine. Other methods are by using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction and extraction by organic solvents.