The heath effects of coffee are controversial. Despite what you may have heard, there are many benefits of coffee but this varies from person to person.
Benefits of Coffee:
- Coffee beans are rich in antioxidants and other micronutrients.
- Coffee contains caffeine which is a great stimulant to enhance brain function and alertness.
- Great exercise performance enhancer as oppose to crap ‘pre-workout’ supplements.
- It bloody tastes delicious.
Negative Aspects of Coffee:
- The caffeine in coffee may cause some problems for some people and disrupt sleep.
- Caffeine activates the sympathetic nervous system which might trigger anxiety in some people You can get addicted and experience withdrawals if consumed in large amounts frequently.
- Some people opt for decaff coffee which is made by rinsing the coffee beans with chemical solvents (more processed).
There is genetic variability in metabolising caffeine. You can either be a ‘slow’ or ‘fast’ caffeine metaboliser. This may explain why some people drink one cup of coffee and get jittery and anxious and others consume four cups a day and barely keep there eyes open. The fast varient of the gene are people who can metabolise coffee four times quicker then the slow variant. Slow metabolisers who drink coffee tend to report a very gradual wakefulness, sometimes lasting hours. But fast metabolisers often experience an immediate spike in alertness followed at times by a relatively quick dip in energy. So should you be drinking coffee?
People with anxiety issues, high blood pressure or insomnia might want to reduce there intake for a while to see if that helps. If your drinking coffee to ‘stay awake’ then you could have some other health issue or reason why you are feeling so fatigued all the time. If you drink coffee and enjoy it and it makes your morning (like myself) then there is no need to give it up.
References
- Palatini P1, Ceolotto G, Ragazzo F, Dorigatti F, Saladini F, Papparella I, Mos L, Zanata G, Santonastaso M. CYP1A2 genotype modifies the association between coffee intake and the risk of hypertension.
- Womack CJ1, Saunders MJ, Bechtel MK, Bolton DJ, Martin M, Luden ND, Dunham W, Hancock M. The influence of a CYP1A2 polymorphism on the ergogenic effects of caffeine.