There are a lot of us who swear by the alertness factor given by coffee. For several years, scientists agreed to the fact that coffee is actually a very healthy drink. The anti-oxidants that it contains saves you from cardiovascular complications¹, strokes, type 2 diabetes mellitus², hepatocellular carcinoma and even the Parkinsons! So, when you get up in the morning looking for some inspiration, just grab a cup of coffee.

Coffee is not just some plant extract. It is actually a complex mixture containing chlorogenic acid and caffeine. Now, we all know the harmful impact of caffeine³. But at the same time, it is the caffeine that gives us the alertness associated with coffee. The recent studies confirm that when taken in moderate quantity every day, coffee actually gives you an edge in terms of health benefits.

How is coffee roasted?

These days, you must have seen the public going crazy over the green coffee beans. Then there is an evergreen debate over the health benefits of light roasted coffee vs. the darker one. Let us too delve into this discussion.

when the green coffee beans are roasted, it changes their physical as well as chemical properties. The temperature and oxidization process exposes the beans to air. The moisture content from the green beans is decreased. This way, the amount of caffeine concentrates in the beans. The flavor and aroma of the coffee depend solely upon the level of roasting.

Health benefits of lightly roasted coffee beans

The prime health factor of the green coffee beans lies in the level of chlorogenic acid. When the beans are oxidized, their level decreases. Additionally, the natural chemical compounds are also changed in chemical form upon roasting. Recently, the Journal of Medicinal Food published a report on the varying health benefits of differently roasted coffee beans. Each kind of roasted beans was subjected to the human cell cultures. When the result was noticed, it was seen that the lighter roasted coffee had better anti-inflammatory effects.

Also, their antioxidizing properties are better than the darker ones. This is because the unroasted coffee beans have 12% chlorogenic acid which is the principal anti-oxidant.

This compound is found to be beneficial in controlling obesity, heart disorders, nervous problems as well as diabetes.  As a matter of fact, chlorogenic acid⁴ is the basic chemical compound present in apples, carrots and lots of fruits. And, hence it can be said that this chemical compound is the prime reason why we consider these fruits to be so beneficial for our health. So, when these beans are roasted, this proportion diminishes. And, so does the health benefits of coffee.

Also, the level of caffeine increases upon subjected to temperature and heat. What is surprising is that the same caffeine is in a minor proportion in the green coffee beans. Caffeine is the prime suspect behind insomnia, restlessness, irritability as well as muscle tremors. So, when you see someone losing their cool in absence of coffee, it is the caffeine addiction. Here is the most logical question.

If caffeine gives such long-term health disorders, why not limit its quantity? You don’t have to ditch your coffee. Al you have to do is opt for the lighter roasted varieties. This way, you will have a higher quantity of the antioxidizing benefits and low ill effects of the caffeine.

Also, with the lighter roasted beans, you will get a biggers hare of the natural compounds in their primary structure. The organic compounds in their primary form will help you in fighting off the inflammations, chronic pain, neural deteriorations and will also keep you feeling refreshed.

Go for the lightly roasted coffee beans

So, next time, when you are given an option for selecting the coffee beans, opt for the lighter ones. This way, you will get the refreshment of your favorite drink along with its health benefits. It is high time that people are educated about choosing what is beneficial to your health over taste and aroma.

For how long will you continue to subject your body to the artificially moulded compounds? In its natural form, coffee contains more healthy factors. Go for the light roasted coffee beans and gift your body a healthy lifestyle!

1. Fox, Caroline S., et al. “Trends in cardiovascular complications of diabetes.” Jama 292.20 (2004): 2495-2499. ↩︎
2. DeFronzo, Ralph A., et al. “Type 2 diabetes mellitus.” Nature reviews Disease primers 1.1 (2015): 1-22. ↩︎
3. de Mejia, Elvira Gonzalez, and Marco Vinicio Ramirez-Mares. “Impact of caffeine and coffee on our health.” Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism 25.10 (2014): 489-492. ↩︎
4. Olthof, Margreet R., Martijn B. Katan, and Peter CH Hollman. “Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid are absorbed in humans.” The Journal of nutrition 131.1 (2001): 66-71. ↩︎

Last Updated on March 25, 2024 by NamitaSoren