Coffee… Ah dear coffee… It’s one of those things. You know if you like the taste or not. You know how it makes you feel.
When I was 15 or so, I got a great taste of it when I lived in France. Pure espressos, sometimes with a hint of milk, and sometimes not. Macchiatos, Cortados, Cappuccinos, Lattés, you name it, I loved it!
Then, I moved to Boston to go to university, and was faced with the likes of Dunkin’ Donuts and their buckets full of stale old bad coffee. I tried it. It made gave me heart palpitations and it made me super hyper! So I quickly stopped.
For years, I didn’t drink coffee for fear of getting those reactions. When I say years, I’m talking about 20 years! And I missed it. But even in Europe, I would get scared of getting those scary jitters, and have to run around the block 500 times before getting a heart attack! So I wouldn’t try it. Until a couple months ago.
I visited my folks in the south of France, and tried a simple espresso as I used to love in my youth. And guess what!? It worked for me!! YEAHHHH
Now I drink it again once in a while, probably about once a week. I feel fine, and happy to be able to taste it again. Of course, I have also learned I needed to know where my bean came from, so I now drink organic coffee that is not soaked in glyphosate! I suspect this might have had been one of the big reasons why my body couldn’t manage the bean anymore…
There is actual science behind why different people react differently to it however. It’s a matter of your genetics and how much coffee you’re used to drinking.
NOTE: Coffee does not equal caffeine. Coffee contains between 50-400 mg of caffeine/cup, averaging around 100 mg/cup. Coffee is one of the most popular ways to consume this stimulant. But… a cup of coffee contains a lot of things over and above the caffeine. Not just water, but antioxidants, and hundreds of other compounds. These are the reasons drinking a cup of coffee is not the same as taking a caffeine pill. And decaffeinated coffee has a lot less caffeine; but, it still contains some.
CAFFEINE METABOLISM
Not all people metabolize caffeine at the same speed. How fast you metabolize caffeine will impact how you’re affected by the caffeine. In fact, caffeine metabolism can be up to 40x faster in some people than others.
About half of us are “slow” metabolizers of caffeine. We can get jitters, heart palpitations, and feel “wired” for up to 9 hours after having a coffee. The other half is “fast” metabolizers of caffeine. They get energy and increased alertness and are back to normal a few hours later.
This is part of the reason those headlines contradict each other so much – because we’re all different!
THE EFFECTS OF COFFEE (and caffeine) ON THE MIND
NOTE: Most studies look at caffeinated coffee, not decaf.
The effects of coffee (and caffeine) on the mind and body also differ between people; this is partly from the metabolism I mentioned. But it also has to do with your body’s amazing ability to adapt (read: become more tolerant) to long-term caffeine use. Many people who start drinking coffee feel the effects a lot more than people who have coffee every day.
Here’s a list of these effects (that usually decrease with long-term use):
- Stimulates the brain
- Boosts metabolism
- Boosts energy and exercise performance
- Increases your stress hormone cortisol
- Dehydrates
So, while some of these effects are good and some aren’t, you need to see how they affect you and decide if it’s worth it or not. I personally always have a whole glass of water after I drink a coffee to rehydrate right away. And I never drink coffee to get energy from it in a stressed situation. I enjoy it in a moderate amount, and always on a day when I know I don’t have anything pressing.
COFFEE AND HEALTH RISKS
There are a ton of studies on the health effects of coffee, and whether coffee drinkers are more or less likely to get certain conditions.
Here’s a quick summary of what coffee can lead to:
- Caffeine addiction and withdrawal symptoms (e.g. a headache, fatigue, irritability)
- Increased sleep disruption
- Lower risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- Lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes
- Lower risk of certain liver diseases
- Lower risk of death (“all cause mortality”)
- Mixed reviews on whether it lowers risks of cancer and heart disease
Many of the health benefits exist even for decaf coffee (except the caffeine addiction and sleep issues).
NOTE: What’s super-important to note here is that coffee intake is just one of many, many factors that can affect your risks for these diseases. Please never think regular coffee intake is the one thing that can help you overcome these risks. You are health-conscious and know that eating a nutrient-rich whole foods diet, reducing stress, and getting enough sleep and exercise are all critical things to consider for your disease risk. It’s not just about the coffee.
SHOULD YOU DRINK COFFEE OR NOT?
There are a few things to consider when deciding whether you should drink coffee.
Caffeinated coffee is not recommended for:
- People with arrhythmias (e.g. irregular heartbeat)
- People who often feel anxious
- People who have trouble sleeping
- People who are pregnant
- Children and
- Teens
If none of these apply, then monitor how your body reacts when you have coffee. Does it:
- Give you the jitters?
- Increase anxious feelings?
- Affect your sleep?
- Give you heart palpitations?
- Affect your digestion (e.g. heartburn, etc.)?
- Give you a reason to drink a lot of sugar and cream?
- Do you turn into a Tasmanian Devil?
Depending on how your body reacts, it’s up to you to decide whether these reactions are worth it. If you’re not sure, why not try to eliminate it for a while and see the difference?
A good rule to keep in mind is that there is about 100mg of caffeine in 8 ounces of coffee. So a big coffee at Starbucks might have more than 250mg of caffeine.
If you brew your own coffee at home, you have more control of the bean you select, and it is not coffee that sits around all day. You can also watch out for the quantity you drink, as well as what you add to it.
Check out this good reference guide about the amount of caffeine in coffee, tea, and sodas on the Mayo Clinic website.”
Let me know how you drink it or not on my Instagram account! @severinebaron