Can I Drink Black Coffee During Menstruation?
Black coffee has a rich and mellow taste, without sugar or milk. Drinking an appropriate amount of it will not lead to weight gain, making it popular among young people. Due to its ability to refresh and revitalize, promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and stimulate appetite, black coffee has become an essential beverage for work, leisure, and social occasions. However, women should avoid drinking it during menstruation as it contains caffeine and alcohol, which can affect hormone secretion and potentially impact their health.
During menstruation, women may experience common physiological discomforts such as chest tightness, chest pain, abdominal pain, and lower back soreness. Additionally, they may also experience gastrointestinal discomfort, decreased appetite, and mood swings such as irritability, insomnia, and anxiety. These symptoms are often caused by the instability of hormone levels during menstruation.
Black coffee contains a significant amount of caffeine, which can accelerate metabolism and blood circulation, leading to overstimulation of the central nervous system. During menstruation, when women's physical resistance and immune system are weakened, and they experience various discomforts, drinking black coffee is not advisable. Excessive consumption of coffee during menstruation may even lead to increased menstrual pain, increased menstrual blood volume, and disrupted sleep quality, worsening insomnia.
Other than black coffee, women should also avoid other beverages containing stimulants or excitatory substances during menstruation.
1. Refreshing and Revitalizing
Black coffee contains a large amount of caffeine, which has a strong bitter taste and can stimulate the nervous system, heart, and respiratory system. Drinking an appropriate amount of black coffee can refresh and revitalize the mind, reducing fatigue in the brain and muscles. Caffeine also has a strong diuretic effect, promoting the elimination of excess sodium ions from the blood through the kidneys, which is beneficial for the cardiovascular system.
2. Improving Mood
Many young people nowadays consider black coffee a fashionable and leisurely beverage. Drinking a cup of fragrant black coffee after a busy day can not only eliminate fatigue but also provide a spiritual enjoyment, relieving physical and mental exhaustion and regulating mood.
Experiments have shown that absorbing about 300 milligrams of caffeine (about 3 cups of brewed coffee) per day can have a positive impact on alertness and mood.
3. Stimulating Appetite and Digestion
The caffeine in black coffee stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, promoting the secretion of gastric acid, digestion, and preventing gastric distension and ptosis. It also stimulates gastrointestinal hormones and motility hormones, promoting bowel movements.
4. Diuretic and Sobering
The caffeine in black coffee has a diuretic effect and can promote the conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde. Therefore, drinking coffee after drinking alcohol can help convert ethanol in the blood into acetaldehyde, which is then eliminated through the kidneys, aiding in sobering up.
5. Promoting Blood Circulation and Removing Blood Stasis
The linoleic acid in black coffee has the effects of dissolving blood, preventing the formation of blood clots, enhancing vasoconstriction, relieving migraine, and reducing the risk of stroke.
6. Preventing Gallstones
Caffeine has a stimulatory effect on many organs and tissues in the body, including stimulating gallbladder contraction and reducing the cholesterol content in bile, which plays a significant role in preventing the formation of gallstones. According to research conducted at Harvard University in the United States, people who drink 2-3 cups of coffee daily have a 40% lower risk of developing gallstones.
7. Preventing Cardiovascular Diseases
Drinking a cup of black coffee daily can be beneficial for patients with hypotension. During the process of brewing coffee at high temperatures, antioxidant compounds are produced, which help fight cancer, aging, and even prevent cardiovascular diseases. Coffee can increase high-density cholesterol, accelerate the metabolism of bad cholesterol, reduce coronary atherosclerosis, and lower the risk of stroke.
1. Caffeine is the most notable component of coffee. It belongs to the class of plant xanthines, similar to the cocoa alkaloids found in chocolate and theophylline in green tea. The percentage of caffeine reduction during roasting is minimal, and its effects are diverse. Caffeine can accelerate metabolism,