Sensible-Alternative Naturopathic Clinic

Coffee is more than caffeine

We tend to equate coffee with caffeine, but that is not accurate. Coffee is just one of a few foods that contain the mind-altering, addictive drug caffeine. Other caffeine foods, such as tea and chocolate, affect the body differently than coffee. And minus the caffeine, coffee still has a measurable effect on mood and body.

The full sensory experience of coffee is the sum total of all of it's many biochemical components, and the properties of those components are not yet fully understood. That is one reason why the research into the health effects of coffee is often conflicting. Another reason is that some people metabolise caffeine better than others.

Slow metabolisers of caffeine are more at risk for long term health damage from caffeine than fast metabolisers. One can be a slow caffeine metaboliser because of genetics, or because of certain medications including the Pill and HRT, or during pregnancy. Pregnant women should NOT consume caffeine. One might also argue that women on the Pill should not consume caffeine. Or rather, that coffee drinkers should not take the Pill. See Problem with the Pill article.

So what is the evidence for the long term health effects of moderate coffee consumption?

Health Risks

• Stomach ulcer and  reflux
• Anxiety and sleep disturbance
• Iron deficiency (prevents absorption)
• Miscarriage and reduced female fertility
• Tinnitus
  
• Cholesterol. It is not the caffeine itself that raises cholesterol, but two other components called cafestol and kahweol, which can be removed by paper filter.
• Coffee was previously believed to elevate blood pressure, but recent evidence discounts that. A recent Harvard study found 'no convincing link' between 'paper-filtered coffee' and heart disease ⁽¹⁾.

Health Benefits

• Reduced risk of Alzheimer's ⁽²⁾, dementia, and Parkinson's disease ⁽³⁾
• Reduced risk of liver disease ⁽⁴⁾ gallstones ⁽⁵⁾ and gout ⁽⁶⁾
• Reduced risk of diabetes and improved insulin sensitivity ⁽⁷⁾
• Some evidence for a reduced risk of some cancers including breast cancer. ⁽⁸⁾

The Big Picture

The jury is still out on the the long-term effects of coffee, but the weight of the evidence so far is that it might offer some surprising health benefits.

In the big picture, coffee is probably not the worst thing in your diet. A much bigger problem may be the milk and sugar in your flat white, and the sweet cake on the side.

A comment about antioxidants

Yes, coffee provides antioxidants and that may be the reason for some of the observed health benefits. Other foods are a much better source of antioxidants, however, and if you eat enough vegetables, your body should not require the antioxidants from coffee.

Teenagers

The effects of caffeine on a young, developing brain are not well understood, and yet sugary high caffeine drinks are marketed to teenagers. It would be best to limit them.

Choose organic coffee

Coffee crops are heavily sprayed with pesticide. If there ever was a time to choose organic, it is coffee.

Coffee's effects on hormones

• Improves Insulin sensitivity. In this regard, coffee may be beneficial for Type 1 PCOS.
• Increases oestrogen clearance. This can be a good or bad thing.  It decreases the body's total exposure to oestrogens, which is why it may be protective against breast cancer.  It may also be one of the reasons why it's decreases female fertility.
• Increases cortisol and adrenalin from the adrenal glands. This may impair the body's ability to deal with stress, and disrupt sleep, and in turn, can disrupt the regularity of ovulation, and produce menstrual symptoms.

Appointments at Sensible-Alternative

Locations in Crowsnest Pass, Canada and Sydney, Australia.

1) Dr Lara Grinevitch - Crowsnest Pass, Canada

Lara sees patients on Mondays.

Click here to email Lara

Phone Crowsnest Clinic: 1 403 563 3334. (Clinic phone is attended Tuesday-Friday)

Text message or leave a voicemail on Lara's cell:  1 587 880 4436

2) Biljana Koga or Deborah Gibson - Sydney, Australia

Two Sydney locations: Chatswood - Cronulla

Sydney phone number: 02 8011 1994

To email our Sydney head office: click here.

References:

1. Lopez-Garcia E et al. Coffee consumption and coronary heart disease in men and women: a prospective cohort study. Circulation 2006;113:2045-53. PMID 16636169.
2. Lindsay, J., et al., Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease: A Prospective Analysis from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, Am J Epidemiol 2002; 156:445-453
3. Benedetti M.D. et al., Smoking, alcohol, and coffee consumption preceding Parkinson's disease, Neurology, 2000:55, 1350-1358
4. Klatsky AL et al. Coffee, cirrhosis, and transaminase enzymes. 2006 Arch. Intern. Med. 166 (11): 1190-5.
5. Leitzmann MF et al. Coffee intake is associated with lower risk of symptomatic gallstone disease in women, Gastroenterology, 2002 Dec;123(6):1823-30
6. Choi, HK et al. Coffee consumption and risk of incident gout in men: A prospective study. 2007 Arthritis Rheum 56 (6): 2049-55. doi:10.1002/art.22712
7. Huxley R et al. Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea consumption in relation to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus. 2009 Arch Intern Med 169 (22): 2053-2063.
8. Ganmaa D, et al.. Coffee, tea, caffeine and risk of breast cancer: a 22-year follow-up. 2008 Int. J. Cancer 122 (9): 2071-6. doi:10.1002/ijc.23336. PMID 18183588