Coffee is a world-renowned drink, known for its bitter taste and caffeinated content. Billions of cups of coffee are consumed each day, making it the third-most-popular beverage in the entire world, behind only tea and water. However, in the last few years, some coffee controversy has arisen. Studies have found a number of health and anxiety issues linked to caffeine. Lastly, much of the world’s population regularly drinks coffee, but how do these statistics compare to the population of Park Forest?
Historically, coffee first emerged in the fifteenth century in Yemen when a man named Kaldi discovered that certain berries made him so energetic that he could not fall asleep after consuming them. He reported this to the others in his area who mashed these berries into a drink which kept them awake for the long hours of the day. Word of this “magic” drink spread throughout the Middle Eastern region and early coffee houses started emerging. By the 17th century, coffee had spread to Europe and become popular throughout the continent.
Today, there are about 25 million coffee farms in the world and over 1 billion people drink coffee regularly. Despite these statistics, the drink’s impact on health has been questioned over the years. Coffee is a drink containing caffeine, a mild stimulant that boosts awareness and energy. Though this sounds like a panacea, too much caffeine is not always good for human health. Health issues linked to caffeine have been discovered over the years including increased risk of insomnia, nervousness, anxiety or panic attacks, and hypertension or high blood pressure. The Harvard School of Public Health even found that caffeine can be fatally toxic at extreme doses. However, caffeine is not all bad. A study from the New York Times magazine found that drinking coffee daily is associated with benefits such as reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, depression, suicide, cirrhosis, liver cancer, malanoma, and prostate cancer, causing a reduced death rate. This shows that, while caffeine has some health positives and negatives, coffee is not bad stimulant, as long as the person consuming it is being responsible with their dosage.
In 2020, about 64% of the American adults drank coffee regularly. Additionally, about 35% of the world population did the same. In comparison, a survey of 96 students in Park Forest Middle School from all 3 grades found that about 38% of students regularly drink coffee.
Carolyn Frank, a student in 6th grade, is surprised by this. She states, “I would definitely think that there would be more.” She would have estimated that around fifty percent of students drink coffee as she knows a lot of people who drink it. Mrs. Dougherty, a sixth-grade teacher, is also very surprised by this. She states, “that’s way higher than I thought.” She would have estimated that around five percent of students drink coffee. Alternatively, Mrs. McAninch, a seventh-grade teacher, is not surprised. According to Mrs. McAninch, “I’m not surprised just because of the number of places where you can pick up a coffee easily.” She would have guessed that around twenty percent of students drink coffee.
In 2013, the United States Food and Drug Administration set the appropriate consuming age for caffeine to 21 years old. This recommendation has been preferentially contested by many citizens of the US, and even some teachers and students in Park Forest. One example of this is sixth-grader Lyla Reutzel. She thinks the appropriate age to begin regularly consuming caffeinated coffee is around 13 or 14. Reutzel thinks that it is fine as long as your parents are okay with it. Similarly, sixth-grade teacher Mr. Tranell states, “I think that the appropriate age is probably sometime in high school. Probably after your body transitions into more of an adult body.” Finally, principal Dr. Wiser thinks that the appropriate age to drink coffee regularly is, “maybe when you can start driving a car perhaps because it does have stimulants.” Unsurprisingly, this opinion is shared by many students and teachers.
Moreover, caffeinated coffee’s effect on people’s mental and physical health has been questioned over the last several years. Many people have strong opinions on the topic, while some stay neutral. One opinion on the topic is that coffee has a positive impact on people's health. Mr. Kellander, a sixth-grade teacher who agrees with this statement, says, “I think coffee impacts people positively in that it is something to look forward to every morning.” Another opinion on the topic is that coffee’s effects are neutral. Mrs. Billet, the librarian in PFMS, agrees with this. She states, “It’s a useful stimulant for me, but if you’re adding a lot of whipped cream and all of those other extra things, it might be a negative.” Similarly, Mr. Ammerman, a sixth-grade teacher, states, “It impacts me in a positive way [...] but it’s in moderation too.” Finally, Mrs. Condrin, a sixth-grade teacher, states, “I think it’s positive if it's early enough in the day but it can affect my sleep negatively”. As for student views, sixth-grade student Stella Loverich says, “I think a little bit is okay [...], but when you drink like ten cups per day and you are only a kid, it is probably not a good idea.” In addition, sixth-grade student Avalina Brannen says, “I think there are some negative parts of it, but some people can’t make it through the school day without it though so there are some positive factors of it too.”
In conclusion, coffee is a stimulating drink that is consumed for pleasure and wellbeing in which dosage and ingredients of the beverage are up to personal preference. In terms of health, coffee can have a good effect or a bad effect, have a positive impact or a negative impact in moderation. Today, coffee is an enormously popular option and is enjoyed in places around the world, even in Park Forest.
Source:
https://www.ncausa.org/about-coffee/history-of-coffee