Coffee is one of the most preferred beverages worldwide, and it offers an array of health benefits. However, while some say coffee causes inflammation, others believe that it helps reduce inflammation. This article reviews coffee’s effect on inflammation, and it finds out the answer to the question – does coffee cause inflammation?
What is inflammation?
Inflammation is a process that involves the activity of the white blood cells of the body to prevent infections caused by viruses and bacterias. Heat, pain, loss of function, swelling, etc., are the most common symptoms of inflammation.
What triggers inflammation?
An invading microbe plant pollen or chemical may often trigger inflammation. When the body experiences inflammation, the damaged tissues of the body release chemicals like histamine, prostaglandins, and bradykinin. These chemicals push the blood vessels to leak fluid into the tissues, which causes swelling. Depending on the type of inflammation, this condition can last for one to six weeks.
Often, inflammations are also caused by diseases like cystitis, bronchitis, dermatitis, and otitis media.
Coffee contains a compound mixture of active substances
Coffee beans are known for their complex, active compound content that includes chlorogenic acid, kahweol, cafestol, and caffeine. Studies show that coffee’s potent antioxidants and anti-inflammation properties help reduce inflammation and prevent certain types of cancer, type-2 diabetes, and heart diseases.
A group of oncologists conducted a study, and it proves that those who drink coffee regularly experienced a six percent increase in their inflammatory marker levels when they were reframed from drinking coffee for a month.
Contrarily, when those people started consuming 32-64 ounces of coffee in a day for the same period, their inflammatory marker level reduced by 8-16 percent.
Therefore, it can be said that coffee doesn’t accelerate inflammation; instead, it helps to reduce the same.
Coffee’s incredible bioactive compounds
Researchers consider coffee as a powerful beverage that contains a blend of thousand bioactive compounds that include anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, another study came up with the information that coffee consumption may cause a predominantly anti-inflammatory effect. Given this factor, the answer to the question of whether coffee causes inflammation comes out as a no.
The verdict – Is coffee inflammatory or anti-inflammatory?
Many medical institutes, including Harvard Medical Schools, have confirmed that coffee contains polyphenols. These are micronutrients that carry anti-inflammatory effects. However, the caffeine in coffee is still a stimulant, and when individuals consume coffee excessively, it starts showing its negative effects like artery stiffness, blood pressure, increased cholesterol.
All of these somehow relate to inflammation. Hence, to give a straightforward answer to the question, does coffee cause inflammation, it can be said that it’s not the coffee but the wrong way of consumption that causes inflammation.
Conclusion
Considering the shared information, one can reach the conclusion that coffee doesn’t cause inflammation. However, its overdose can cause many severe health issues, including inflammation. Therefore, it’s always a wise idea to maintain balance and promote smart consumption of coffee and avail it’s great health benefits.
