When walking down the streets of Chicago or New York there seems to be a coffee shop on every corner. Whether it may be Starbucks, Dunkin or smaller self owned coffee shops, they are everywhere. According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, roughly 62% of Americans drink coffee everyday. The real question that needs to be answered is, is coffee good or bad?

The history of coffee dates back to the 11th century in Ethiopia. It is said that a goat herder name “Kaldi” discovered coffee after venturing into the Ethiopian forests with his goats. His goats went to eat, they started eating berries/beans from a tree. These goats then became so energetic that they could not sleep throughout the night.

By the 17 century, coffee came to Europe. Coffee became the “common breakfast beverage” slowly replacing wine and beer throughout all of Europe. From then on, coffee traveled through travelers visiting different countries, missionaries visiting troubled areas and traders who advertised coffee.

Coffee around St. Ed’s is kind of a big deal. Walking into school you see almost every senior holding a coffee cup of some sort. Senior, Jennifer Lipinski who is regularly seen with coffee says, “I have coffee everyday and when I don’t I really need it and regret not stopping to get one.”

“Many high schoolers drink coffee because we either love the taste or we are addicted to the caffeine it gives off,” says Senior, Jessica Mote. To most coffee drinkers, caffeine is one of coffee’s most important features. It provides the extra boost in the morning that many need.

Coffee has many health benefits. Not the double chocolate with an extra shot of caramel type of coffee, but the real, almost black coffee has the extra health benefits.

Pros

Coffee improves brain power. With the help of caffeine in coffee the beverage wakes up the brain and helps neurotransmitters move a little bit faster. The side effect to this can be that you slowly lose you energy or “crash” by the end of the day. Research has also shown that reaction times are increased and faster.

Again, the simple coffee (not all the sugar) can help with diabetes and lowers the use of insulin. It’s also know to lower high blood pressure and risks of strokes.

Cons

With all things that are good there are some cons too. Coffee has a reputation to cause a raise in heartbeat and sweating or also known as “the coffee sweats.” Big amounts of caffeine can lead to dehydration and effects the absorption of some minerals and vitamins. Acid counts in the body raise and this affects people with acid reflux.

It is very important to remember that coffee is good for you in reasonable amounts. Drinking four or more cups a day can and will affect your body. I also encourage you to drink some non-sugary coffee once in awhile to give you a few of these benefits.