You're already familiar with The Daily Cup's new column, Coffee Brainiacs, where we split the thread into quarters and turn the coffee bean on all sides until we discover its secrets. Some weird, some funny, some downright scientific, coffee facts continue to fascinate us as we make room for them in our lives. Whether you're a coffee aficionado or not, you're sure to love this wonderful liquor even more once you learn more about it. After the 7 amazing things you didn't know about coffee and 5 scientifically proven ways coffee gives you Super Powers, in this issue we present to you 9 myths about coffee busted by science. 
1. Coffee after dinner will keep you up all night
Caffeine is a stimulant. However, coffee after a meal is synthesized by the liver at the speed of light and almost all caffeine (about 75%) is eliminated from the body after 4-7 hours. So if you enjoy your second cup at 3pm, by the time you go to bed you should be fine. That is if you don't go to bed very early.
2. The optimal extraction is done with hot water
Nothing more untrue! If the water temperature exceeds 90 degrees, the water will extract the more bitter oils from the coffee, possibly even burning them. So you can attribute the burnt taste of coffee even to too hot water. 
3. Coffee cancels out the effects of alcohol
The number of myths about alcohol rivals those about coffee, but the short answer is: No. Caffeine can lessen the effects of alcohol, making you more alert, but a study by The American Psychological Association concludes: coffee does not cancel out the negative cognitive impact of alcohol. On the contrary, things can be even worse: "People who have consumed both alcohol and caffeine may feel alert and able to deal with situations that can become dangerous, such as driving a car."
4. Coffee dehydrates you
Yes, coffee has a moderate diuretic effect, but the water in its composition fully compensates for the dehydrating effect of caffeine. A 2014 study even shows that people who drink coffee regularly develop some resistance to its potential dehydrating effect. 
5. Coffee helps you lose weight
Hmm..not really. The stimulant effect of caffeine can increase your metabolic rate slightly – I mean very slightly – but not enough to cause you to lose weight, at least not in the long term. Caffeine may temporarily reduce your desire to eat, but there is not enough scientific evidence to show a link between caffeine and weight loss. 
6. Caffeine is addictive
There is a grain of truth to this myth, as caffeine stimulates the central nervous system. However, the withdrawal effects last a day or two, and are small compared to the withdrawal effects of, say, nicotine.
7. Coffee causes heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis
Calm down, everything will be fine. Consumed in moderate daily amounts (up to 400 milligrams or 4 cups of coffee), caffeine will do you no harm. If you suffer from hypertension, you may experience a temporary increase in heart rate, but there is no connection between caffeine and increased cholesterol or cardiovascular disease. On the contrary, there is ample evidence of caffeine's beneficial effects from places like Harvard. 
8. Pregnant women should not drink coffee
Caffeine does not affect the fetus, but pregnant women are advised to limit themselves to just 200 milligrams per day. Caffeine can reach the baby, but there are no concrete studies to prove that it is harmful. But better safe than sorry, right?
9. Coffee stops your height growth
No one is saying to add coffee to a child's daily diet, but there are no studies showing that caffeine stunts growth either. The closest scientific evidence for this is that it slightly reduces the absorption of calcium in the body.
*Article adapted from www.thrillist.com