The Danes Confirmed Their Love for Coffee in a Scientific Way 0 4

Scientists from the University of Copenhagen and other organizations have found that coffee may reduce the risk of gallstone formation. The results were published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Gallstones are hardened deposits in the gallbladder, a small organ beneath the liver. They may not show symptoms but can sometimes cause pain and require surgical removal of the organ. The study assessed the relationship between coffee consumption and the development of gallstone disease. In the first phase, researchers analyzed data from 104,493 individuals over 8 years. In the second phase, they examined two genetic variants associated with higher coffee consumption. In the third phase, they studied how genetic predisposition to high coffee consumption affects disease risk in 114,220 individuals over 38 years of observation.

The results showed that individuals who drank more than six cups of coffee a day had a 23% lower risk of gallstone disease compared to those who did not consume coffee. Each additional cup reduced the risk by 3%, and genetic data indicated a risk reduction of 11%. The researchers noted that coffee stimulates gallbladder contraction, and caffeine likely plays a key role here. This helps prevent the formation of large stones from small crystals in the early stages of the disease. In cases with already existing large stones, increased contractions can cause pain. The results align with previous studies showing a protective effect of coffee on the gallbladder.

Coffee appeared in Denmark in 1655, 40 years after it was brought to Europe. At that time, tea and tobacco also became popular in the country. Until the early nineteenth century, coffee was a luxury available only to the chosen elite – but even they preferred tea, reserving coffee for wedding celebrations. However, by the 19th century, coffee became the most popular beverage in Denmark. The reason is simple: farmers became wealthy. They considered brewed herbal tea a drink for sick people, while coffee was for the healthy, young, and active. Moreover, coffee fit perfectly into their lifestyle of hard work from early morning. Danish housewives also contributed to the development of the coffee industry. They began to form groups to promote coffee consumption (instead of the cheap brandy popular among men) – and set up promotional coffee carts in the squares near factories, paying for the drinks for workers out of their own pockets.

By the early 20th century, coffee had become part of Danish everyday life. Writer Annet Hoff narrates in her books about a man from a poor family who had never tried meat – however, his parents drank coffee every day.

The love of the Danish population for coffee has been eagerly exploited by marketers: coffee with cookies or a piece of cake is an important component of the famous Danish lifestyle "hygge", as well as the most promoted advertising campaign in the world (after Coca-Cola, of course). The country remains among the top five in coffee consumption per capita. The figure is 8.7 kg per year. The Danes even invented a special word – kaffeslabberas – which means an informal social event where coffee and pastries are offered. At weddings, guests are always invited to a bryllupskaffe buffet or wedding coffee.