Can drinking coffee be good for health?

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Can drinking coffee be good for health?

• Tina Gomes

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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.

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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.

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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
  1015 cm long and 6.0 cm wide.
• It produces clusters of fragrant, white flowers
  that bloom simultaneously.

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• 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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References

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_and_health
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee
• http//images.google.com/images?um1hlenqcoffe
  ebtnGSearchImages
• http//www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffe
  e_health_risk.htm