Busting Coffee Myths

There are many facts about coffee that we have been told that make us immediately feel bad for having that extra daily cup with our breakfast. Good news here! Some of these are merely myths, and aren’t true at all!

We’ve made a list of some of the most absurd facts that you should stop believing immediately and enjoy your coffee instead.

1. Drinking coffee in the afternoon causes insomnia

Our bodies process the coffee we drink fairly quickly (which may be the reason why we always want more). So, that one late afternoon cup you drank should not be a problem!

2. Coffee helps with weight loss

We can see why you might think this is true- generally after drinking coffee we become less hungry. However, the only thing caffeine can do to contribute to weight loss is slightly increase your metabolism. We wouldn’t recommend using it as a weight loss method.

3. Dehydration can be caused by coffee

This is not true for one obvious reason- the water in your coffee counts as fluid intake (duh!). This makes the fact very unlikely, as the water cancels out the possibility of dehydration.

4. Coffee is addictive

Although we are pretty sure this one’s true, it does not officially classify as an addictive substance. The simple reason for this is because caffeine withdrawal is at a lower level of severity than alcohol or drug withdrawal. So technically, our coffee dependence is not an addiction!

5. Pregnant women should not drink coffee

I’m sure all the mothers out there are cursing themselves when they read this, thinking ‘so why did I put myself through that?’ In all honesty, we do not know the full effects that caffeine can have on a developing foetus, but as long as the mother does not consume more than 200 milligrams (which is one cup) of coffee a day, both mother and child should be completely fine!

6. Coffee stunts growth

This rumour has been around since we can remember, and we quite rightly refuse to believe it. There is just no evidence proving it, so we cannot assume it’s true, right? Let’s just stick to the idea that height is mainly a genetic factor, and keep drinking our beloved coffee!

7. Darker roasts mean stronger coffee

Nope! Roasting the coffee means burning off the caffeine (in negligible amounts). It leads to a slightly more acidic taste, not a stronger one.

8. Drinking coffee prevents disease

This is not entirely true, unfortunately. Studies show though, that compared with people who do not drink coffee, people who do are less likely to get diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

Happy Drinking!

The Bean Team