Transcript Can drinking coffee be good for health?

Tina Gomes
What is coffee?
 Coffee is a widely-consumed stimulant beverage
prepared from roasted seeds of the coffee plant.
 Coffee berries are produced by several species of small
evergreen bush of the genus Coffea.
 The two most commonly grown species are Coffea
robusta and Coffea arabica.
Where did it originate?
 Coffee was first consumed in the 9th century, when it
was discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia.
 It was then introduced to Egypt, from where coffee
spread to Europe through thriving trade of many
goods including coffee beans.
 Coffee reached the Americas during colonial period
and became a really popular beverage when import of
tea from Britain was temporarily cut off during war of
1812.
Biology of a coffee plant
 The Coffea plant belongs to
the family Rubiaceae.
 It is an evergreen shrub or
small tree which can grow up
to 5 m tall.
 The leaves are dark green and
glossy, usually 10–15 cm long
and 6.0 cm wide.
 It
produces clusters of
fragrant, white flowers that
bloom simultaneously.
 The fruit berry is oval,
about 1.5 cm long, and
green when immature,
but ripens to yellow,
then crimson, becoming
black on drying.
 Each
berry
usually
contains two seeds
 Berries ripen in seven to
nine months.
Cultivation of Coffee
 Coffee is usually propagated by seeds.
 The traditional method of planting coffee is to put 20
seeds in each hole at the beginning of the rainy season.
 Coffee is often intercropped with food crops, such as
corn, beans, or rice, during the first few years of
cultivation.
 Originally, coffee farming was done in the shade of
trees, which caused berries to ripen more slowly
making the quality of the coffee superior.
Processing of Coffee
 First, coffee berries are picked. Then, they are sorted by ripeness
and color, and the flesh of the berry is removed.
 The seeds are fermented to remove the slimy layer of mucilage
still present on the bean.
 When the fermentation is finished, the beans are washed with
water to remove the fermentation residue. Finally the seeds are
dried, sorted, and labeled as green coffee beans.
 The next step in the process is the roasting of the green coffee.
 Depending on the color of the roasted beans, they will be labeled
as light, medium, or dark.
Effects of Coffee on health
 Coffee appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, and
cirrhosis of the liver
 However, it increases the risk of acid reflux and associated
diseases
 The antioxidants in coffee prevent free radicals from causing cell
damage.
 Some health effects of coffee are due to its caffeine content, for
example, coffee contains an unknown chemical agent which
stimulates the production of cortisone and adrenaline, two
stimulating hormones.
Caffeine
 Coffee's negative health effects are mostly due to the
caffeine.
 Research suggests that drinking caffeinated coffee can
cause a temporary increase in the stiffening of arterial
walls.
 Excess caffeinated coffee consumption may lead to
hypomagnesaemia and coronary heart disease.
 Caffeine acts as a stimulant. Consumption of excessive
coffee can lead to caffeine dependency and withdrawal
symptoms
References
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_and_health
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee
 http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=cof
fee+&btnG=Search+Images
 http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_
health_risk.htm