Instant Coffee

The advantages and disadvantages of instant coffee.

Instant coffee is quicker and easier to make than making coffee with ground coffee beans and normally cheaper. Instant coffee is processed from coffee beans that have been roasted and either spray or freeze dried.

Instant coffee has less cafestol than roasted coffee which can raise cholesterol levels so those suffering with a high cholesterol level should drink instant coffee rather than roasted coffee.

Studies have shown that people who regularly drink instant coffee are less inclided to develop heart disease and in particular those people who drink four or more cups a day were less at risk from developing the disease.

Drinking more than seven cups a day has in some instances led to people suffering with hallucinations thought to be caused by the increased production of the stress hormone cortisone.

Instant coffee has been shown to be higher in acrylamide which has been shown to cause cancer in animals sometimes the level of acrylamide can be twenty times that of roasted coffee.

Coffee is rich in antioxidants which help the body in it’s fight against free radicals which cause amongst other things, cancer, aging and heart disease. Methylpyridinium is present in coffee after the roasting process and this has anti-cancer properties.

Instant coffee is lower in caffeine than roasted coffee so gives less of a high than the brewed coffee.