Power coffee or turbo tea? If you need caffeine to wake up, you will find it in coffee as well as in tea. However, the favorite drinks of the Germans not only make awake, they also have unexpected powers. But caution: The beverages work very differently. Researchers have made astonishing findings.
T he scent! More than 800 different flavors released when coffee can is opened. One of the active ingredients in coffee beans, caffeine, provides the uplifting effect. Black and green tea as well as cocoa also contain caffeine and are gradually replacing the classic roasted bean at the breakfast table. Whether coffee, tea or cocoa is the better beverage can trigger a philosophical discussion between hardcore tea drinkers and convinced coffee consumers.
Caffeine – a miracle drug?
Science is also concerned with the popular beverages and sometimes unearths amazing things: caffeine helps against Alzheimer's, coffee protects against diabetes and gout, tea prevents tooth decay and rheumatism. But how much is healthy, and when does it become difficult?? It's all a question of dose. Here you can read what science has to say about your favorite drink.
It's all a question of dose
Just one cup of freshly brewed coffee a day, which contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine, prevents diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia, reports JonathanD. Geiger of the School of Medicine and Health in North Dakota (USA). "Caffeine blocks the destructive effects of cholesterol, which makes the blood-brain barrier more permeable," Geiger says. The blood-brain barrier is a barrier between the nervous system including the brain. The blood vessels of the rest of the body. The barrier protects the brain from pathogens that can penetrate from the blood vessels. Cholesterol damages this barrier, but caffeine stabilizes it. Previous studies had already shown that the intake of caffeine in old age can prevent memory problems and even Alzheimer's disease.
Coffee has a faster but shorter effect
Those who prefer the delicate aroma of black tea to the tart taste of coffee are also on the safe side. A cup of tea contains about 50 milligrams of caffeine, so two cups of tea a day helps against forgetfulness. The stimulant in tea used to be called teein, "but today we know that it is the same active ingredient as in coffee," says Wolfgang Schwack of the Institute of Food Chemistry at the University of Hohenheim. However, the effect of caffeine in tea is completely different from that of coffee. Tea leaves contain less caffeine than coffee beans, and the active ingredient is bound to tannins, so the body cannot fully absorb the caffeine.
Tea calms
The effect is slower and weaker than coffee, but lasts longer. The decisive factor is how long the leaves remain in the water: If the brewing time is short, fewer tannins are released from the tea leaves, the caffeine can develop – the tea is stimulating. The longer the leaves float in the cup, the more tannins dissolve and the drink calms down. "With coffee, the wake-up effect occurs a few minutes after drinking," says Schwack. The caffeine from coffee enters the blood faster and releases adrenaline. Rapid effect, but it does not last long.
too much caffeine is harmful to the water balance
Tea or coffee – which pick-me-up is healthier? Nutritionist Manuela Marin does not give preference to any of the drinks. "It is important that tea and coffee are drunk in moderation. Two cups of tea in the morning and a coffee in the afternoon are perfectly fine," says Marin. However, she warns against quenching thirst with caffeinated drinks because "it's harmful to the body's water balance".
Tea is good for teeth
However, a morning cup of tea is good for the teeth. Tea contains fluoride, which makes the enamel stable and resistant. Dentists advise to pay attention to the fluoride content in toothpaste, because it fights the acidity of oral bacteria. Black and green tea also contain substances that have a cancer- and vascular-protective effect – provided you drink them pure, because milk neutralizes the beneficial effect. Cardiologists at the Charite hospital in Berlin found that the caseins in milk bind the healing substances in tea and keep them from the body.
Coffee against gout
The coffee drinker does not have to worry about milk. According to "Arthritis&", the antioxidants contained in the bean help to reduce the risk of arthritis Rheumatism" to significantly reduce the risk of gout – whether with or without milk. Drinking more than six cups a day reduced the risk by almost 60 percent.
More than 7 cups cause hallucinations
However, a study by Simon Johns of Durham University in Britain says that those who drink more than seven cups of coffee a day are more likely to suffer from hallucinations.
Even a sensitive stomach can tolerate coffee. Roaster Stefan Richter advises: "A dark roast is much gentler on the stomach than a light one, as many mistakenly think."The longer the bean roasts at low temperatures, the more acid evaporates, and it is precisely this acid that attacks the mucous membranes.
Cocoa also contains caffeine
Those who do not like coffee or tea usually drink cocoa and believe themselves to be unsuspectingly on the health-conscious side. Wrong thinking: cocoa beans also contain caffeine. A cup of hot chocolate contains an average of ten milligrams of caffeine, the decisive factor is the cocoa content. Dark chocolate has more caffeine than cocoa powder such as Nesquik or Kaba. Nutritionist Marin recommends cocoa for adolescents. "Children should drink cocoa regularly because of the good ingredients in the milk. But parents must remember that milk is a food, not a drink," says Marin. After all, one cup of cocoa contains about 130 kilocalories. The same amount of tea has only two.
Cocoa increases concentration
The consumption of hot chocolate is also supported by a new study, which proves that chocolate improves mathematical skills. In the experiment by David Kennedy, a professor at the Brain, Behavior and Nutrition Research Center in Northumbria, England, half the subjects drank large amounts of hot chocolate. Afterwards, the study participants were asked to solve small math problems in their heads. Those who had previously enjoyed cocoa were able to recite the result faster and more accurately than those without chocolate in their stomachs. Flavanol, an active ingredient in cocoa, promotes blood flow to the brain, which helped test subjects concentrate better.
"Caffeine is like a drug"
Whatever drink gets you going in the morning, you should drink it from your favorite cup, because that's when it tastes best. Tom Stafford, a psychologist at Sheffield University, comes to this conclusion. "Caffeine is like a drug, and people like to take their drug the same way every time," Stafford says. Drug, medicine or simply a much-loved drink? Doesn't matter, Stafford says, as long as the ritual is right. Even the Prussian King Frederick the Great took this basic rule of a relaxed breakfast to heart: He always had his coffee made the same way every morning – with champagne instead of water.
Things to know about coffee
Roasted coffee is characterized by the fact that the beans are roasted at about 260 degrees and thereby develop numerous flavors. They are sold whole or ground. This type of coffee is suitable for coffee makers and for hand brewing. There is also espresso, decaffeinated coffee, soluble coffee and mild coffee.
60 percent of the coffee market is made up of the "Robusta" variety Arabica Covered. It grows at an altitude of 600 meters or more; above 1000 meters it is declared as highland coffee. It is characterized by a mild aroma and slight acidity. Cultivation and harvesting are costly, so Arabica coffee is traded at a high price.
The second most important coffee variety, which accounts for 40 percent of the market, is considered" Robusta" Designates. The beans of this variety grow in the lowland tropics. Robusta coffee is tart and spicy, virtually acid-free, higher in caffeine and less expensive than Arabica. For espresso, the beans get longer. Roasted darker than for conventional roasted coffee. You lose acidity this way. The very fine powder is prepared under high prere in just under 30 seconds. The finished espresso is black. Has less caffeine than roasted coffee. The foam layer is typical.
Decaffeination uses steam or solvents to remove the caffeine from green coffee. A residual caffeine content of 0.1 grams per 100 grams of coffee solids remains.
Soluble coffee consists of a concentrate for which ground beans are poured over with hot water. Freeze-drying yields the granules.
These are the latest coffee trends
The "tall latte" was yesterday, today filter coffee and cold brew are the order of the day. Because today's caffeine junkie likes to take his dose in smaller cups and produced elaborately.
Mild coffee gets its light taste from the selection of low-acid coffees. The irritants are not reduced unlike the Schonkaffee.