Everyone loves coffee, but not everyone knows the truth about it. There are so many common coffee myths, and we are here today to debunk them. It is important to know exactly what you are putting into your body and how it can affect you, so we encourage you to read more about coffee myths you may have heard that are actually false.
Coffee is bad for your heart. Even if you have consumed too much caffeine and feel your heart racing, this does not mean that coffee is having harmful effects on your heart. This feeling occurs because coffee is a stimulant, but most people grow their caffeine tolerance quickly, so this is unlikely to happen frequently. Drinking normal amounts of coffee can actually be good for your heart, though if you have anxiety or issues with shaking or heart palpitations, then you should consider limiting your caffeine intake.
Coffee helps with weight loss. Coffee often gives you more energy, which people may use to help them do more physical activity. However, there is not a proven connection between drinking coffee and losing weight. The short-term energy boost does not last for long, so weight loss as a result of coffee has never been scientifically proven.
Coffee dehydrates you. Because coffee is a mild diuretic, many people assume that it dehydrates you, but this is incorrect. The water you consume in coffee may even add to your water supply and help you stay hydrated. You may go to the bathroom more often when drinking coffee, but that is likely because you are consuming so much water rather than because you are dehydrated.
Coffee helps you get sober more quickly. If you are intoxicated, then the only thing that will help sober you up is time. Unfortunately, coffee cannot counterbalance the effects of alcohol. The caffeine in coffee may even make you have issues with realizing how drunk you are. If you are intoxicated, you should wait it out rather than consuming additional chemicals.
Coffee prevents you from growing as much. There has never actually been any evidence that coffee stunts your growth. This myth came from a misinformation campaign by the company Postum, an alternative coffee beverage, in order to get people to drink less coffee. While coffee may mildly reduce a child’s calcium absorption, there is no reason to believe it will prevent them from growing.
Espresso contains more caffeine than normal coffee does. While you would consume more caffeine in a mug of espresso than you would in a mug of traditional coffee, this is not how these beverages should be compared. People usually drink about one or two ounces of espresso at one time, so there is much more caffeine in one serving of coffee than there is in a serving of espresso.
You may have had many assumptions about coffee and the effects this beverage has on people. Hopefully, after reading this, you have a better understanding of what coffee is, how it affects your body, and why so many people love it so much.