Pour over coffee has both risks and benefits. It can help you focus, reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, liver cancer, and gallstones, protect you against Parkinson’s disease, and increase your antioxidant consumption. However, it can also increase anxiety and blood pressure, cause insomnia, be habit-forming, and cause withdrawals.
Are you concerned about the health effects of pour over coffee? Read on to learn about both its risks and benefits.
Can pour over coffee help you focus?
One cup of coffee has 95 mg of caffeine. The average Chemex, the most popular method of pour over coffee, makes two cups of coffee.
If you drink all of the pour over coffee your Chemex makes, you are consuming 190 mg of caffeine.
Caffeine is a stimulant. Stimulants wake up the central nervous system and increase dopamine in the brain.
Dopamine helps you focus, so consuming 190 mg of caffeine is sure to increase your ability to focus. This is why people often drink caffeine in the morning or while they are working or studying.
Can pour over coffee reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes?
A 2014 study containing 48,000 people concluded that those who increased their consumption of coffee by at least one cup a day over 4 years lowered their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 11%, compared to those who did not increase their intake.
A meta-analysis conducted in 2017 found that people who drank four to six cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A meta-analysis is when multiple studies are taken into consideration as a way to combine all of the research into one paper.
Four to six cups of coffee is the equivalent of two to three Chemexes worth of coffee.
Can pour over coffee protect you against Parkinson’s disease?
Many studies have found that caffeine may have the ability to protect you against Parkinson’s disease.
Men who drink more than four cups each day (which is two Chemexes worth of coffee) may have a five-fold lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
A 2017 meta-analysis suggested a connection between drinking coffee and a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease as well as Alzheimer’s disease.
Whether or not decaffeinated coffee has the same effects is understudied and inconclusive.
Can pour over coffee reduce your risk of liver cancer?
A 2019 literature review found that drinking coffee likely reduces the risk of developing liver cancer.
A 2021 study involving almost half a million people found that drinking coffee significantly lowers the risk of developing liver disease.
Three to four cups provides the greatest benefit, which would be one and a half to two Chemexes worth of coffee.
Can pour over coffee reduce your risk of gallstone disease?
Drinking coffee may lower your risk of gallstone disease.
A 1999 study concluded that men who drink two to three cups of coffee each day have a 4% lower risk of developing gallstones, while those who drink four or more cups per day have almost a 50% lower risk.
Does pour over coffee have antioxidants?
Free radicals damage vital molecules in your body like DNA and proteins. Antioxidants disarm free radicals, thus protecting you against aging and many diseases.
Many studies conclude that coffee is one of the greatest sources of antioxidants in the average human diet.
Pour over coffee has many powerful antioxidants such as polyphenols and hydroxycinnamic acids.
In studies conducted in Norway and Finland, coffee was found to be the biggest source of antioxidants in the countries, making up roughly 64% of antioxidant intake.
Does pour over coffee increase your anxiety?
Excess caffeine can cause what is colloquially referred to as “jitters.”
Caffeine hasn’t been found to directly cause anxiety, but it can worsen pre-existing symptoms and exacerbate anxiety in those who are prone to it.
Studies have found that those who have anxiety disorders report increased anxiety after consuming caffeine, while those who do not have anxiety disorders don’t report increased anxiety.
If you have an anxiety disorder, you should be careful about consuming pour over coffee.
Can pour over coffee increase your blood pressure?
Even if you don’t typically have high blood pressure, caffeine has the potential to cause a short yet dramatic increase in blood pressure. This spike differs from person to person.
Some researchers have a theory that caffeine may block a hormone that maintains the width of your arteries, while others believe that caffeine causes excess adrenaline, hence increasing your blood pressure.
Can pour over coffee cause insomnia?
The maximum effects of caffeine typically occur within half an hour to an hour after consumption.
Within the brain, caffeine blocks a sleep-promoting chemical called adenosine. Adenosine is produced while you’re awake. The more adenosine that is built up throughout the day, the sleepier you will be at night.
In addition, caffeine may interfere with circadian melatonin rhythms if consumed too close to bedtime.
Coffee has a half-life between 4 and 6 hours, so you shouldn’t consume it any later than 6 hours before you plan to go to sleep.
Can pour over coffee be habit-forming?
Caffeine creates a small rise in dopamine. However, the surge is not large enough to unbalance reward circuits in your brain. This unbalance is necessary for a scientifically-sound addiction.
But humans are creatures of habit. Without the habit of consuming caffeine, your day may feel thrown off balance.
Coffee brings alertness as well as a sense of security within your routine. Hence, it is habit-forming in the majority of people who drink it.
Can you get withdrawals if you stop drinking pour over coffee?
If you typically consume pour over coffee, you are likely to experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms if you skip a cup or abruptly stop drinking it.
Symptoms of caffeine withdrawal include tremors, decreased concentration, anxiety, irritability, low energy, headache, and fatigue.
To reduce these symptoms you should slowly cut back on your caffeine, stay hydrated, and find other ways to boost your energy such as working out.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.