Facts About Coffee

Is coffee bad for the health? nOnly when consumed in excessive amounts. Coffee’s active ingredient is caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant that is found in many soft drinks, chocolate, cocoa, tea, and medicines. The amounts of caffeine in coffee depend on the manner in which it is prepared and how strong it is. Brewed coffee is the richest source of caffeine followed by instant coffee. nnMost people get a kick out of drinking coffee which has become an important ritual that they look forward too. Regular users report increased alertness and decreased irritability. Others react differently. Caffeine-sensitive individuals may experience symptoms of nervousness, restlessness, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, and insomnia. Regular coffee drinkers who are deprived of their favorite brew may also experience these symptoms. nn“You may feel your nerves jangling after just one cup of coffee, while the person sitting next to you may be able to tolerate as many as four or five before she feels any effects at all,” according to Carol Ann Rinzler in “Feed A Cold, Starve A Fever.”nnThe bottom-line? Drink moderately unless your physician tells you to eliminate caffeine use because of certain medical conditions. Three 5-ounce cups of regular coffee a day probably won’t give you any trouble. If you’re caffeine-sensitive, it’s wise to eliminate coffee and other sources of caffeine in your diet. nnCan black coffee sober up a drunken person? nSince caffeine is a stimulant, it may “lift the spirits” and alleviate the mild depression that sometimes follows heavy drinking. However, coffee does not speed up the elimination of alcohol from the body. In effect, you’ll be wide-awake but remain drunk.nnCan coffee stop headaches? nSee above. Rather than stop, your headache may get worse with coffee, especially if you’re caffeine-sensitive. For those who aren’t, they may find a hot cup of coffee relaxing since caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it reduces the stretching of blood vessels in the head and neck that may be causing your headache.nnIs decaffeinated coffee better? nDecaffeinated coffee (in which the caffeine has been reduced or removed) certainly has less caffeine and presumably less side effects. Consider this: One teaspoon of instant decaf coffee has only 2 milligrams (mg) of caffeine compared to brewed coffee that contains a whopping 103 to 164 mg of caffeine! nnThe downside is that decaf coffee costs more and the small amount of caffeine it contains can produce the unpleasant effects of coffee in caffeine-sensitive individuals. For these poor souls, decaf coffee isn’t necessarily better.nnCan black coffee make you slim? nOnly if you don’t eat! Black coffee has no calories and is a mild diuretic that helps eliminate excess water and a small amount of weight from the body. However, black coffee can also make you hungry because it stimulates the production of stomach acids. The “hunger pangs” you feel after taking black coffee can ruin your diet! nnTo look good and stay in shape, take Zyroxin, a safe and natural supplement that will maximize your weight loss through its unique fat-burning ingredients. For details, visit http://www.zyroxin.com/. n