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Coffee Drinkers Beware: Facts About Caffeine You Did Not Know
By Todd | November 29, 2007
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of books which discuss the wide-range of views concerning the mass use of caffeine in our culture.
From my own research, it does not seem to be much of a debate- nutritionists and scientists have repeatedly shown, in a myriad of ways, that the caffeine chemical is not very healthy for the human body.
In his book Caffeine Blues Stephen Cherniske, M.S goes so far to propose that if caffeine were introduced today as a new food additive, the FDA would never approve it.
He explains that any substance that causes such extreme reactions—heart palpitations, anxiety, panic, insomnia, and even birth defects—would be treated as a new drug and denied status as a food additive.
This is an interesting perspective, and if you are a big coffee drinker I urge you to consider the sentiment. The purpose of this article is to expound on Mr. Cherniske’s insights and explore some unique and interesting characteristics of caffeine that you may not have known.
Before I get to these points, let me say that although I will paint a pretty negative picture of coffee and caffeine, my goal is NOT to scold you and suggest that you stop drinking coffee immediately.
I hope some of the things I explain opens your eyes to the elemental effects of caffeine, but I also understand, and believe, there is a very real enjoyment for many people in a nice, hot cup of Java (for me too, sometimes)!
With that said, here are a few interesting things I bet you didn’t know about coffee and caffeine:
Its a Pesticide
By definition, caffeine is a naturally occurring compound found in the beans, leaves, and fruit of over 60 plants where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants. If you drink a lot of coffee and caffeinated drinks, I urge you to read that sentence again and start seeing caffeine in this light—as a substance produced with the sole purpose to harm creatures that ingest it.
Its Highly Acidic
To date, over 700 volatile substances have been found in coffee, including more than 200 acids and an incredible array of alcohols, aromatic compounds and carbonyl compounds.
It Erodes Your Ability to Metabolize Blood Sugar
Caffeine stimulates the fight or flight stress response in humans and plays a major role in hypoglycemia (a condition where blood sugar levels fall below normal). As part of this response, the liver rapidly raises blood sugar levels. This is felt as a “lift” to the person consuming caffeine, but the body must then deal with the metabolic emergency of hyperglycemia, or elevated blood sugar.
This is accomplished by the pancreas, which secretes insulin, driving the blood sugar down. Over time, this “wear and tear” of our blood sugar metabolism causes the system to become ineffective and can result in hypoglycemia and even diabetes.
There is NO Positive Science
According to Mr. Cherniske: “No scientific study has ever shown that coffee is good for you. The discussion only concerns the degree to which it will harm you”. Interesting.
It Causes Chronic Digestive Problems
Caffeine lowers the stress threshold of our bodies so that the events we would normally handle suddenly become insurmountable. Because of this, coffee consumption is a major contributor to bloating, pain and gas that roughly 50% of Americans adults experience after they eat.
It Leads to “Caffeinism” Which Is Very Serious
In large amounts, and especially over extended periods of time, caffeine can lead to a condition known as caffeinism. Caffeinism is defined on Wikipedia as: “combining caffeine dependency with a wide range of unpleasant physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching, insomnia, headaches, respiratory alkalosis and heart palpitations”.
Furthermore, because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid, high usage over time can lead to peptic ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
With all this said, nearly 100 million American adults drink three or more cups of coffee a day. But does that make it right? Consider that sometimes we make decisions in our lives based NOT upon what is real, but upon habit, or upon what other people want us to think.
“If five million people do a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing” –Ancient Chinese Proverb
Here are a few more myths about caffeine, effectively debunked:
Caffeine Gives You Energy
- Caffeine does not provide energy, only chemical stimulation. The perceived “energy” comes from the body’s struggle to adapt to increased blood levels to stress hormones.
Caffeine Gives You a Lift
- Using coffee for mood enhancement is a short-term blessing and a long-term curse. While the initial adrenal stimulation may provide a transient antifatigue “lift”, caffeine’s ultimate mood effect is a letdown, either subtle or profound.
Caffeine Sharpens Your Mind
- While caffeine users may feel more alert, the experience is simply one of increased sensory and motor activity (dilated pupils, increased heart rate, and higher blood pressure). The quality of thought and recall is improved no more than the quality of music is improved when played at a higher volume or speed!
In all, caffeine is substance that purports to give you energy by stimulating your nervous system. But it really isn’t giving you anything, and is in fact harming you! That’s because caffeine creates tension, and the ultimate result of tension is always fatigue.
So how can you start “getting off” caffeine? There are a million and one ways to do this, and I plan on writing a follow-up article on this subject within the next week. Here are some basic suggestions you can start with right away:
SUGGESTIONS
- Brew your coffee with 50% decaf
- Switch to an herbal tea, herbal coffee or another caffeine alternative
- Get a smaller coffee mug
- Spill half of your favorite Starbucks concoction out, before you start drinking it
- Make your coffee weaker by adding more milk
- If you must drink coffee, have it after eating a big meal (preferably after lunch)
- Start eating foods high in minerals
- Try Gingko Biloba
- Drink more water
- Do not drink coffee first thing in the morning
- Do not drink coffee before you go to bed
- Try coffee substitutes
- Drink less potent caffeinated drink
I hope this article was informative, and opened your eyes to some of the very real dangers of continuous caffeine consumption. Look for a second article next week which goes into some more detail about how to weed yourself off caffeine, or better yet, please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment field below!
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I don’t drink coffee or other drinks with caffeine, but I have read some reports about positive benefits. Since I don’t use the stuff I don’t remember the details.
If I come across another article I’ll tell you about it.
That said, we have two funny stories about caffeine. The first is about my daughter coming home to visit and getting fierce headaches. We didn’t know if it was the altitude here (we live in the mountains) or if she allergic to something or what. She finally realized she always drank a lot of coffee to help her get everything done before her visit. She was suffering from caffeine withdrawal.
Another was my husband getting headaches every day. We finally figured out that innocent looking Nesbitt’s orange soda he was drinking had caffeine in it. He, too, was suffering from caffeine withdrawal. We now read labels very carefully. Thanks for reminding me of those stories and for the chuckle.
Posted by: Jean Browman--Cheerful Monk on November 29th, 2007 at 2:46 pmWow, thanks for the great tidbits Jean– those are some interesting stories and I guess the people in your family REALLY shouldn’t having too much caffeine!
Posted by: Todd on November 29th, 2007 at 3:18 pmGreat post! I have given up coffee for exactly those reasons. I started looking for alternatives. I wrote about this is my blog post called, 10 Great Healthy Energy Boosters (other than coffee or caffeine pills). You can read it here:
http://www.360degreesuccess.com/general/10-great-healthy-energy-boosters-other-than-coffee-or-caffeine-pills/
I also have really been enjoying another coffee substitute called “Raja’s Cup” which is full of antioxidants.
Posted by: David Richeson on November 29th, 2007 at 4:31 pmThanks for the info David, and those are some great suggestions for how to “get off” coffee….great work!
Posted by: Todd on November 29th, 2007 at 5:58 pmWow–I had no idea!
I don’t drink coffee but I do drink soft drinks from time to time. Guess I have another reason to cut back!
Posted by: Kevin on November 29th, 2007 at 10:58 pmYes, let’s worry ourselves to death and get all paranoid over a beverage that humans have safely consumed in moderation with over 500 years of evidence backing it up. I miss the days when we all used to freak out whether our new cell phones were going to give us brain cancer or not… wish they also went on for another 490 years.
So Chicken Littles, find ways you can turn everyday items of consumptions into death. It will at least keep your focus from such petty things like a varied healthy diet, exercise, proper sleep, consuming other things in moderation, etc.
Posted by: swag on November 30th, 2007 at 4:22 amWhat do you say, Shall we shoot the messenger?
Ha!
Posted by: SootheSayer on November 30th, 2007 at 8:38 amThat’s funny. I remember reading plenty of times that coffee helps in preventing certain illnesses. Isn’t caffeine also present in tea? This actually reminds me of a documentary of sorts on tv. It featured a doctor who smoked and claimed that there is no direct correlation between smoking and the negative effect it claims to have on bodies.
Posted by: jen_chan, writer MemberSpeed.com on November 30th, 2007 at 9:38 amCoffee puts the system under the strain of metabolizing a deadly acid-forming drug, depositing its insoluble cellulose, which cements the wall of the liver, causing this vital organ to swell to twice its proper size. In addition, coffee is heavily sprayed. (Ninety-two pesticides are applied to its leaves.) Diuretic properties of caffeine cause potassium and other minerals to be flushed from the body.
All this fear went away when I quit, and it was a book that inspired me to do it called The Truth About Caffeine by Marina Kushner. There are five things I liked about this book:
1) It details–thoroughly–the ways in which caffeine may damage your health.
2) It reveals the damage that coffee does to the environment. Specifically, coffee was once grown in the shade, so that trees were left in place. Then sun coffee was introduced, allowing greater yields but contributing to the destruction of rain forests. I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere else.
3) It explains how best to go off coffee. This is important. If you try cold turkey, as most people probably do, the withdrawal symptoms will likely drive you right back to coffee.
4) Helped me find a great resource for the latest studies at CaffeineAwareness.org
5) Also, if you drink decaf you won’t want to miss this special free report on the dangers of decaf available at www.soyfee.com
Posted by: Sheila on November 30th, 2007 at 9:56 amI don’t drink coffee (I have a mild allergy), but I have at various times consumed massive amounts of caffeine. I’ve gotten a few of the side effects mentioned, but I stopped drinking all that soda, and they have gone away.
I have another interesting fact to share with you: Some of the side effects blamed on caffeine withdrawal, if it comes from diet soda, can actually result from withdrawal from the artificial sweetener (particularly aspartame).
Also, if you’re looking for something to help you get through the day, try replacing caffeine with ginseng… for me, it makes me less tired with 0 side effects (though I’ve heard one other person saying ginseng makes them jittery).
Posted by: Jason on November 30th, 2007 at 5:23 pmBut but but…. I love my coffee!
Actually I just have a cup when I first wake up. After that it is tea - either green or camomile. I tried giving the cup I have first thing but that didn’t work for me. BUT, giving up drinking coffee through out the day has made a huge difference.
Posted by: Peter on December 1st, 2007 at 1:01 amWhat about green/black teas with caffeine? Do they fall in the same category as coffee, or is the level of caffeine small enough to be much safer than coffee?
Posted by: Alex Gerace on December 2nd, 2007 at 4:34 pmIve been a coffee drinker my entire life and still love it although lately Ive cut down a lot since I started taking a liquid multi vitamin with minerals. It seems to give me energy (probably the B vitamins) and gets me going all day.
Posted by: Tom, Liquid Multi Vitamin and Minerals on December 2nd, 2007 at 7:51 pmThanks for your post,
Tom
GUYS and GALS– thanks for all the great response to this article. I am glad it started an interesting conversation. I would first like to address swag’c comment:
“let’s worry ourselves to death and get all paranoid over a beverage that humans have safely consumed in moderation with over 500 years of evidence backing it up”
In a sense, I agree with you. But caffeine really is dangerous to our health, no matter if it has been part of the human diet for 500 years or not. Coca Cola used to have cocaine in it in the early 1920’s. Does that make it OK?
Next, a few of you asked about caffeine in tea and from other sources. The reason I mention coffee so much in this article is that coffee contains a much more potent dose of caffeine than other drinks. But the bottom line is that caffeine can be harmful, no matter what the source.
So, I am sorry to report that the caffeine you get from your green or black tea can cause the same ailments as the caffeine found in coffee.
I hope this helps!!
Todd
And ps, PLEASE don’t shoot the messenger!
Posted by: Todd on December 3rd, 2007 at 11:15 am[…] Coffee to me is an energy booster or relaxation (think of Starbucks). I used to drink it everyday, that’s my first drink in the morning and sometimes when I have to work overnight, that’ll be my power liquid. It doesn’t suprise me to get advice not to drink before sleep because that’s very common but what really shocked me is that it goes the same in the morning too. You can read it here. […]
Posted by: Why We Should Quit Drinking Coffee | Internet Business Success Blog on December 5th, 2007 at 7:50 pmI prefer organic coffee. It´s healthy, soft and it has a great aroma.
Posted by: Irma Gámez on December 9th, 2007 at 2:00 am[…] Day Trial: For the next week, eat NO carbs in the morning. Also limit, or stop completely, caffeine intake. You might feel drowsy for the first few days…realize this feeling is literally a withdrawal […]
Posted by: 6 Practical Tips For Increasing Energy Using Food on January 10th, 2008 at 9:14 amI quit drinking coffee about 3 weeks ago. I never drank pop or tea, so they were never an issue. I did experience the most horrendous headaches for a couple of days, in withdrawal, but one thing amazed me–(I’ve never heard of this happening with anyone else but then, I might be weird): my back stopped hurting.
For years I suffered from insomnia and back pain. Within the past six months (at least), I avoided sleep on purpose because I always woke up throughout the night with back pain and in the mornings I could barely move. It took at least an hour of sitting up before it would subside enough for me to get dressed.
The first night I quit coffee, I slept through, without waking up once from back pain and the next morning when I woke up I couldn’t believe it; no pain at all. I’ve been 90% back-pain-free since. Amazing.
I’ve slept more these past 3 weeks than I have since I was a kid (I started drinking coffee I was 13).
I was not aware of the technical or scientific reasons for this. Like the blind man, all I knew was that once my back hurt and now it didn’t!
I have also experienced the sharper thinking that was mentioned as a benefit of quitting, loss of the flight or fight reflex and tension. I didn’t realize why coffee seemed to give me energy; now I do and it’s creepy to think of it.
I never was “worried to death” as Swag put it…but I’m glad for articles like this that give us heads-ups about things like caffeine and what they are doing to our bodies.
In ignorance I consumed something for far too long that I am very glad I’ve quit.
Posted by: Sadie on February 27th, 2008 at 6:56 amI quit drinking coffee about 3 weeks ago. I never drank pop or tea, so they were never an issue. I did experience the most horrendous headaches for a couple of days, in withdrawal, but one thing amazed me–(I’ve never heard of this happening with anyone else but then, I might be weird): my back stopped hurting.
For years I suffered from insomnia and back pain. Within the past six months (at least), I avoided sleep on purpose because I always woke up throughout the night with back pain and in the mornings I could barely move. It took at least an hour of sitting up before it would subside enough for me to get dressed.
The first night I quit coffee, I slept through, without waking up once from back pain and the next morning when I woke up I couldn’t believe it; no pain at all. I’ve been 90% back-pain-free since. Amazing.
I’ve slept more these past 3 weeks than I have since I was a kid (I started drinking coffee when I was 13).
I was not aware of the technical or scientific reasons for this. Like the blind man, all I knew was that once my back hurt and now it didn’t!
I have also experienced the sharper thinking that was mentioned as a benefit of quitting, loss of the flight or fight reflex and tension. I didn’t realize why coffee seemed to give me energy; now I do and it’s creepy to think of it.
I never was “worried to death” as Swag put it…but I’m glad for articles like this that give us heads-ups about things like caffeine and what they are doing to our bodies.
In ignorance I consumed something for far too long that I am very glad I’ve quit.
Posted by: Sadie on February 27th, 2008 at 6:59 amwow Sadie, that is some story…I am glad you “kicked it”. Good for you! Awareness and action are everything…
Posted by: Todd on February 27th, 2008 at 11:14 amTodd
Todd, I quit caffeine last september. Since then, I have been very unmotivated and depressed. Many people have reported these symptoms, but typically for only a few months. I started counseling, but the counselor doesn’t have any suggestions except to put me on anti-depressants. But how is getting on anti-depressants any better than being on caffeine?
So here’s my question to you: Do most people have these symptoms? How long did it take for them to go away? What do they do, if anything, to make them go away faster? Thanks for your article.
Posted by: CP on March 4th, 2008 at 4:24 pmCP and Sadie:
I quit coffee two weeks ago.
Two days of mild headaches, not as bad as I thought it would be.
Day three-five, surprising muscle soreness, in lower back region. Went away.
However, a different specific back pain I had been suffering for three months seems to have gone away! Very pleased!
I’m in an unmotivated/depressed phase right now. Not unusual, I had started coffee a decade ago to self-treat this sort of thing. I quit as an experiment to end some chronic fatigue.
Looking forward to miracles, but have to ride this out. It probably takes a long time to readjust, some say six months to two years. After a ten year habit, I’m not surprised. When I think of going back I think: I don’t want to have to go through those first two days again.
Posted by: PC on March 20th, 2008 at 12:20 amCP- dont give up!!
Posted by: elu on May 2nd, 2008 at 3:35 ami recently went off coffee and soda myself cold turkey because of a ‘heart scare’ wake-up call, had the dreaded headache for three days, and i am doing very well. i was previously taking antideppressants that i quit because i felt very keyed up…i now suspect this was the caffiene all along. but anyway, cp, i began taking st. john’s wort for the depression and it is working very well with zero side effects! it’s important to look at the big picture, sometimes there are other things going on, but if the depression doesn’t lift i would go back to the java, everyone is different, maybe that is your antidepressant, but i’d sure give the st. john’s wort a go first!
Posted by: gejos on May 5th, 2008 at 1:23 amI have been a coffee drinker for at least 25 years, 2 mugs (32 ounces) every day. I developed a tremor in my right hand and leg. I’m on my foourth day of no coffee. I still have the tremor. How long does it take caffeine to be completely out of the system after eliminating coffee from my diet?
Posted by: billie jo kamara on May 20th, 2008 at 12:03 amMom, why didnt you ask me this question. I could find you the answer. Are you hiding things from your son?
Posted by: O.Z. Kamara on July 1st, 2008 at 5:09 pm