4 Myths about Coffee

It makes you fat, it makes you hyperactive, it makes you miserable, it makes you do all manner of unsociable things, whoa…wait a minute; these are things that have been labelled at coffee in recent years; but here’s the rub most of them are, at best, old wives tales and at best based on sometimes quite flimsy scientific research. Here at UKVending we thought we’d highlight some of the biggest myths that surround coffee.

When something is said loudly and often enough to enough people it can sometimes be taken for the truth, just ask President Donald Trump, after all he is all about fake news; and fake news doesn’t have to be anything generated from or about the White House! In the vending machine industry stories about the effects of coffee are sometimes wildly overblown.

So here are our top four myths about drinking coffee, starting with:

• Drinking coffee in the afternoon will give you a bad case of sleeplessness.

Yes caffeine is known to be a powerful stimulant but your body should be able to process the active ingredients within around four to five hours of drinking your last cup of coffee. So if you have a lunchtime drink of coffee you should be mostly caffeine free by the time you turn in.

• Too much alcohol the night before can be cured by strong coffee in the morning.

Sadly this one, used by so many of us, is a myth. The alcohol in your system remains there much longer than most of us realise or perhaps would like. Coffee does, however, clear our heads somewhat by making us more alert. It does not clear us for driving or operating machinery, alcohol takes a long time to leave the human system. Try fresh water and lots of good food and, well, time too.

• Coffee and pregnancy should be avoided.

Women seem to get the rough end of the stick with medical advice. They are told so many things that they love are bad for the unborn child and that includes drinking coffee. Some medical types say that coffee harms a foetus but generally speaking pregnant women should moderate their intake of coffee to around 200mg a day during pregnancy to be on the safe side.

• Coffee helps you lose weight.

Sadly another myth is that by drinking coffee and avoiding food you’re going to lose weight. Unfortunately this too is a modern day myth. Coffee does increase your metabolic rate ever so slightly but so too does a 10 mile jog or a brisk walk and both of those are recommended by health professionals over consuming coffee as a dietary aid. As always a healthy diet and plenty of exercise will lose more weight in the long run.