ALL THINGS COFFEE

Let’s talk all things coffee! This brew is often called golden liquid for a reason- it simply tastes good, boosts energy and sometimes even motivation, productivity, and concentration. Whilst coffee can be beneficial for health, it often has a bad reputation to be “addictive” and some people simply cannot tolerate caffeine too well, and it can interrupt a good night’s sleep, so information out there can be conflicting! Have you ever wondered whether you should cut or eliminate your coffee or caffeine consumption? Here are a few points to consider before you make an informed decision!

Why coffee could be beneficial for you:

• Coffee can improve your energy, mood, and memory

• Can support weight loss and reduce fat tissue

• Can boost physical performance

• Contains antioxidants that are generally health promotive, especially for your nervous system

• Can support liver and gallbladder function

• Contains minerals and some B-vitamins

What’s the downside of coffee?

• Might cause anxiety

• Might disrupt sleep

• Might cause heart palpitations and increase blood pressure

• Overstimulate your nervous system (especially the enteric nervous system- which is wrapped around your gut)

• Can cause Diarrhoea

• Can be addictive and withdrawal might lead to significant symptoms

So, let’s have a closer look at it:

EFFECTS ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

It’s true, research suggests that the stimulative component of coffee -caffeine- increases energy, mood, and cognition! Caffeine is a psychoactive substance that once it reaches our bloodstream is carried into our brain tissue, where it’s blocking adenosine. Adenosine is a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that has stimulative effects on our stress and pleasure messengers like norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and dopamine. Meaning, if you drink coffee, you are more alert, because your neurons fire more frequently and at the same time you are left with higher dopamine concentrations, which manifests as a feeling of reward, better motivation, and cognitive function [1]. A real little pick me up!

EFFECTS ON METABOLISM

Furthermore, caffeine is the main ingredient in most pre-workout supplements for a reason. Research shows that it enhances your metabolism, especially a process called lipolysis (or fat burning). Again, the effects of caffeine on the nervous system, releasing epinephrine (adrenaline), causes enhanced signalling to break down your fat storage, whilst giving you more energy. So, you win double, you have more energy available to work out harder, whilst mobilizing your fat storage better [2]!

ANTIOXIDATIVE PROPERTIES AND NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE

Coffee contains many highly antioxidative substances, meaning it can reduce oxidative stress (induced by radicals released by our metabolism), thus reducing cellular damage! This damage is often associated with acute and chronic health conditions. The antioxidative properties of coffee seem to be particularly protective of the nervous system (brain tissue, nerves and spinal cord), which might be beneficial for the prevention of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, in women as well as reduced risk for stroke in both sexes [3].

RELATIONSHIP OF COFFEE AND DIABETES (TYPE 2)

Interestingly, as a meta-analysis from Reis et al. in 2019 established, caffeine reduces the body’s ability to utilize glucose properly in the short term, whilst coffee supports overall glucose (=sugar) metabolism and signalling in the long term. Meaning: when you drink caffeinated coffee first thing in the morning, your body’s ability to regulate its sugar levels is reduced, however, over a period of few weeks, your risk to develop type 2 diabetes seems to be reduced. After looking at both, caffeinated as well as decaffeinated coffee, the results and relationship to sugar balance seems to be diminished with the caffeine rather than the other substance in coffee, indicating the positive associated effects might be due to the antioxidative substances, rather than the caffeine [4], [5]. After all, more research is needed to establish the exact mechanism of action for the preventative effect of coffee on type 2 diabetes risk reduction [5].

COFFEE AS A BITTER

Nowadays, the consumption of bitter foods diminishes more and more, which leaves us with an increased risk to develop liver and gallbladder disorders. Because bitter foods stimulate our own digestive enzyme production (especially from the gallbladder), they seem to be beneficial for the proper functioning of those organs. Furthermore, the positive effects of coffee on metabolism and its antioxidative effects also supports liver health and disease/damage prevention [6].

THE DOWNSIDE OF COFFEE: NUTRIENT ABSORPTION

Whilst coffee has all those really good properties and health-supportive effects, it also has a downside. The caffeine in coffee blocks the uptake of nearly every nutrient, meaning that whilst having the caffeine in your stomach, the health-promoting nutrients of your breakfast or lunch are likely not taken up into your system. This displays a great risk for nutrient deficiency, especially for insufficient calcium status, as the average person includes the highest amount of calcium intake per day in the milk of the coffee. A chronic low status of calcium contributes to osteopenia and osteoporosis development, which is particularly harmful to women post-menopause, as their recommended daily intake of calcium increases by 33%. Furthermore, caffeine is also associated with the direct depletion of vitamin B6 [7].

CAFFEINE SENSITIVITY AND SPECIAL POPULATION GROUPS

The sensitivity to caffeine is very individual, and a certain amount of coffee might be just right for one person and already way too much for the next. General population groups that are sensitive to caffeine include pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, older individuals, and people with pre-existing heart conditions. For the general population, consumption of 300 mg of caffeine a day is considered safe, which would equal about 3 coffee shots per day. During pregnancy and breastfeeding the coffee intake should not exceed 2 cups, as the caffeine can cross into breastmilk and the placenta, thus stimulating the baby. The tolerance of caffeine also depends on gender, as there seems to be a relationship between oestrogen, caffeine, and the dopamine system, thus females might be more susceptible to possible side effects at different times of the cycle [5].

SIDE EFFECTS OF TOO MUCH CAFFEINE:

· Insomnia

· Nervousness, restlessness

· Anxiety

· Stomach upset and reflux

· Increased heart rate and palpitations

· Headache

· Arrhythmia

SPECIAL CAUTIONS IN PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS [8]:

· Anxiety: caffeine might worsen symptoms

· Bipolar disorder: caffeine might worsen symptoms

· Bleeding disorders caffeine might worsen the condition

· Heart disease: might contribute to a rise in homocysteine and lipids

· Diabetes: might disrupt body’s regulatory blood sugar system

· Diarrhoea/ IBS: caffeine is a stimulative substance that might worsen diarrhoea

· Epilepsy: caffeine might trigger seizures

· High Blood pressure: caffeine has the ability to increase blood pressure

My Top Tips and Take Home:

• Time coffee intake at least 1 hour after wakening to allow your body’s own cortisol (stress hormone) to build up naturally to maintain the best possible energy throughout the day

• Eat before heaving coffee to buffer the caffeine spikes in the blood, to avoid hyper and hypo episodes induced by the caffeine

• If you take any supplements or medication, it’s best to take them at least 2h apart

• Ensure adequate calcium and vitamin B6 intake at least 2h away from coffee

• Espresso shots just before a workout boost your overall performance

• As caffeine can cause insomnia, it’s recommended to have the last coffee before 3 pm, so the caffeine can be detoxified and excreted by the body in time to not interfere with your sleep

• If you suffer from any health conditions mentioned above, talk to your health care practitioner to discuss a safe dose of caffeine intake

• If used as a therapeutic, caffeine might have positive effects on certain conditions, however, this needs to be discussed and closely monitored by your healthcare professional

Maike Hoeckh Nutritionist, BHSc (Nut. Medicine)

References:

[1] C. H. S. Ruxton, ‘The impact of caffeine on mood, cognitive function, performance and hydration: a review of benefits and risks’, Nutr. Bull., vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 15–25, 2008, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00665.x.

[2] T.-W. Kim, Y.-O. Shin, J.-B. Lee, Y.-K. Min, and H.-M. Yang, ‘Effect of caffeine on the metabolic responses of lipolysis and activated sweat gland density in human during physical activity’, Food Sci. Biotechnol., vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 1077–1081, Aug. 2010, doi: 10.1007/s10068-010-0151-6.

[3] H. J. Jee, S. G. Lee, K. J. Bormate, and Y.-S. Jung, ‘Effect of Caffeine Consumption on the Risk for Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders: Sex Differences in Human’, Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 10, p. 3080, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.3390/nu12103080.

[4] D. J. Alperet et al., ‘The effect of coffee consumption on insulin sensitivity and other biological risk factors for type 2 diabetes: a randomized placebo-controlled trial’, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., vol. 111, no. 2, pp. 448–458, Feb. 2020, doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz306.

[5] C. E. G. Reis, J. G. Dórea, and T. H. M. da Costa, ‘Effects of coffee consumption on glucose metabolism: A systematic review of clinical trials’, J. Tradit. Complement. Med., vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 184–191, May 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2018.01.001.

[6] R. D. Heath, M. Brahmbhatt, A. C. Tahan, J. A. Ibdah, and V. Tahan, ‘Coffee: The magical bean for liver diseases’, World J. Hepatol., vol. 9, no. 15, pp. 689–696, May 2017, doi: 10.4254/wjh.v9.i15.689.

[7] T. Wolde, ‘Effects of caffeine on health and nutrition: A Review’, vol. 30, Jan. 2014.

[8] R. Poole, O. J. Kennedy, P. Roderick, J. A. Fallowfield, P. C. Hayes, and J. Parkes, ‘Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes’, BMJ, vol. 359, p. j5024, Nov. 2017, doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5024.

Disclaimer, this blog entry does not replace professional health care practitioner advice and information are provided for the healthy general population. Please reach out to your health care professional before using coffee as a therapeutic.