Despite misconceptions, studies have shown that drinking moderate amounts of coffee is actually somewhat beneficial to health.

The students of our generation live their demanding lives towering on academics, sports, and other activities that exhaust them by the end of the day. As a result, more students have turned to coffee as a way of energizing themselves for their strenuous schedule. Yet, this sudden spike in consumption of the drink has many people wondering about the overall effects coffee has on teenagers’ health. With the wide variety of coffee choices offered nowadays, the line between whether coffee is beneficial to one’s wellbeing has become quite slim.

Medical research has proven that coffee is helpful to teenagers when taken in moderation. Coffee is a stimulant and therefore has the ability to make students more alert. This is extremely helpful to high school students, as it improves their concentration skills and make them more alert during class.   Therefore, coffee has somewhat of a positive effect on education. In addition, coffee offers students a healthier alternative to highly caffeinated energy drinks such as Monster and Redbull.

The common fear in drinking coffee is that the amount of caffeine in the drink can be detrimental to your body. This isn’t necessarily true. Recent studies show that small amounts of caffeine have a beneficial effect on the human body. For example, caffeine helps increase muscle endurance during exercises, and when mixed with carbs, has the ability to replenish muscle glycogen lost during an intense workout. This effect can help encourage students to dedicate more time to exercise regularly without feeling post-intense soreness.

Caffeine also has the ability to help teenagers cope with high school stress. A study published in the “Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry” stated that caffeine’s ability to increase the alertness of students allows them to fight sleep deprivation stress to the point in which the smell of coffee alone can ease mental strain.

Coffee’s popularity has increased up to the point where major franchises such as Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee fight for dominance with a new variety of beverages. These sugary drinks, which should not be labeled “coffee,” consist of syrup and artificial sweeteners that can be damaging to growing teenagers. For instance, a Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Coffee from Starbucks contains a whopping 600 calories from additional items added to the coffee from additives. This hugely differs from a typical mug of black coffee and as a result, the drink has become a leading advocate of unhealthiness.

Whether or not coffee is to be considered a healthy drink cannot rely solely on the beverage itself. The choice of either grabbing a moderate cup of black coffee or a tasty drink provided by a famous café will ultimately be up to you. So next you’re up late at night cramming for the morrow’s tests, don’t be afraid to grab a cup of delicious coffee. Just remember, choose wisely!