Valued by those who want to stay alert and active, loved and appreciated for its aroma, coffee is also unfortunately well known for the ailments it can cause.
Valued by those who want to stay alert and active, loved and appreciated for its rich and sensual aroma, coffee is also unfortunately well known for the ailments it can cause, especially in those who consume it in large quantities. The downsides of coffee are widely known: depending on personal sensitivity and the amount consumed, it can disrupt sleep patterns, contribute to states of anxiety or depression, put a strain on the liver, alter heart rhythm and increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disorders. At high doses, it can promote congenital abnormalities in the foetus of pregnant women.
But its beneficial properties are perhaps less well known. First of all, the theory that it promotes pancreatic and bladder cancer now appears to have been disproved; in fact, it seems that the polyphenols in coffee have an anti-tumour effect.
Coffee is useful in the symptomatic treatment of asthma because caffeine, especially in younger patients, stimulates the dilation of the bronchi. For this reason it is also beneficial for those who suffer from hay fever and allergic rhinitis, as it reduces fatigue in the respiratory muscles.
It aids digestion in people who suffer from hypochlorhydria (insufficient production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach), thanks to the action of chlorogenic acid, which stimulates the secretion of hydrochloric acid. In this case caffeine has nothing to do with it, and indeed decaffeinated coffee works just as well in this regard. An effective diuretic, coffee also has an anti-constipation effect because it stimulates intestinal motility: the effect is almost immediate, occurring within two or three minutes of consumption.
It also appears that the tannins in coffee may have an anti-cavity effect, as they inhibit the growth of cariogenic bacteria. Finally, even those who want to lose weight can get a "helping hand" from coffee, because it stimulates hepatic lipolysis — that is, it increases the body's ability to burn fat from adipose tissue while sparing the sugars (glycogen) needed for sudden bursts of energy.
All of this, however, should not make us forget that coffee ought to be treated as a drug and therefore consumed in moderation, bearing in mind also that caffeine is more concentrated in coffee made with a stovetop moka pot, which contains on average 20–25 per cent more caffeine than an espresso from a café.