Coffee:
Coffee became popular in England at about the same time as
the Bard's plays. The story goes that the Pope (perhaps
Clement VII, Pope for the years 1592-1605) baptized the bean
making it a legitimate drink for Europeans. The famous "Penny
Universities," otherwise known as coffee houses, hit the scene
just about the time the popular playwright retired. So, my best
guess is that Old Bill discovered the brew just before his final
exit, stage right.
Coffee combats drowsiness, temporarily boosts athletic
performance, eases congestion due to colds and flu, prevents
asthma attacks and enhances the pain-relieving effects of
aspirin. It is America's most popular herbal beverage. Of
course, coffee can also cause problems -- jitters and insomnia.
However, the latest research says, "Coffee appears to pose
no particular threat in most people if consumed in moderation."
Coffee has been around for a long time. Our word coffee
comes from Caffa, the region of Ethiopia where the beans
were first discovered. The beverage we know as coffee
emerged around A.C.E. 1000, when Arabians began roasting
and grinding coffee beans and drinking the hot beverage as
we do today. Until the 17th century, Arabia supplied all the
world's coffee through the port of Mocha, which became one
of coffee's names. Then the Dutch introduced the plant into
Java, and the island quickly became synonymous with coffee.
The medically important constituent of coffee is, of course,
caffeine, but coffee's caffeine content depends on how it's
prepared. A cup of instant contains about 60 milligrams of
caffeine whereas drip or percolated coffee has about 100. A
cup of espresso contains about 100 milligrams, but this is in a
2 1/2-ounce cup.
Caffeine is addictive. Regular users develop a tolerance and require more to obtain the expected effect. Deprived of
caffeine, regular users usually develop withdrawal symptoms, primarily a headache, which can last several days.
Coffee is most notorious for causing insomnia and increasing anxiety, irritability and nervousness.
It can also aggravate panic attacks. Coffee increases the secretion of stomach acids and can upset the stomach.
Doctors say that people with ulcers or other gastrointestinal conditions should use it cautiously, if at all. Contrary to
popular mythology, coffee does not cause ulcers. It can, however, make ulcers worse in people who already have
them. Coffee also raises blood pressure in those who are not accustomed to drinking it. But the body adjusts, and
normal consumption no longer affects blood pressure.
Coffee has been associated with some bad news. One of which is heart disease. The subject is extremely
controversial, with evidence supporting both sides of the argument. Most studies indicate that coffee can increase
cholesterol levels. Decaffeinated coffee has the same cholesterol-boosting effect as regular, suggesting that caffeine
is not the culprit. However, filtered coffee doesn't raise cholesterol as much as boiled coffee. It may also increase the
risk of heart attack if one consumes more than four cups a day. There are reports that coffee aggravates
premenstrual syndrome in many women. Coffee has also been accused of contributing to infertility, birth defects,
gallstones, immune impairment and many forms of cancer but none of these have been proven.
If you want to drink coffee, two cups per day is generally what doctors will recommend.
The United States consumes one-fifth of all the world's coffee, making it the largest consumer in the world. But few
Americans realize that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often toil in what can be described as "sweatshops in
the fields." Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing
them into a cycle of poverty and debt.
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