The modern office runs on coffee! Well, not exactly, but it does come close doesn’t it? We find out why that cup of kopi-o packs a punch, and whether too much coffee can be bad for you.

By Catherine G S Lim and Susheela Menon

Coffee is a main staple in many offices. Many office workers have the habit of making themselves a cuppa as soon as they step into the office. There is also the infamous coffee break. And we have all been inspired by the time-honoured image of the dedicated team working through the night, fuelled by countless cups of black coffee.

Yes, coffee seems to be the beverage of choice in the corporate world. Perhaps it is just as well. Somehow, we can’t quite see Donald Trump sipping orange juice as he negotiates a merger (or fires yet another hapless apprentice). Tea seems too gentle for the hard-core business arena, while fruit juice doesn’t quite have that masculine push.

Then there is the prevalence and “cool factor” of coffee joints like Starbucks Coffee, where plonking down $3 for a mug of imported premium coffee is the norm. Congregating here is reminiscent of the old days when our fathers debated the issues of the day over cups of steaming kopi-o. In fact, in old London, coffeehouses were places of business for the large trading companies.

Humble origins

Interestingly, we may indeed owe today’s coffee culture to a young Ethiopian boy in AD850. He noticed that his goats became friskier after eating some berries. Curious (and possibly bored), he tried them and felt energised. People who heard about it started eating the coffee beans for the added boost.

The beans were later steeped in wine, before being consumed. This method was then modified to become today’s practice of roasting, grounding and steeping coffee beans. Subsequently, the people in the Middle East and the United States in the 1200s and 1660s respectively learnt of this magnificent new beverage. Coffee soon grew to be the most popular stimulant globally and today, there are more than 6,000 Starbucks outlets worldwide!

The “oomph” factor

Caffeine is a stimulant that is found naturally in many plants, especially in kola nuts, coffee beans and tea leaves. It’s the substance that gives us that added “oomph” when we consume coffee, tea, cola soft drinks or chocolate.

Caffeine has the same chemical structure as adenosine, a chemical that causes drowsiness when attached to adenosine receptors in our brain, by slowing down nerve cell activity. When we drink coffee, caffeine enters our body and attaches itself to the adenosine receptors instead. So, instead of slowing down nerve cell activity, the cells speed up.

Besides speeding up nerve cells, adenosine serves to dilate the blood vessels. When caffeine is introduced into the body, the chemical’s ability to do this is blocked, and our blood vessels will constrict instead. This is why your heart needs to beat faster to pump more oxygen through those constricted vessels.

That also explains why our muscles tense up and are all ready for action after we’ve consumed a cup of coffee. Besides adenosine, caffeine is also said to cause dopamine levels to increase. Dopamine is the chemical that gives rise to feelings of pleasure. So yes, it’s not your imagination — coffee can indeed make a happy person!

Coffee and your health

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, raising levels of alertness. Small doses increase blood pressure and make the heart beat faster while larger doses can cause anxiety and restlessness. It can hinder deep sleep, leading sometimes to fatigue during the day, ironically triggering the desire for more coffee. It is also said to hinder iron absorption in the body.

Although caffeine causes some calcium to be expelled through the urine, this loss is easily compensated by adding a couple of spoons of milk to your cup of coffee. Moderate consumption does not have an adverse effect on a woman’s fertility or pregnancy.
Many myths have linked coffee to cancer and heart disease, but no scientific study has offered conclusive evidence on caffeine’s link to these illnesses. There is no cardiovascular risk associated with coffee consumption, although it does lead to a temporary rise in blood pressure.

“Although there have been concerns that caffeine may have adverse effects on bone health, heart health, and Type 2 diabetes, overall studies find no adverse effects. Indeed some studies suggest caffeine may have protective effects instead,” says Dr Georgina Cairns, Executive Director of Asian Food Information Centre (www.afic.org), a not-for-profit food safety and nutrition science communications organisation.

Caffeine is also said to possess antioxidants that benefit the body, and it’s been said that the best way to fight a headache is a good, strong cup of coffee. Some reports show that caffeine users do better in motor skill and memory tests and have better auditory and visual vigilance.

Conclusion? Caffeine can be beneficial to your body — provided it is consumed in moderation. Having said that, not all caffeinated beverages have the same amount of caffeine; this depends on the kind of beverage, serving size and the preparation method.

If you consume caffeine regularly, you may develop a tolerance for it and progressively require more to achieve the same results. The phrase “coffee addict” comes to mind, but don’t dump that mocha into the sink just yet. Unlike narcotics, caffeine is safe as long as it is limited to about 300mg, or two to three cups of coffee per day. However, when you start to feel that you can’t start the day without increasing your coffee intake, or if you experience irritability, insomnia, fatigue, headaches, nausea or confusion when you skip a cup, perhaps it’s time to cut back.

Instead of coffee…

As the world becomes more health conscious, cafes around us are offering specialty and herbal drinks as healthy alternatives to caffeine-rich beverages. If you want to reduce your coffee intake, try switching gradually to such beverages.

Of course, cutting back on something that has become a habit is never easy. If you have been a frequent coffee drinker, you may get headaches and feel lethargic or depressed if you don’t drink coffee for long. Bur Dr Cairns advises that such responses “will not be sustained and can be managed by cutting back gradually.”

One of the main reasons for drinking coffee is the warmth it provides and you could probably try teas or drinks that are warm so that you don’t miss the cosy comfort your old mug of coffee used to provide. So, go ahead and pour yourself that cuppa, just be sure to enjoy it in moderation.

Know Your Cuppa

Café Au Lait hails mainly from France. Its unique taste is derived by simultaneously pouring coffee and boiled milk.

Café Latte is an espresso with steamed milk, almost always prepared in a 1:3 proportion.

Cappuccino is made by adding ¼ amount of milk on ½ a cup of coffee, with a small amount of foamed milk spooned on. Powdered chocolate is sprinkled on top.
Although decaffeination involves the removal of caffeine from coffee beans, decaffeinated coffees still contain some caffeine. Considered the essence of coffee, an espresso is derived under pressure from ground coffee beans. It is usually topped with a foamy cream that slowly dissolves into the coffee.

Frappuccino is basically iced coffee mixed with milk and some other mix, which may contain sugar, syrup or even ice cream! The easiest to make, instant coffee is derived from rehydrating dehydrated coffee, or freeze-dried coffee, with hot water.

Mocha is similar to Latte but is blended with chocolate and milk. Some cafés sprinkle grated chocolate on Mochas.