8 Widespread Coffee Myths

Since coffee became so popular, there has been a lot written about it – some good and some bad. As a matter of fact, you can always find people that keep telling you how harmful coffee is. They keep droning on about how your heart is likely to stop one day or how much you are addicted to caffeine. So, let’s examine some widespread coffee myths and quasi-truths that have come to be associated with our favorite brew.

1. Coffee Is Not Healthy

That is a coffee myth that is definitely not true. In fact, coffee contains antioxidants that can serve to help prevent a whole range of illnesses. Coffee is as beneficial to the human body as green tea or fruit. Indeed, the coffee bean is the seed of a fruit (the coffee cherry)!

2. Caffeine Is Not Good For You

Coffee naturally comes with caffeine, but caffeine is not bad for you per se. What caffeine does is make you less sleepy and increase your ability to focus. As with most things, moderation is key. Obviously, using coffee to stay awake when you should be getting a good night’s sleep should be avoided. 

3. Coffee Dehydrates You

This coffee myth originated because caffeine is a diuretic, a substance that makes you pee more often. So, logically the more you pee, the more water your body must be losing, right? However, what’s missing is that when you are drinking coffee, you are also consuming the water it’s made with. 

4. Coffee Raises Your Blood Pressure

Yes, coffee will cause your blood pressure to rise, and a weaker heart could have difficulty coping with this sudden change. Thus, anyone with cardiovascular problems should be careful about how much coffee they drink at one time. However, for a healthy person, drinking coffee is risk-free and beneficial to the heart because of the antioxidants it contains.

5. Coffee Sobers You Up

This is a dangerous coffee myth. A drinking friend may tell you that all they need is a cup of coffee, and they’ll be good to get behind the steering wheel! Take their keys! Coffee has no sobering effects whatsoever. Moreover, the increased awareness boost from the caffeine intake can actually make the drinker feel capable of driving safely when they are not.

6. Never Drink Coffee on an Empty Stomach

An early morning cup of coffee may stimulate the production of stomach fluids resulting in an acceleration of the digestive process. You can choose to add some milk to your first cup of the day to make the effects on your stomach milder. However, it’s best to avoid coffee on an empty stomach if you have chronic gastritis or stomach ulcers. 

7. Too Much Coffee Will Stunt Your Growth

If you got into the habit of drinking coffee in your teen years, you might have been warned that you will end up being shorter than average. There is no basis for this coffee myth, and drinking coffee while you are still growing has not been shown to have any effect on how tall you will end up. 

8. You Will Get Addicted to Coffee

This coffee myth is somewhat complicated. Is your coffee craving really an addiction? It’s certainly not an “addiction” on the same level as an addiction to drugs or alcohol. However, there is one thing these addictions seem to have in common, namely the necessity of increasing the dose. Therefore, the cup of coffee that charged you with so much energy when you were eighteen will not do the same for you at sixty-five. 

Coffee Myths: Final Thoughts

Misinformation about coffee is everywhere! Coffee doesn’t sober you up, rob you of water, or stunt your children. So let’s grind up these coffee myths and brew a hot pot of truth.

And, for the best coffee to brew, visit the shop at Operant Coffee. It is true that we only offer the best Fair Trade Certified coffee.