Do you often hesitate between a tight black or a cappuccino? Two experts help you make the right choice in front of the coffee machine.
In filter, in pods or with milk… Does the way we drink our coffee have an influence on our health? Yes, say Alexandra Murcier, dietitian-nutritionist and Dr Astrid Nehlig, research director at Inserm.
Coffee, a health ally
Although coffee often has a bad reputation, it actually turns out to be full of benefits.
“In addition to the little boost in the morning, it has cognitive virtues. It reduces reaction time, it improves concentration,” explains Dr Astrid Nehlig to the newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré, before specifying: “In the long term, it also stimulates digestion, helps prevent Parkinson disease and, to a lesser extent, Alzheimer’s disease.“
Benefits that Alexandra Murcier also recognizes, provided you know how to control the quantity of coffee consumed:
“Moderate coffee consumption (3 to 5 cups per day maximum) shows a benefit, particularly on the cardiovascular health and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease“, she explains.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Which coffee to choose?
Black, milk, sweet, short, long… There are as many coffees as there are consumers. How in this case to make the right choice?
According to Dr. Astrid Nehlig, two coffees should be avoided: Turkish coffee and French press.
“In fact, the grounds are in constant contact with water. However, lipids are more concentrated in coffees where the grounds remain in contact with water for longer. The risk of hypercholesterolemia is then real.”
A risk to be taken seriously since hypercholesterolemia – a metabolic disorder which corresponds to an increase in cholesterol levels in the blood – can lead to the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Alexandra Murcier, for her part, ensures that all cafes “are not worth each other“. So :
- Filter coffee is richer “that I express them”;
- As for the coffee with milk, “it is difficult to digest and milk provides calories and carbohydrates, you must therefore limit the quantity and avoid consuming several during the day if you pay attention to your weight. The same is true when we obviously sweeten our coffee” ;
- Instant coffee shows “fewer benefits (especially on cardiac arrhythmia) than ground coffee or espresso” ;
- Ground coffee shows “a better reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases” ;
- Finally, if we consume decaf, “you must be careful to choose them without solvents, because decafs which contain solvents increase health risks, particularly cancer“.
Slide: The 10 benefits of coffee
