Drinking coffee will cause calcium loss. Can adding milk supplement calcium? Nutrition Professor: 3 tips to easily supplement calcium, low in calories, and without hurting your heart

Everyone is crazy about coffee! Drinking a cup of coffee to refresh yourself has become the highlight of many office workers. However, the Internet is also filled with various coffee articles, which makes some people worry that long-term coffee drinking may lead to calcium loss and osteoporosis, or they are afraid that caffeine intake will affect cardiovascular health, which is heartbreaking. Is it true or false? The nutrition professor shared that coffee lovers only need to master 3 tips to learn how to drink coffee. They can easily get more calcium without worrying about hurting their heart while enjoying the low-calorie and delicious coffee flavor.

Myth 1: Drinking coffee will cause calcium loss? Can adding a lot of milk replenish calcium?

For coffee lovers, they must drink coffee every day to feel energetic. Therefore, when they feel sleepy or lack energy, they like to drink black coffee. But some people like to add fresh milk, milk balls or creamer balls to add flavor and change the taste. Influenced by a lot of coffee articles on the Internet, many people have some myths and misunderstandings about these seasoning methods. For example, drinking coffee will lead to calcium loss and cause osteoporosis in the long run. As long as you add a lot of milk when drinking coffee, you can replenish the calcium. Some people also think that adding milk will increase a lot of calories and make people obese. In addition, some people think that adding creamer balls contains artificial trans fats, which will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, etc., which makes people feel at a loss.

Because of the concern about calcium loss, some people choose to drink "latte coffee", that is, adding milk to coffee, hoping to supplement calcium through milk. Professor Hsieh Ming-che of Taipei Medical University said that drinking coffee may lead to bone loss, mainly because coffee has a diuretic effect, and the oxalic acid contained in coffee will combine with calcium and be excreted from the body. Therefore, whether you are drinking latte or black coffee, if you consume too much, be careful of the risk. The extra milk itself has calories, so you should avoid excessive intake to avoid adding burden to your body. In fact, the amount of milk added to coffee is very limited, so the effect of supplementing calcium is limited. The correct way to supplement calcium is still recommended to rely on a balanced diet to be effective.

Myth 2: Creamer balls contain artificial trans fats, which will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease?

In addition to adding milk to coffee, some people like to add milk balls or creamer balls to increase the flavor and change the taste. However, there are rumors on the Internet that adding creamer balls contains artificial trans fats, which will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and is "heartbreaking". Is this concept correct?

Some people like to add fresh milk, milk balls or creamer balls to their coffee to enhance the flavor and change the taste.

Drinking coffee may lead to bone loss, mainly because coffee has a diuretic effect, and the oxalic acid contained in coffee will combine with calcium and be excreted from the body. Therefore, whether you are drinking latte or black coffee, if you consume too much, be careful of this risk.

The cream balls are made from pure milk and clearly labeled according to the "milk content"

Professor Xie Mingzhe said that before answering the question, we should first understand the difference in the ingredients of cream balls and creamer balls. Milk balls are made from 100% unadjusted pure milk and are aseptically filled in small cups. For example, there are milk ball products on the market that emphasize no additives, no adjustments, and 100% pure milk, suitable for drinking with medium-roasted coffee or tea.

However, there used to be a similar name of cream balls, but the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare has already stipulated in 2017 that such products must be clearly labeled according to the "milk content". That is, if it does not contain milk, it should be clearly stated after the product name that it does not contain milk; if the milk content is less than 50%, it should be clearly stated after the product name that it is "mainly not dairy (milk)", so the term cream balls is rarely seen nowadays.

Creamer balls are made from non-hydrogenated oils and do not contain trans fats

In addition, creamer balls are vegetable oils, which are highly stable non-hydrogenated oils such as coconut oil and palm oil. They do not contain milk ingredients. Creamer balls are made by adding emulsifiers, spices and other food additives to vegetable oils. Although they are not complete animal milk, they have a cream-like taste and are suitable for drinking with deep roasted coffee or oolong tea or black tea.

Many people have concerns about creamer balls because they contain "trans fats" (also known as trans fatty acids), which are not easily metabolized by the human body and may cause the risk of cardiovascular disease. Professor Xie Mingzhe said that the so-called artificial trans fats are by-products produced during the hydrogenation process of vegetable oils (such as soybean oil and sunflower oil). The purpose of hydrogenation is to improve the stability and high temperature resistance of the oil and extend its shelf life. In the past, most of the raw materials for creamer balls were made from partially hydrogenated oils, and there were indeed such concerns. However, the Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of incompletely hydrogenated oils containing artificial trans fats in processed foods since July 2018 to improve people's food safety. Therefore, choose creamer balls and you can clearly see the label as zero trans fat.

Take palm oil for example. It is a medium-chain fatty acid that will be naturally metabolized in the human body, so there is no need to worry about causing cardiovascular disease problems. In fact, the risk factors that easily lead to cardiovascular diseases are mainly related to excessive intake of saturated fatty acids, which causes excessive bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and forms high blood lipids that affect cardiovascular health. Therefore, to prevent hyperlipidemia, you should avoid consuming too much high-cholesterol food, as well as food that is fried, pan-fried or crispy.

It is recommended that daily coffee intake should not exceed 300 mg (for foreigners, due to their larger body size, the daily intake limit is 400 mg) to avoid excessive drinking that may affect calcium loss. Especially patients with heart diseases such as arrhythmia or heart failure should be cautious and consult a doctor before confirming whether they can consume caffeine.

【3 secrets to healthy coffee drinking】

Finally, Professor Xie Mingzhe teaches everyone three tips for drinking coffee wisely, without worrying about the calories, calcium loss, and heartbreak:

1. Daily coffee intake:

Coffee is delicious, but don’t drink too much! It is recommended that daily coffee intake should not exceed 300 mg (for foreigners, due to their larger body size, the daily intake limit is 400 mg) to avoid excessive drinking that may affect calcium loss. Especially patients with heart diseases such as arrhythmia or heart failure should be cautious and consult a doctor before confirming whether they can consume caffeine.

2. Drink coffee to add flavor:

Some people don't like the bitter taste of black coffee. If you want to add flavor and palatability to coffee, Professor Xie Mingzhe shared his experience. He often brews a pot of coffee in the office and pairs it with a lightweight creamer or milk ball at room temperature to increase the aroma and fresh flavor. It is a good drink for personal use and for entertaining guests. A creamer ball has only 4 calories, so it is easy to drink. In addition, it is occasionally added to traditional grass jelly and black tea jelly, which is also a delicious dessert.

3. Drink coffee to get more calcium:

Professor Xie Mingzhe also said that you can add a little calcium and protein when drinking coffee. He shared that he likes to add soy lecithin to coffee. Soybeans can supplement protein and contain calcium, while phosphatidylcholine is beneficial to the activity of nerve cells.