CAFEÍNA E SEUS BENEFÍCIOS PARA A SAÚDE HUMANA: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA

Caffeine, one of the most consumed compounds in the world, has a long history of use in different cultures and societies. First discovered and isolated in the 19th century, it is a chemical found in a variety of natural sources such as coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa and some medicinal plants. Considering the high degree of prevalence of caffeine in the lives of the population, researchers have dedicated themselves to understanding the effects of this substance on the human body, and this work seeks to highlight the positive points of its use. A bibliographic review was carried out in the PubMed, ScienceDirect, NCBI, RCFBA, Osf, Google Scholar and Scielo databases. The descriptors were used: “coffee, effects of coffee, caffeine, caffeine metabolism, benefits of caffeine” in Portuguese, Spanish and English. 15 articles from the last 20 years were selected. A variety of types of coffee, time and type of storage were found, which also brings more variables to the comparison between some studies, which leads to an even greater question for the disbelieving public. It has been observed that caffeine consumption can have a beneficial and protective effect for a variety of diseases. Recent evidence suggests that coffee may have a protective effect against type II diabetes, asthma, breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer. It is important to consider that some people are more sensitive to caffeine and that individuals with a family predisposition to hypertension or those already diagnosed should avoid consumption without medical supervision. It is noteworthy that caffeine consumption can be beneficial and protective against a variety of diseases.