COFFEE

College students often have morning routines along with millions of others Americans.Whether that includes eating last night’s pizza leftovers, taking a cold shower because your roommates took all the warm water, or even wearing questionable clothes because you haven’t had a chance to do laundry yet. For many college students, including myself, mornings include lots of coffee, and this summer has been no different (took out “for myself”). But what is it about coffee that just gets us going: The Smell, The Caffeine, or The Taste? It differs across the board what it is to you. Coffee for me is arguably 1/3 of everything I drink, so what is it doing in terms of my health? I decided to look a little into what exactly coffee offers in terms of benefits or on the flipside, what is it harming?

According to coffeeandhealth.org, there are four main points which create an “overview” of coffee.

1) Aroma is defined as an odor whilst taste is the sense experienced by the tongue and describes sensations of saltiness, sweetness, sourness or bitterness. Flavor is a combination of both aroma and taste.

2) A large number of volatile compounds are associated with flavor in coffee, a smaller proportion of which are responsible for coffee aroma.

3) Experts define and describe the aroma and taste of coffee, generating profiles that differ according to type of coffee bean, geographical location, level of roasting and preparation method.

4) Drinking coffee provides a multisensory experience influenced not only by the type of coffee, preparation method, and any additions, but also by the environment including the drinking vessel.

When we wake up in the morning, we all want to feel that sense of alertness, but for most students we aren’t able to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep. So what relation does coffee have to that sensation? According to the website previously mentioned, “Caffeine’s ability to enhance alertness and sustain attention has been well documented. The primary mode of action of caffeine as a mild central nervous system stimulant is related to its action as an adenosine receptor antagonist. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that a cause and effect relationship has been established between a 75mg serving of caffeine and both increased attention and alertness.” SO put into human terms, for an average human being a 75mg serving of caffeine which roughly estimates to a cup of coffee (depending on roast, among many other factors) will result in both increased attention and alertness.

Coffee has so many other benefits, along with a few concerns that students should be aware of since it’s the lifeblood of us! Check out the article to learn about them all!

“Success is a journey but we treat it like a place and it doesn’t make sense if you don’t you enjoy the ride.”

-Riley Pink