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Students and coffee: a necessary relationship

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University is a demanding and time-consuming reality in each of our lives. We all have classes, extracurriculars, social lives and other commitments to cram into each day. It’s draining and it’s why many students share something in common in an attempt to keep moving: coffee.

Coffee, the hot brewed beverage famous for it’s stimulating caffeinated contents. Consuming it is a ritual for many and is a common morning routine in society. It can be a tool to give you that extra boost when pulling an all-nighter to finish an assignment, or the perfect accompaniment for an important meeting.

Fourth-year kinesiology student, James Scott, is one of many students committed to a coffee routine.

“I cannot go a day without drinking coffee in the morning. It’s part of my routine that I look forward to, it wakes me up and gets me ready for the day,” said Scott.

“It’s super important because on the days I don’t drink coffee I don’t feel great. I probably drink two coffees a day.”

We see coffee sold everywhere, but do we know if it’s actually good for us or not? According to a recent study in the United Kingdom, coffee may be more than just your sidekick while studying for that upcoming exam, it may actually help extend your life expectancy.

According to Erikka Loftfield, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland, their “large prospective cohort study of a half million people found inverse associations for coffee drinking with mortality.” In other words, they were able to conclude from their findings that drinking coffee on a daily basis didn’t have negative effects on their subjects aged 40-69, it actually appeared to be helpful in lowering the risk of death.

It seems hard to believe that something we enjoy consuming on a regular basis can actually be something that is good for us too, but that appears to be the case. This study, published in the JAMA Journal of Internal Medicine, found these positive results and even included “those drinking eight or more cups per day.”

While this study is certainly intriguing, unfortunately, it doesn’t make mention of the contents within the coffee being consumed in the study. A nutrition expert at Tufts University in Massachusetts, Alice Lichtenstein commented on this study’s findings in The Globe and Mail article and advised “loading coffee with extra fat and calories isn’t healthy,” so maybe we should steer clear of the double-doubles and stick to black coffee in the future.

What we can be sure of, though, is that the results of this study were consistent across different forms such as “ground, instant, and decaffeinated coffee.” With findings like this, coffee consumers can be rest-assured that the beverage can actually be part of a healthy diet.

As I write this, I’m currently drinking Compliments instant coffee — I would not recommend it. But at Brock we have a number of quality places on campus and nearby to get your coffee fix, so here’s a quick look at each.

Tim Hortons

There are multiple locations on campus, you can pick up your Timmies in Thistle or self-serve at the Hungry Badger. The Schmon Tower location is also supposed to be opening up very soon. You know what you’re getting at Tim’s, it’s consistent, pretty cheap, but also has ridiculous lines. A doughnut alongside your coffee can be worth the wait though.

Starbucks

Also a place with multiple locations on campus. You can pick up your Starbuck’s in the Plaza building in the Daily Grind Cafe right beside the BUSU office, it’s got some nice seating areas too. Of course, there’s also the Common Grounds Cafe located in the library that serves Starbucks coffee, a prime location for a studying session. It may be more expensive, but this is pumpkin spice we’re talking about.

General Brock

A hidden gem for many. GB offers a wide variety of different flavours of coffee and will never have the long lines you’ll see at a Tim Horton’s.

The Grounds

While located off campus in The Lofts building seven, this classic coffee shop could be the low-key spot you need for studying and to satisfy your caffeine craving. They pride themselves on their fair-trade options.

The post Students and coffee: a necessary relationship appeared first on The Brock Press.


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