Coffee is so popular that it even has its own day:this Thursday is International Coffee Day. And there is good news for the enthusiasts. Drinking coffee in moderation reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But the way the coffee is brewed plays an important role.
“Some people experience palpitations, restlessness or insomnia after drinking coffee,” says Nienke van der Putten, medical information adviser at the Heart Foundation. “Caffeine raises heart rate and blood pressure a little bit. How much this is varies per person and depends on how much coffee you drink.”
But that effect on blood pressure and the heart disappears during the day. And the health benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks. A large study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology shows that drinking filtered coffee is associated with a lower mortality than if someone does not drink coffee. A condition is to keep in moderation, up to a maximum of four cups of coffee a day. There are two or three for espresso or coffee cups.
Van der Putten:“It is not clear what makes coffee so healthy. The antioxidants in coffee may play a role. These are substances that help to prevent damage to cells. “People with cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure can also drink coffee in moderation.”
Coffee is hip
“Coffee is of course very tasty”, says Paul Sharo, owner of a coffee roaster in Rotterdam. Every day he sees how popular coffee is, his shop is often full. “Everywhere in the world people are busy with coffee. It is a challenge for me to look for small farmers with beautiful products, in order to constantly innovate.”
He prefers to drink his coffee black. And more than the maximum four recommended cups per day. “Coffee with milk was always the most drunk”, he says to his customers. “But we are now seeing a shift. People stay away from animal products and prefer coffee with oat milk, for example.”
Black and filtered
What goes in the coffee plays a role in the health advice. Van der Putten:“To prevent obesity, it is best to drink your coffee without milk and sugar. Then you don't get any extra calories. It is better not to take milk powder at all. It contains a lot of saturated fat, which raises your cholesterol.”
Coffee must also be filtered, emphasizes Van der Putten. “Coffee beans contain the fatty substance cafestol, which also raises cholesterol. The better the coffee is filtered, the less of this substance gets into the coffee. And so the healthier the coffee is. Boiled coffee or coffee made with a French press is not filtered and is therefore less healthy.”
When asked whether filter coffee is not very old-fashioned, Paul responds; “No, filter coffee is actually very modern! There's a lot of attention in it. It's actually a new way of making coffee. And completely from now.”
