coffee

Coffee is the most widely consumed beverage in developed countries, mainly in Europe and the United States. On average, a person consumes 1.3 kilograms of coffee worldwide. Those who consume the most coffee are the Finns (12 kilograms per person per year), followed by the Norwegians (almost 10 kg per person), the Swedes (8.4 kg) and the Dutch (8.2).

Thanks to new technologies, today it is possible to be connected at all hours and check email or social networks at any time. This makes many people unable to resist the temptation to enter their Factbook profile or check their Twitter account at all times. A study that will be published in the journal Psychological Science affirms that social networks cause more addiction than alcohol and tobacco.

Decaffeinated coffee increases the availability of energy at the brain level, reducing the risk of suffering from dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, according to a study published in the journal 'Nutritional Neuroscience' in its latest edition.

The incidence of depression in women appears to decrease when consumption of caffeinated coffee increases, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Consuming four or more cups a day reduces the risk of depression by 20 percent.

Caffeine is found naturally in more than 60 different plants and is made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Its molecular structure makes it resist the attack of most bacteria.

A medical study at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands has identified eight factors that increase the risk of stroke due to a ruptured aneurysm. The first place on the list is occupied by coffee consumption, which accounts for 10.6% of bleeding, according to the journal 'Journal of the American Heart Association'.

The coffee that is prepared in espresso machines and, above all, that of capsules, contains more furan - a toxic and carcinogenic compound - than that of traditional drip coffee machines, although always within safe levels for health. This is reflected in a study carried out by researchers from the University of Barcelona.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute and several American universities have discovered two human genes whose variations determine individual caffeine consumption. The study is published today in the journal 'PLoS Genetics'.