Probably not a single drink causes as much controversy as coffee. Some argue that it is useful, while others, on the contrary, consider it the most terrible enemy for the heart and blood vessels. As usual, the truth is somewhere in between. Today we analyze the effect of coffee on the heart and draw conclusions. To understand when it is dangerous and when it is useful, it is necessary to take into account the basic properties and effects on the body of adults and young, sick and healthy, those who lead an active or sedentary lifestyle.
Caffeine
This is the main active substance, around which heated debate flares up. The influence of coffee on the heart was studied by the great physiologist I. Pavlov. He showed that this substance stimulates the processes of excitation in the cerebral cortex. A small dose relieves fatigue and drowsiness, increases motor and mental activity. But using a stimulant, which is caffeine in large doses, you run the risk of nerve cells becoming exhausted. Therefore, you need to consider the individual characteristics of the body.
Degree of exposure
Each organism reacts differently to the effects of stimulants. The effect of coffee on the heart is also individual. When dosing, you need to take into account the characteristics of the nervous system. Caffeine significantly enhances cardiac activity. It can cause an increase in blood pressure, which is due to age restrictions. But at a young age, caffeine can hardly affect blood pressure. Elastic blood vessels can withstand such a load.
The mechanism of action of caffeine is as follows. It has a stimulating effect on the nervous system. That is, after a cup of drink, cardiac activity accelerates and blood pressure rises. Caffeine enhances and regulates the processes of excitation in the cerebral cortex. The stimulating effect leads to increased mental and physical performance. This effect lasts several hours, then fatigue appears. In large quantities, it causes death. There is no antidote to it, but for this you need to get about 10 g of caffeine. These are approximately 100 tablets of 0.1 g of caffeine-sodium benzoate.
Addictive effect
You can often hear about caffeine addiction. There is some truth to this. It is proved that prolonged use of caffeine can provoke the appearance of new receptors in the brain cells. On the one hand, this helps to weaken the effect of caffeine, but on the other, it causes a feeling of drowsiness with a sharp cessation of this drink.
In medicine, it is used for various diseases. In particular, with poisoning by poisons and drugs to increase drowsiness. Athletes use caffeine to increase physical and mental stamina. The effect of coffee on the heart must be considered, so it is important to consult a doctor before use.
Positive effects on the body
Almost any natural product has a lot of different properties. The benefits and harms of natural coffee is important to know for everyone who includes this drink in the morning diet or consumes it during the day. Positive properties can be considered:
- The content of potassium and magnesium. Coffee contains a lot of vitamins and minerals, but most of all in its composition potassium and magnesium. By the way, they are necessary for the health of the heart muscle.
- Coffee lowers cholesterol, so freshly ground and instant coffee is very useful.
- Coffee fights infections and detoxifies. It is used in medicine for certain infectious diseases, and also if it is necessary to neutralize the effects of drugs, sleeping pills or poisons that suppress the central nervous system.
- It gives you the opportunity to cheer up when his strength is already running out.
An invigorating drink has a number of useful properties. First of all, coffee contains antitumor substances. This primarily helps to reduce the risk of developing cancer of the stomach, small and large intestines. In addition, a delicious drink contains substances that increase performance. In addition, it serves as an excellent prophylactic against diabetes, asthma and cirrhosis. Is coffee harmful to the heart? Yes, in large quantities and with existing diseases of the cardiovascular system, it can certainly be harmful. But most people can eat it at breakfast without harming their health. But more than three cups a day should not be drunk.
Negative aspects
Like any other product, coffee has its contraindications. Coffee is no exception. Let's look at the possible harm that this drink can cause to the body.
- Drinking large amounts of this drink can cause dehydration. Coffee with heart disease can lead to a worsening of the patient's condition. Therefore, about 30 minutes after a cup of coffee, you need to drink a glass of drinking water to normalize water metabolism.
- Regular consumption of coffee helps to flush calcium or other trace elements from the body. All of them are important for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, so you need to add milk or cream to coffee.
- Withdrawal syndrome may develop. If you decide to completely exclude the drink from your diet, then the body can respond with a breakdown, hypotension, and even real depression.
As you can see, the drink has both positive and negative properties. To minimize the latter, you can use it in small quantities.
Coffee and hypertension
Most often, doctors forbid drinking this drink if the patient is diagnosed with hypertension or there are prerequisites for its development. For a long time it was believed that the main disadvantage of coffee is its ability to increase blood pressure. So the idea of decaffeinated coffee came up. But modern studies have shown that intravenous administration of caffeine can cause a short-term increase in pressure in people who never drink it. And for those who regularly allow themselves a cup - another, an increase in pressure is practically not observed. Other studies have shown that drinking 5 cups of coffee per day for a long time does not affect the development of hypertension.
Coronary artery disease
Many therapists today are confident that coffee negatively affects the heart and can cause coronary artery disease. But the facts speak differently. For the experiment, about 90,000 nurses were examined. Almost all of them were healthy, that is, they had no heart disease. Over the next ten years, 700 cases of coronary heart disease were recorded in the sample. At the same time, the risk of the disease in women drinking 6 cups of coffee a day was not higher than that of their colleagues who refused not only this drink, but also chocolate.
Coffee and arrhythmia
Can I drink coffee with cardiac arrhythmias? This question is also often asked by doctors. In fact, the drink does not affect the appearance and development of arrhythmia. If you do not drink more than 6 cups of strong drink daily, then you can be calm. Scientists could not find any connection between the addiction to coffee and hospitalization with cardiac arrhythmias. Apparently, these two phenomena do not intersect in any way.
If you do not drink coffee, then you should not start doing this for the prevention of heart disease. But if you can’t start the day without it, then you should not refuse or reduce the usual dose. It can affect anything but arrhythmia.
Contraindications for use
Despite all the positive aspects and bright taste, this drink sometimes has to be completely excluded from the diet. Coffee is strictly prohibited in the following cases:
- In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis, gastric ulcer and pancreatitis. Negatively it affects flatulence.
- It is necessary to exclude it with anemia, since coffee interferes with the absorption of iron.
- Uterine fibroids, as well as other benign tumors.
- Coffee inhibits the activity of the thyroid gland, therefore, for patients with hyperteriosis, its use is considered unacceptable.
- Urolithiasis disease. When drinking a large amount of coffee, the content of calcium and magnesium in the urine increases. This leads to the formation of stones.
It should limit the intake of coffee for pregnant women, during menopause, during menstruation and during pregnancy planning. Elderly people are also advised to refuse this drink or to use it in small quantities. Coffee can be dangerous for smokers, as it leads to a narrowing of blood vessels. It turns out a double blow to the cardiovascular system. There are not many restrictions, but they must be taken into account, because you have only one health.
The most delicious drink
You can go feast on him at the nearest coffee shop. There you can wholeheartedly enjoy the magnificent smell. In addition, an experienced bartender will tell you which coffee is stronger, which is more tender. But such trips significantly affect the budget. Therefore, we learn to cook it at home. This will require a Turk, a favorite type of coffee, as well as fillers. The latter may be cinnamon, milk or cream, ice cream, garlic, pepper or even cheese.
Cooking Technique
Speaking about how to brew coffee in a Turk, you need to first consider the basic secrets:
- It is necessary to heat the drink gradually. If the temperature is exceeded, the drink will either run away or lose its aroma.
- Water must be clean and soft.
- The grains must be ground very finely.
- To get a drink with the most intense aroma, put a pinch of salt on the bottom of the Turks.
- Pour the finished coffee into warm cups. Then it will retain its flavor.
Recipe
These are general rules. And now let's move on to the recipe so that every connoisseur knows how to make coffee in a Turk. This will require:
- Prepare 2 teaspoons of ground coffee and 100 ml of water, a teaspoon of sugar.
- In Turk mix coffee and sugar, add cold water and put on the smallest fire.
- The foam begins to rise. As soon as it reaches the edge, remove from heat. We wait until the foam cools down, and repeat the process 3-5 times.
Conclusion
Coffee is a tasty and quite healthy drink. However, everything is good in moderation, so do not abuse it, especially if you like a strong drink. A cup or two a day will not harm your health if there are no direct contraindications, so if you have chronic diseases, be sure to consult your doctor. If he sees no reason to forbid you to drink coffee, then enjoy your favorite drink.