Unlocking the Power of Coffee: Health Benefits, Antioxidants, and More
We all (most of us) love a cup of coffee. I love the ritual of brewing a delicious coffee and sitting down to drink it with my husband or to catch up with a friend. As a nutritionist I often get asked - should I be drinking coffee? Is coffee bad for me? There is not a definite answer! Let me add my two cents worth to the coffee debate and help you enjoy your brew in the best way possible!
There are many benefits of coffee:
Antioxidants
Coffee is a rich source of antioxidants. Chologenic acid, caffeic acid and melanoidins to name a few. One cup can provide about 200-400 mg of antioxidants which can be equivalent to many supplemented sources. While it doesn’t contain as high a level as the likes of dark berries or cacao it isn’t too far off.
Antioxidants fight free radical damage or oxidative stress in the body and are important for reducing inflammation in the body and fighting disease.
2. Longevity
I think this is the most fascinating one - whether it is correlation or causation there is still an association! There is significant research to suggest coffee contributes favourably to longevity. For instance, a large observational study over 12 years found that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day, regardless of whether it was ground, instant, or decaffeinated, was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause, including cardiovascular disease.
3. Improves physical performance
Caffeine can improve performance in a number of ways. Because it blocks adenosine (which is needed for sleep) it keeps you more alert and prevents sleepiness. It has also been shown to increase endurance making sports such as swimming, biking and running more achievable.
There are also potential downfalls of coffee:
Stimulant - anxiety
This is the biggest area I see coffee/caffeine affecting people’s health. Many people already experience anxiety or live in a fast paced environment where the ‘flight and fight’ (sympathetic) nervous system is continually on. Coffee only feeds into this state making you more wired - and tired.
It does this by stimulating the release of adrenaline and cortisol which can make you feel more jittery and increase your heart rate. We know stress is a major driver of many health conditions and - many stressors are uncontrollable but caffeine is very much in our control. If this is you, seriously think about reducing your coffee consumption!
2. Digestive Issues
Caffeine does increase gut motility - causing contraction of the smooth muscles within the intestine to move food/waste through. While many see this as a positive of coffee we don’t want to rely on the stimulatory effects of coffee for a bowel motion. This can lead to poor digestion and nutritional deficiencies with time. If you need to urgently rush to the loo after a coffee or you experience a loose bowel motion then reconsider your coffee intake!
3. Sleep concerns
Because caffeine blocks adenosine receptors we don’t experience the same drive to sleep. Adenosine should build up in our system slowly as the day moves on creating a bigger and bigger drive to go to bed. Caffeine blocks this mechanism making us more alert. Some people seem to not experience this at all and can have a coffee at 8pm and go to sleep happily at 9pm. This can be dependent on genetics, age, lifestyle, hormones, liver function and dietary factors.
4. Fatigue
Yes, fatigue! While most people think coffee gives them energy this is very much short lived. I like to think about coffee as stealing energy from the future. You’ll feel good initially and then your energy levels will come crashing down making you want another coffee - or a sweet treat!
So, there are a number of benefits but there are also some things to be cautious about - particularly if you have known health concerns in these areas.
What signs to look out for to indicate it’s not serving your system.
You experience anxiety in general - whether this is right after the coffee or just in general the additional stimulation from caffeine won’t be helping you here.
Your hands feel jittery/shaky after consuming a coffee
You have to run to the loo after a coffee
You experience loose stools in general
Your struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep
Key things to consider when consuming coffee:
If you experience any of the above symptoms I would suggest reducing to just 1 cup per day and if you still notice these symptoms, switch to a Swiss water processed decaf coffee. Decaf still contains some caffeine - about 12 mg per cup as opposed to the usual 80mg. So if you’re really sensitive you’ll want to have this before lunch so that it doesn’t affect your sleep at all. And to all the coffee snobs - I doubt you’ll notice the change in flavour with your eyes closed! It has been proven!
Think about WHEN you consume caffeine. It has a half life of about 5 hours. Meaning if you drink a coffee at 12pm you will still have half of the caffeine in your system at 5pm and half of that still in your system at 10pm. Ideally stick to coffee before midday.
HYDRATE properly! Caffeine is a diuretic so will dehydrate you. For every cup of coffee, drink an additional glass of water alongside this.
Drink coffee with or just after a meal. On an empty stomach is more likely to cause a loose bowel motion and increase your colon transit time.
Drink coffee how it should be enjoyed - in a relaxed state! Not fretting at your desk over an inbox full of emails. In this state you will very much notice the stress stimulating effects of coffee.
