Coffee and Health

Fat Free?

A cup of black coffee has zero fat and only a couple of calories, however add milk, cream or sugar and things change.

For reference we have listed some details on how many calories, carbohydrates (carbs), fat and cholestrol, each variety has. The  source of these fats: Coffee Association of Canada

Check the chemistry or bio-chemistry

Coffee has a number of trace minerals (Thiamin, Niacin, Folate, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Manganese) and is a good source of Potassium, Pantothenic Acid and Riboflavin. A 180ml cup of brewed coffee may contain 2 to 4 milligrams of Sodium, that saidmost of the sodium content comes from the water used to brew the coffee.

Caffiene

The chemical component of coffee that has caused all the commotion is 3,7- dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione. The more commonly used technical name is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine. Both names describe the chemical structure of the caffeine molecule.

This molecule is one of many (over 700) within a typical cup of coffee. The acid in the stomach is unable to break down the caffeine molecule which means that one-sixth of a dose of caffeine is absorbed through the blood vessels in the stomach, and most of the remainder is absorbed through the wall of the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine. The next stop for the caffeine molecule is the liver, then the heart and brain. The importance of this is that it takes 30 to 60 min before it is in your system, so it is not an instant pick me up.

Since Caffeine is relatively insoluble in fat, it does not accumulate in body fat, it is a use it or loose it chemical and its half life is dependent on a body weight and how efficient (i.e. healthy) a person’s body is. Starting with an efficient body the half life of the caffeine molecule is 2 hours and the longest the half life is, is 10 hours. The liver metabolizes caffeine each time blood containing caffeine passes through it (this may be why incidence of liver disease is reduced for coffee drinkers). Caffeine removed from the blood is replaced by more caffeine returning from the body's other fluids. This process continues until eventually all of the caffeine has been metabolized by the liver. This means that within a maximum of 12 hours all caffeine is removed from your system.

Since caffeine enters the blood stream it is capable of affecting almost every part of the body. For each person the side effects will vary in intensity, however as a guide these are the recognized possible side effects of having coffee in your blood stream:

• Some studies have found a statistically insignificant increase in heart rate in some subjects, while others have had an initial decrease in heart rate plus an increase.
• Caffeine heightens the part of the brain that responds to carbon dioxide levels in the blood causing increased rate breathing, and since it strengthens the action of the diaphragm the breaths can be deeper too.
• Another know side effect is that caffeine causes fats to move from bodily deposits into the bloods, if taken between meals, and if taken with meals increases the rate in which food is transformed to usable energy (why it is band in sports), good for losing weight and exercising
• The temperature-regulating centres of the body are stimulated by caffeine, which consecutively produces an increase in body temperature. To sustain this change, energy that might have been deposited as fat is used, even if the body is at rest a greater amount of food is burned
• Caffeine increases the mobility of sperm thereby enhancing fertilization

Summary

There has been one scientific experiment that found that the molecule caffeine is a stimulant, and as such has some side effects when administered directly to a pregnant mother rat.

Since that original study done in the 1960's, a significant number of studies have been done scientific and medical institutions that have proven links between coffee and health improvement. These links are thought to be caused by the other over 700 molecules (including the anti-oxidents) found in coffee. It must be remembered that coffee is essentially a member of the fruit family

There has is also some research pointing to the fact that the decaffeination proccess adds more harmfull chemicals than it removes (depending on the process used)

One thing is for sure: that most of the research done finds hand-picked, properly roasted, properly brewed Arabica-based coffees have significantly less caffeine than the standard coffees that are available on every street corner. See:

• Caffeine Content Ethiopian Coffea Arabica Beans
• The effects of caffeine in Coffea Arabica
• Coffee Plant

Stimulants

Stimulants have received a lot of bad press mostly because of what is call the stimulant cycle. The best way to check if you are caught in a stimulant cycle is to give up all stimulants for about a week. So what are they?

• Caffeine - so no coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, Red Bulls or similar
• Sugar - so no sweets, no jams, no sauces with sugar (e.g. ketchup or tomato sauce) etc, no liquid medicines. Refined Sugar is VERY unhealthy for you. Some believe it should carry a surgeon generals warning
• Hi GI foods - this is an interesting one. You will need to check a local list, but basically white flour-based (bread pasta etc) products and items like short-grained rice
• Fatty foods - no French fries, no crisps, nothing that has seen oil of any type. We are programmed to love these foods. Did you know that a grilled burger has more fat than a roast potato!
• Over-the-counter medicines - the majority of addicts rely on over the counter medicine
• Illegal substances (illegal in most countries that is)

WOW Can you do it for a week, or perhaps 3 days? If by day three you are experiencing fatigue or have headaches, you have a stimulant problem. I would suggest you consult a dietician or a good holistic diet book.

More worthwhile reading: MYTHS and FACTS about Caffeine

My Solution - As an unqualified layman

Personally once you understand that the stimulant cycle is about 2 - 4 hours, and you have cleansed you body by removing the above from you diet (obviously you first speak to your doctor) then my advice is keep away from them until you have been awake at least for 2 hours, and had a non-stimulant-based breakfast. Then you may start a cycle but it is not perpetuating

There is a lot of literature to read on this, but "6 Weeks to Superhealth" (by Patrick Holford) for me was an interesting read. I have found that once the cycle is broken, I can drink coffee. So for example wake up at 06:00 and you can should only have your first cup of coffee at 9:00

I will say though that I am neither a doctor nor diatician, I only know what has worked for me. If I follow the "9 o'clock" rule I find that the cycle does not dominate my living style. And I regularaly check this by removing stimulants from my diet and seeing if the cycle has started - Warren Machanik