Coffee...Health Food or Health Ruiner

[Andrew Brunelle]

Was just wondering who here has an opinion on the good and bad aspects of coffee. For me, it is all good news except when I 'overdose.' If I have more than four cups a day, I feel awful afterwards. But if I spread it out throughout the day, it is no problem and actually improves every aspect of my life, except my wallet.

I've had chronic headaches ever since I had a malignant brain tumor six years ago and the caffeine really seems to help quite a bit. I view it as a prescription drug: I take it when I need it. Let me know what you all think.

I know some of you may be biased after reading "How to Give Up Coffee" on Steve's site, but even though caffeine may be addictive, one can make his own decision on how he/she will use the "drug." Any comments are appreciated.

[EnduranceNinja]

I for one love coffee. Yes, drink too much and become an addict with withdrawals headaches, etc. I enjoy around three cups a day spread out through my day. (I actually microwave my coffee to reheat.) I find it helps to drink a cup sometimes to get motivated. I personally don't think there are any dangers as long as you don drink too much. I feel also many people try to find reasons to say coffee is bad. I have heard from some that coffee causes cancer. It is not like we are smoking or doing pot or drinking alcohol. But I am sure others will tell me it is almost the same. Like everything in life moderation is ok.

[MattFYF]

I can drink about 4~6 cups a day, spread throughout the day, and feel pretty fine with no noticeable side effects at all. It doesn't stifle my creativity, it doesn't make me feel flighty, it doesn't make me feel anything. I just love how it tastes! (To test this out, I tried coffee for a about week, no coffee for a about week, and the results were the same. No differences in anything.)

However, if I try to push it above 6 cups, or I mindlessly keep drinking cup after cup, I begin to notice the effects. I start to feel restless and jittery; my concentration goes down for detailed tasks (like writing a new blog entry or hammering out a difficult piano piece). I can blaze through very simple tasks, but anything that requires deep thought cannot hold my concentration long enough to get done.

I think it ultimately depends on your body chemistry. Some people are acutely sensitive to caffeine, while other people have a higher tolerance.

[EnduranceNinja]

That reminds me point taken MattFYF, my wife is sensitive to caffiene so she can only handle one cup of coffee or she gets headaches and or upset stomach. Sometimes she can build up to two cups as long as she spreads them out. to be careful she drinks only caffiene free soda.

[Kaspian]

Because drinking coffee causes me 3-4 days of joint pain, for me it's a health ruiner. (Same with other caffeinated drinks and chocolate...)

[Calculusaurus]

From what I've read, it is difficult to study the long-term health effects of coffee and caffeine because the effects are either too subtle or are masked by other factors of habitual coffee drinkers.

One study showed that coffee drinkers, on average, live 3 years longer than non-coffee drinkers. The study failed to take into account that coffee drinkers are generally from more well-to-do households, where people live slightly healthier lifestyles than poor households.

Few studies take into account the timing of caffeine intake. It's much less harmful if you drink coffee in the morning after waking up.

[Matthew Shea]

Coffee is fine in moderation. IMHO, it's a matter of personal preference. I drink it every day and I brew it at home and take it to work (or wherever) in a thermos so I know how strong it is and how much I'm getting. I like the taste of my coffee the best, too.

Personally, I've found that coffee boosts my performance at the gym. It can make it a lot easier to get through a tough workout. In the morning, when I normally work out, my performance was very much lagging compared to when I worked out later in the day. If I have a cup of coffee first, though, that lag disappears.

That all being said, caffeine is clearly physically addictive, but as was mentioned above, it's never been shown to do any real harm in moderation and may have some benefits.

[lasti]

As there seem to be no long term side effects I think it's up to one's preferences. Maybe if you go 30 days without coffee and then 30 days with coffee you find out what works best for you.
For me it's not addictive. I don't know why but I can quit all addicting stuff immediately.

[MartialDev]

"The dose makes the poison," as they say. More than one cup daily is probably an overdose.

[Michelle]

I used to drink 2 or 3 cups a day - Starbucks is my favorite cafe. Several months ago I gave coffee up as an experiment and I must admit that - at least for me - it was a health ruiner and I didn't even realize it. My heart has stopped skipping beats, my skin has gone from dry to more supple, anxiety levels have decreased dramatically and my breathing has become deeper and more stable. As much as I love Starbucks, I will never drink coffee again.

[danas]

I stopped drinking caffaine and sugar 8 days ago.
It feels like a block of noise has been cleared from my brain, like life is easier to deal with. before i drank 2 cups a day with sweetner or sugar of coffee and maybe another 1 -2 of tea with sugar

[ProjectX]

Coffee doesn't really help at all. Whenever I feel tired in the morning and have some coffee my eyes still feel heavy and my brain still feels slow. All it does is overstimulate my heart. My heart is beating fast, I get jittery, more anxious and my legs shake more often. Even all that and I can still fall asleep after coffee!!! I'd rather much drink energy drinks that doesn't contain caffeine.
Furthermore it makes me dehydrated and urinate more.

[Buttercat Apocalypse]

I don't like it much. Sometimes I drink caffeine when I want to stay awake beyond my limit, but all it does is put you in a zombie state where you can't sleep but you're not really awake either.

[ArwenTaylor]

I love coffee but I don't drink it as much as I used to but not because I'm trying to quit. I just don't have as much access to coffee as I used to. I'm down to about one 16oz cup per week.

For me, I feel it's a health booster. After I drink my one cup of coffee, I feel more alert and creative. However I have noticed that if I drink too much coffee (like if I have a one 16oz cup every day) then I start feeling unwell.

So I think it really has to do with how much you are drinking and your tolerance for it.

[infinitethoughts]

1) Drink Organic coffee, (without Petroleum based preservatives added. Which begs the question, why the Hell are they adding petroleum to the food supply??? ) and...

2) make it with Pure water (without flouride, chlorine, chloromine --a mixture of chlorine AND ammonia) and then you will gain the benefits of the ancient Coffee plant....which is the reason humans started drinking it in the first place.

And of course use common sense and drink in moderation.
Even water can kill, if you drink enough of it.

[hkalchemy]

Everything in moderation...

[Stormcaller]

Coffee is a gift from the gods!!!

~Never tear us apart~

It reduces incidence of type 2 diabetes, arguably has more anti-oxidants than green tea, and is richly delicious.

And even if this turns out to not be true, I still want it.

But seriously…

Different plants from Nature affect people differently. If coffee's energy mingles with yours, then it's for you. If its energy does not mesh with yours, but the caffeine has you addicted anyway, then you should probably try to give it up. I know certain people who for digestive reasons CAN not have coffee. For me, coffee works mini wonders on my digestive system. It is highly acidic though, and with most foods being that way today, it does have a high likeliness to cause most people at least some problems. I’d assume for the mass majority coffee in excess is a very bad thing for their health.

Listen to the symptoms your body gives you, then you will know if coffee is for you or how much is acceptable.

[Vantage72]

I found Dr. Oz's answer interesting:

Q: I am concerned with the amount of caffeinated diet sodas my family and friends drink. I have heard about the dangers of ingesting too much aspartame and caffeine. This is a big issue at my kids' high school — they are thinking of removing pop machines from the campus. What is your opinion?

A: Dr. Oz and Dr. Joel Fuhrman answer: One cup of coffee per day is not likely to cause a significant risk and may even be beneficial, but the more you drink over this one cup maximum can interfere with your health and even your weight-loss goals. Caffeine addicts are at higher risk of irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, and even elevated cholesterol and homocysteine, two risk factors for heart disease.

Besides the slight increased risk of heart disease, there are other problems. First, caffeine is a stimulant whose consumption allows you to get by with less sleep and reduces the depth of sleep. Such sleep deprivation results in higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol and it interferes with glucose metabolism, leading to insulin resistance. This insulin resistance (and subsequent higher baseline glucose levels) further promotes aging, blood vessel disease and other problems. In other words, caffeine consumption promotes inadequate sleep and less sleep promotes disease and premature aging. Adequate sleep is also necessary to prevent overeating. There is no substitute for sleep.

The second issue is that drinking caffeine boosts estrogen levels. Higher levels of estrogen worsen problems like endometriosis, breast pain and menstrual disorders. Increased estrogen levels are also associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, so theoretically coffee could turn out in the future to be more dangerous than we thought. A recent study showed women who consumed more than 500 milligrams of caffeine per day (four to five cups of coffee) had nearly 70 percent higher estrogen levels during the early part of their menstrual cycle than women consuming only one cup or no caffeine. Coffee, tea and colas fuel most of America's caffeine addiction: coffee 40-175 mg. per cup, tea 30-110 mg. per cup, cola 40-90 mg. per 12 oz.

Also, drinking even moderate amounts of decaffeinated coffee can quadruple a person's risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Since these studies involved decaffeinated coffee, not caffeinated, the researchers speculated that organic solvents in the decaf coffee might be the culprit.

If this is not enough to convince you coffee is not harmless, consider that I have my own unique objection to my overweight patients consuming caffeine. I find that these individuals are drawn to eat more often and are not able to determine when they are truly hungry because of caffeine consumption.

And Dr. Weil:
Coffee, Caffeine, Memory, Memory Problems - Dr. Weil

If you like coffee, and it has no adverse effects on you, you may benefit mentally over time. On the down side are coffee's well-documented side effects: anxiety, insomnia, tremor and irregular heartbeat. It can also irritate the digestive system, bladder and prostate. If you experience any of these effects, you're better off avoiding coffee (and decaf, which still contains substances that may contribute to the symptoms) no matter what potential health benefits it may afford. The way coffee affects you is your surest guide to whether or not you should be drinking it at all and, if so, how much. If you don't like coffee's effects, switch to tea. I consider it a healthier alternative.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

[Vantage72]

If anyone wants to quit caffeine I recommend this website:
The hidden dangers of caffeine: How coffee causes exhaustion, fatigue and addiction
There are many quotes of all kinds of doctors and authors who explain why to quit.

[cheech]

I used to drink caffeine, both in tea and coffee. I found that it I usually felt more awake and alert for a few hours after drinking it. I also found it harder to get to sleep for a few hours afterwards, so I tried to avoid drinking it in the evening and at night. I didn't think of myself as a heavy drinker - at most 2-3 cups a day.

Over the last 8 months, I've been trying to improve my health and fitness, and a couple of months ago, I gave up caffeine. Since then, I've been sleeping much better. I've been making other adjustments to my diet and exercise regime over the last few months, so I can't be sure this is entirely due to caffeine, but the difference is so big, and seems to match fairly closely with when i gave up caffeine, that I wouldn't consider going back to drinking tea or coffee now. The short increase in alertness I got from caffeine was nowhere near enough to compensate for the loss of sleep and decline in sleep quality I now think it was responsible for. I was quite surprised by how much difference it made, actually - I'd thought since I didn't drink tea or coffee right before i went to bed, it was unlikley to have a significant effect on my sleep

[infinitethoughts]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

There are many quotes of all kinds of doctors and authors who explain why to quit.

Most of these Doctors, etc, are American trained.
They all fail to see it's not "caffeine", but the Synthetic preservatives added to coffee.

The coffee bean in it's natural state has benefits to the body. IF drunk in MODERATION.

[Vantage72]

The Pros and cons of drinking coffee
Is Coffee Good or Bad For You? The Pros & Cons of Coffee Drinking

An interesting read that shows both sides.

Originally Posted by infinitethoughts

Most of these Doctors, etc, are American trained.
They all fail to see it's not "caffeine", but the Synthetic preservatives added to coffee.

Many of them are N.D.'s, natural doctors. and they still do not see it that way, as far as I know.

Originally Posted by infinitethoughts

The coffee bean in it's natural state has benefits to the body.

If you want it in it's natural state you'd have to eat it raw

[LarryC]

One study showed that coffee drinkers, on average, live 3 years longer than non-coffee drinkers. The study failed to take into account that coffee drinkers are generally from more well-to-do households, where people live slightly healthier lifestyles than poor households. >>

I would question the assumption that coffee drinkers are from higher income households. Coffee drinking is almost universal in America and many other countries. Maybe poorer people make their own coffee or go to less trendy places to buy it than Starbucks, but they certainly drink plenty of it. In that way it may be like cigarette smoking, which, I believe is actually more common among poorer people despite the ever-rising cost. Not to say that coffee is as unhealthy as smoking; just that when people are fond (or addicted to) something, they'll find a way to pay for it.

[LarryC]

Coffee is the one "unhealthy" thing I'm addicted to. Right now I'm down to only one large cup in the morning, and I really don't think it's that bad. In fact, I believe some fo the studies that suggest coffee has health benefits, especially in moderation. I drink almost all organic coffee, and with nothing added. If, for example, you add lots of sugar, that's a whole other health factor.

[JimOfferman]

Definitely a health ruiner for me... caffeine interferes with my sleep like no other substance. As long as it remains in my system, I don't sleep - period. I could easily pull an all-nighter on a single cup of coffee.

I gave up drinking coffee at work a short while ago, thinking that I then might get away with drinking the occasional cup in the evenings. Unfortunately, I'm now even more sensitive than I was before...

So, no more of the "good" stuff for me!

[openeyes]

For the last couple weeks my girlfriend and I have enjoyed making a cup of stovetop espresso from fresh ground beans and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream in lieu of additional creamer or sweetener. It makes a nice little dessert coffee once a day or so, likely not too bad for health, and in some ways potentially beneficial (espresso is starting to get health claims of its own, beyond normal coffee). The rest of the time we mostly have tea or water. Though a lot of how I live my life could be seen as healthy, enjoyment also ranks high in the decision making process.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

Definitely a health ruiner for me... caffeine interferes with my sleep like no other substance. As long as it remains in my system, I don't sleep - period. I could easily pull an all-nighter on a single cup of coffee.

Hi Jim, you seem to be pretty sensitive to caffeine. I noticed you also started the thread about Raw Chocolate. I don't know if you are aware of it but raw cacao also contains some caffeine.

[JimOfferman]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

Hi Jim, you seem to be pretty sensitive to caffeine. I noticed you also started the thread about Raw Chocolate. I don't know if you are aware of it but raw cacao also contains some caffeine.

Thanks for the heads up. I was aware, but haven't noticed any effect yet... also haven't eaten much of the stuff, so that might be related

[The David]

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

Definitely a health ruiner for me... caffeine interferes with my sleep like no other substance. As long as it remains in my system, I don't sleep - period. I could easily pull an all-nighter on a single cup of coffee.

I can't pull an all-nighter on a pot.

[danas]

mind you my Italian grandmother who is now 87, drinks at least 3 esspresos a day.
shes still beautiful and fit as can be. My dream is to be like her when Im old.
She also drinks far more alchohol then me, beer or wine with a meal daily.
She just grew up with this culture.