My first taste

I tasted coffee for the first time when my grandfather offered me a sip from his mug one summer morning as he read the newspaper. I curiously accepted it. He drank it black, and once that bitter liquid touched my tongue, I cringed and vowed never to drink something so horrid ever again.

Through childhood, I always wondered how and why anyone would want to drink that stuff when I saw others sipping on it, since I could not bear the bitter taste. In high school my opinion changed.

Second time's the charm?

Rather, a new café which opened nearby changed my opinion for me. Starbucks opened near my house, and one day my older brother and father took me there and introduced me to the something Starbucks calls the “Mocha Frappuccino.” They even trademarked the word “Frappuccino” as well.

This delicate gift to my give mouth tasted amazing. It tasted mostly like chocolate, something already dear to me, and also a little like coffee too, except the drink tasted sweet this time. I loved it!

Not only, did I enjoy the chilled, chocolaty, coffee, flavor and milkshake like texture, but I also realized one of the cool side effects. I felt focused and awake as if I slept for ten years and was ready now to do anything. I knew of this effect but never experienced it before due to the cost of taste.

Now, I experienced what the odd people I considered trying to flaunt their ability to endure gross stuff appreciated about the beverage. It provided energized focus without requiring proper nutrition, exercise, or sleep and seemed as impactful as the invention of cars for making things happen fast.

Still, caffeine did not play a large role in my life after I experienced Starbucks' hit beverage and rarely drank them or soda in order to fulfill my obligations to my coaches to be in the best shape possible.

Unleashing the beast

Many of my friends and my brother after he finished playing spots started consuming coffee regularly and sought to find the best of it and each season’s new product. They even told me one day that they wanted to use Kopi Luwak coffee beans which farmers harvest from civet feces.

My friends invested themselves in the coffee industry, and soon became dependent on it. For some, not having the daily dose one day left them tired and groggy, others irritable and easily annoyed. Either way, they required the coffee that once empowered them just to perform at their base levels.

They grew more tolerate of the caffeine dosage, and one cup became two which became three, and then an extra little espresso here and there. Caffeine suppresses hunger, and some of them just replaced their breakfast with each one’s favorite cup of joe. Starbucks’s magic seemed to subside.

Why, Starbucks?

Was Starbucks at fault for feeding the ever-growing caffeine dependence of my friends? No, like all things, caffeine consumption can become bad when one overdoes it. The same goes for eating food, watching movies, working, and even playing sports. Moderation seems key but easier said than done.

I continued to keep my distance from coffee going to college, only dabbling when I felt I really needed it and retained a high caffeine sensitivity from rarely using this brown, liquid battery made for humans.

Yet, recently the topic of drinking coffee daily or not drinking it at all came to my attention after hearing various debates among classmates about the pros and cons. These appear to be the two sides.

Let's check this out

Investigating the topic for myself became a temporary priority, and I performed my own mini-research project online reading both academic articles and casual down to earth pieces.

Mark Hyman, MD, wrote an article titled, “10 Reasons to Quit Your Coffee!” back on August 31, 2012, describing his qualms with coffee, based on his knowledge as a practicing physician.

To summarize, he claimed the caffeine in coffee makes one feel lousy, increases one’s risk of cardiovascular disease, leaks diterpenes into one’s system, causes digestive discomfort, indigestion, heartburn, GERD, and unbalances gut flora.

It also creates addiction which makes it really difficult for one to rely on the body’s natural source of energy and has withdrawal symptoms like other drugs, inspires a culture addicted to syrupy, fatty tastes of frothy sweet cream and sugar which become meals rather than drinks.

It makes people pee out too much calcium, magnesium, potassium, and an organic acid called 5-HIA, which is a component of the neurotransmitter serotonin (the happy chemical). This leaves them at risk for serious systemic complications and lower levels of serotonin synthesis in the brain.

I’ll end the summary with a quote from his article: “Serotonin is necessary for normal sleep, bowel function, mood, and energy levels. It is a vicious cycle, as caffeine can disrupt sleep and promote anxiety and depression. We all know someone who tends to be tired, wired and over-caffeinated!”

Time to hear from the other side

Renee Jacques argued for the other side in her recent article from December 6, 2017, titled, “11 Reasons You Should Drink Coffee Every Day.” Since she was not an MD, she used her research skills and reviewed numerous studies from which she derived her claims.

To summarize her article, she argued that coffee’s caffeine could lessen the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, be great for one’s liver (especially if one drinks alcohol), make one feel happier, lower the levels of suicide, and reduce your chances of getting skin cancer (if you’re a woman).

It can also make one a better athlete, reduce one’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, help keep one’s brain healthier for longer, make you more intelligent − “pretty much anything you measure will improve: reaction time, vigilance, attention, logical reasoning,” and just smelling coffee could make you less stressed.

Results?

Jacques and Hyman’s pros and cons might both be valid. So, I went to the Journal of Food Science and WebMD for more guidance, they said quite similar things.

The study of Melanie A. Heckman et al. wrote in a study published in the Food Science Journal that “The majority of the human studies that have been conducted in the past decade have demonstrated that moderate (<400 mg/d) caffeine consumption poses no significant health risks to most consumers.”

The staff of WebMD likewise stated on their medical assistance website, “Consumption of low to moderate doses is generally safe, yet consumption of higher doses by vulnerable individuals can lead to increased risk for negative health consequences, including cardiovascular and perinatal complications.

I drew my conclusion. The average person can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine daily or roughly four cups of brewed coffee and reap Jacques’ rich pros from coffee without heaping on Hyman’s cons. The only risk for the average moderate drinker is dependence, so we must try to maintain discipline and self-control.

Take this knowledge and drink on with confidence, even daily, but make sure to do it moderately!