Coffee has been around for centuries. It has traveled the seas, passed through wars, been traded between countries, and gets served on flights. With this long and extended history, there are hundreds of myths about coffee that have been created upon its journey.
Unfortunately, many of these myths (false beliefs or ideas) are embedded into the coffee world to this day, and it impacts how people drink and brew their coffee. That’s why we have decided to take a look at 10 myths about coffee to put them to bed and allow people to enjoy coffee without worries!
10 Myths About Coffee
Coffee Myth #1: Coffee Can Cause Dehydration
One of the biggest concerns about drinking coffee is that it can cause dehydration. This came about as it can act as a diuretic and make you lose essential fluids.
However, coffee is actually made with water so you are in actual fact hydrating yourself by drinking coffee in the first place. There are also studies that show drinking coffee doesn’t dehydrate you at all.
If you decided to drink an obscene amount of coffee and your body reacted ‘badly’ the next day, you could be dehydrated if you didn’t consume any water and took 20+ trips to the bathroom. But in a general sense, this is definitely a myth.
Coffee Myth #2: Coffee Can Cause Insomnia
Coffee is one of the most controversial beverages in the world. It has been blamed for causing insomnia, but also praised for its ability to promote alertness.
The main issue with insomnia is not the coffee itself but the caffeine. Caffeine is said to have lasting effects on the body for around 2 hours or up to 7 in some cases. So, unless you drink coffee right before you hit the hay, you won’t notice the effects.
For some people, if the effects of caffeine last longer, it could result in Insomnia. But this could also be down to other underlying health issues. While coffee may cause insomnia in some people, it has been shown to improve sleep quality in others.
The research on the coffee and insomnia link is mixed. Some studies show that caffeine can help people fall asleep faster and sleep longer, but other studies show that it has the opposite effect. The results depend on what type of person you are as well as how much caffeine you consume.
Coffee Myth #3: Coffee Can Cure Hangover
The third most popular coffee myth is that drinking a cup of joe will help with your hangover after a night (or day) of drinking.
Caffeine can make you feel better in the morning after a night of heavy drinking. It does this by reducing the symptoms of withdrawal and making you more alert. Unfortunately, it does not cure any hangover.
Hangovers are not caused by the alcohol itself. They are typically caused by a combination of dehydration and a toxic mix of chemicals from alcohol. These chemicals can affect the brain and make it difficult to think clearly.
Coffee can’t help because it is a natural diuretic that will make you urinate more, and the more you urinate, the more water is depleted. As Dr. James Roach, DO, from the Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston Hospital said that this will slow down your rehydration process.
Coffee Myth #4: Coffee Can Help You Lost Weight
There is a common misconception that coffee can help you lose weight. If you switched from drinking full-fat lattes every morning to drinking black coffee with no sugar, absolutely, it could help with losing weight. – That’s not the coffee though, that’s just your diet. Drinking black coffee is better than adding sugar and cream to it.
In general, having a cup of coffee in the morning before breakfast can help you burn more calories throughout the day. It also increases your resting metabolic rate, which means that it takes fewer calories to maintain your weight after drinking coffee.
Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietician at Mayo Clinic, said that although the caffeine present in coffee is a stimulant that helps increase metabolism, it does not provide long-term weight loss.
Again this is a myth with some 0.01% elements of truth to it.
Coffee Myth #5: Coffee Can Stunt Your Growth
There is no significant correlation between drinking coffee and height. Some people believe that drinking caffeinated beverages can stunt your growth, but that is not the case.
In most cases, people who start drinking coffee have already reached their full height. By the time that happens, growth can’t be undone. How tall you can get does not depend on coffee consumption but it depends on your genes.
This coffee myth was created around some research based on coffee drinkers not consuming milk – therefore causing osteoporosis – therefore stunting growth. But the research carries no weight and makes this a myth.
Coffee Myth #6: Coffee Is Bad for Pregnant Women
As we know, pregnant women are advised not to consume caffeine due to its potential negative effects on their babies. However, this advice is not always taken seriously. Some pregnant women will go out of their way to get a cup of coffee while others will try to substitute it with decaf or tea instead.
According to Laura Riley, gynecologist-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, pregnant women can still drink coffee in moderate amounts especially in the first trimester since coffee is linked with an increased risk of miscarriage.
Coffee Myth #7: Coffee Is Very Addictive
When it comes to a coffee addiction, there is some truth to this. Caffeine found in coffee is a stimulant that affects the Central Nervous System. Every time you drink coffee, it increases concentration and helps boost mood, which is why you’ll notice that most coffee lovers drink a cup in the morning before doing their daily routine in order to be more alert and motivated.
Although drinking coffee regularly might give you slight dependence on it, the effects are not as severe as addictive drugs. So when you hear someone say that ‘coffee is a drug’ please send them to this page.
Coffee Myth #8: Coffee Has Zero Health Benefits
The statement that coffee has zero health benefits is simply the biggest coffee myth that ever surfaced. Drinking coffee has several health benefits and there are several studies that support this.
A study published in the BMJ concluded that people who consume coffee regularly decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and coronary heart disease. The best thing to enjoy the full benefits of coffee is to (as much as possible) steer clear of adding sugar and cream to your cup or use a much healthy alternative.
Coffee has been shown to contain antioxidants, can improve athletic performance, reduce the risk of diabetes, and even recently, reduce the risk of death by up to 30%. If used externally, it can work wonders for the skin and can also be great for plants too.
Coffee Myth #9: Dark Roast Coffee Has a Higher Caffeine Content
Many people believe that dark roasted coffees are stronger and have a stronger taste. However, this is not the case. Dark roasted coffees are often more acidic and bitter-tasting than light roasted coffees, but they are not stronger.
The difference between dark roasted beans and lightly roasted beans when it comes to caffeine content is very minimal that you most certainly wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
Coffee Myth #10: You Can Only Use Hot Water to Brew Coffee
If you think that this statement is true, then Cold Brew coffee is here to tell you that this is a coffee myth for sure.
Cold brew coffee is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for an extended period of time. However, if you tried to brew an espresso with cold water, then the result would be very poor. The temperature is actually important in this instance.
But overall, you can use cold water to brew coffee – making this a myth.
The Final Sip
As you can see, there are many different coffee myths out there. Some you can understand why they might catch on, whereas others are so far out there, that they make you question how the human race made it to 2022. Do you have any weird coffee myths? Share them in the comments below.
