Negative Effects Of Coffee
7 Negative
Effects of Coffee
Coffee is
America's favorite drug with around 180 million of us starting most days with a
caffeine jolt to get going. Some people enjoy their coffee and apparently have
no health issues with drinking it. There are however some potential negative
effects of coffee, particularly at certain times and when it becomes so
addictive that you find it difficult to go a day without it.
If you are
really concerned about these negative effects, be sure to check out these 3
tips to make coffee super healthy.
In small,
occasional cups there is possibly a case to be made for some benefits to
coffee. If it’s fresh, high-quality and ideally organic (regular coffee is one
of the most pesticide-intensive crops in the world) then a raft of studies have
shown that it can improve alertness and long term it may reduce the risk of
developing Parkinson’s disease, gallstones, kidney stones and liver cirrhosis
for heavy drinkers.
Conversely,
in the longer term it has been associated with an increased risk of high
cholesterol, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
Good-quality
ground coffee is a source of antioxidants like chlorogenic acid that may help
with weight loss and Green Coffee Bean Extract, particularly high in this
antioxidant, are the latest popular supplement for body fat reduction.
Many of us
though are having far beyond small or occasional cups, and instant coffee, or
even worse, that murky stuff that comes out of the office coffee machine, is
far from good-quality.
In fact,
despite some potential longer term benefits, for many of us excessive coffee
consumption may be having some very negative effects on our health in the here
and now, particularly on our digestive system and stress levels.
7 Side Effects of Drinking Coffee
1. Coffee and Hydrochloric Acid
Drinking
coffee on an empty stomach, such as first thing in the morning, stimulates
hydrochloric acid production. This can be a problem because HCl should only be
produced to digest meals. If your body has to make HCl more often in response
to regular cups of coffee, it may have difficulty producing enough to deal with
a large meal.
Protein
digestion in particular is affected by a lack of hydrochloric acid in the
stomach and protein based foods can pass into the small intestine before being
properly broken down. Undigested protein is associated in a variety of health
problems, from bloating and gas to IBS, diverticulitis and even colon cancer.
In fact, the
knock on effect of not digesting your food properly due to low hydrochloric
acid in the stomach could be implicated in dozens of other health issues. Some
experts go so far as to say almost all disease begins in the gut. Given this,
you can see why it's important to limit anything that interferes with its
proper functioning.
2. Ulcers, IBS and Acidity
Many of the
compounds in coffee like caffeine and the various acids found in coffee beans
can irritate your stomach and the lining of your small intestine. It’s known to
be a problem for those suffering from ulcers, gastritis, IBS and Crohn's
disease and doctors generally advise patients with these conditions to avoid
coffee completely.
The question
is, could excessive coffee consumption contribute to these health issues in the
first place?
Ulcers are
believed to be caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. However, the acidic
effect coffee has on the stomach may contribute to providing the weakened
stomach lining necessary for H. pylori to take hold initially.
Drinking
coffee can also irritate the lining of the small intestine, potentially leading
to abdominal spasms, cramps and elimination problems, often alternating between
constipation and diarrhea. This condition is known as irritable bowel syndrome
and more and more people are being diagnosed with it in recent years.
If you are
suffering from IBS, here is a plan for coffee replacement that deals with
caffeine withdrawal.
3. Heartburn Problems
Acid reflux
and heartburn can be caused by coffee due to the way it relaxes the lower
esophageal sphincter. This small muscle should remain tightly closed once
you've eaten to prevent the contents of your stomach from coming back into the
esophagus and burning its delicate lining with hydrochloric acid.
Caffeine is
known to relax the esophageal sphincter so Coke and high caffeine 'energy
drinks' can also contribute to heartburn, but coffee is particularly problematic
for this.
Even decaf
regularly causes heartburn problems for some people and researchers think other
compounds in coffee can also contribute to acid reflux problems.
4. Coffee as a Laxative
Drinking
coffee can stimulate peristalsis, the process in the digestive tract that makes
us head for the bathroom. Some people use it deliberately as a laxative, but
there’s a problem with this.
By
stimulating peristalsis, coffee also appears to promote increased gastric
emptying, whereby the stomach's contents are quickly passed into the small
intestines, often before the digesting food has been properly broken down.
In this
partially digested state, it makes it much more difficult for nutrients to be
absorbed from your food. It also increases the chances of irritation and
inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract.
Once again,
decaffeinated coffee has also been shown to have laxative and gastric emptying
properties so it seems caffeine alone is not to blame.
5. Mineral Absorption, Your Kidneys and Coffee
Heavy coffee
drinkers may have difficulty getting enough minerals in their diet, even if
they eat mineral rich foods or take supplements. This is due to the way coffee
affects iron absorption in your stomach and particularly your kidneys ability
to retain calcium, zinc, magnesium and other important minerals.
While all of
these minerals are vital for good health, from a digestive standpoint, any
interference with magnesium absorption is particularly worrying as it is
necessary to maintain bowel regularity and so many of us are already deficient
in it.
If you are
concerned that you might not be getting enough magnesium (and apparently around
70% of other people in the USA are in a similar position, whether they know it
or not) then transdermal magnesium oil can be more effective than oral
supplements, which usually have poor absorption rates.
6. Acrylamide in Coffee
Acrylamide is
a potentially carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substance that forms when coffee
beans are roasted at high temperatures. The darker the roast, the higher the
levels of acrylamide are likely to be. In fact, coffee has been shown to be one
of the major sources of this dangerous chemical in American diets.
If you would
like to know more about acrylamide, the other main sources and ways to avoid
it, see the page on the dangers of acrylamide.
7. Coffee, Stress and Tension
Drinking lots
of coffee will promote the release of the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine
and norepinephrine. These chemicals increase your body’s heart rate, blood
pressure and tension levels – the old ‘fight or flight’ response.
We often say
we need to drink coffee to give us energy. But for many of us, has it gone
further than just energy and turned into a kind of jittery tension that is
always on and makes it difficult to relax? Maybe it pushes you to get through
the paperwork, but longer-term the health implications of this kind of ongoing
stress are significant.
Turning on
the stress hormones with a cup of coffee when you're eating also interferes
with the digestive process. When you're in ‘fight or flight’ mode, your body
will divert its resources to being ready for a potential threat and digestion
suffers as a result.
Finally, the
caffeine in coffee is known to interfere with GABA metabolism. Gamma-aminobutyric
acid is a neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood and stress levels. It
should also have a calming effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
Your mood and
your digestive system are surprisingly interrelated. Unfortunately, when you
drink a lot of coffee the high levels of caffeine in it can negatively affect
both of them.
Check out if
using Coconut Oil in Coffee is a good idea
Conclusion
Many people are very protective of their coffee and
probably won’t like to hear all of these health problems associated with it.
But if you've made it reading this far, perhaps you have a feeling that there
could be some value in cutting down a bit or even replacing it altogether.
If you are experiencing any of the digestive problems
above, or just feel coffee has you too on edge but don't know how to quit it,
coming up next is a plan to replace the negative side effects of coffee with a
new kind of drink that tastes similar but is actually healthy, as well as a
simple way to reduce caffeine withdrawal problems when you make the switch.
If you still plan to continue drinking coffee, try
some of these tips to make it healthier.
Do you think you might drink a bit too much coffee,
but that it's become such a habit you find it hard to stop? Have you tried
giving up coffee before, whether successfully or not? I'd be really interested
to hear your thoughts on how coffee affects you personally and your experiences
with trying to give it up.
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Hmmmm....eye opener..tnx for the info
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