Coffee
by Ryan Heeney / April 1st, 2022
Coffee seems to be one of those controversial foods that gets either love or hate in the health world. Some people associate coffee with bad habits, while others just like the taste and enjoy the pick-me-up it provides in the morning. Maybe it's the things people hear about caffeine, maybe they associate the beverage with unhealthy breakfasts, maybe people think it's just too good to be true, but I think coffee might actually be one of the most underrated health foods there is.
Let's talk about all the good stuff coffee provides.
Caffeine - in my own opinion is a substance that should be thought of more as a nutrient than a "drug" like the FDA would like you to believe. Like many things in mainstream modern science there is a lot of confusion around caffeine and like many things with lots of confusion, a bit of nuance needs to be introduced.
Caffeine has a very long list of benefits, the general and most all encompassing is the pro-metabolic effect it has on the body. Caffeine raises the metabolism (your cellular respiration), which is so important because metabolism, or the rate at which the cell produces energy, is what I believe to be the root of health.
How does caffeine do this? Well, two of the main mechanisms are the increased utilization of both progesterone and thyroid hormone. While caffeine acts very similarly to these two hormones in the body, it actually raises the hormones themselves as well. It improves thyroid function through many different mechanisms, one of which being cyclic AMP, a derivative of ATP (also known as the "energy currency" of cells), while at the same time decreasing all the hormones related to stress like prolactin, serotonin and cortisol which would otherwise oppose the natural secretion of the very beneficial thyroid hormone.
Caffeine helps alleviate depression (likely due to its dopaminergic effects), increases athletic performance, increases liver health, can reduce rates of cancer and can help reduce the production of free radicals.
Next is Magnesium—a mineral highly deficient in most people's diets today, and especially those with low metabolisms. Magnesium is found in high quantities in coffee. Magnesium is critical for calcium absorption, the promotion of insulin sensitivity, the alleviation of anxiety and is known to decrease inflammation. Deficiencies in the mineral can increase the stress hormone PTH (parathyroid hormone), which can lead to more inflammation and an increases in the other stress hormones.
Tip: to get the most magnesium out of your cup of coffee, the more concentrated is better. Darker roasts will have higher levels of nutrients overall.
B vitamins - which are found abundantly in coffee, are important for liver function, memory function, excess estrogen detoxification and general metabolic function. B vitamins act very quickly and are used up quite quickly so regular, daily sources of coffee can be helpful. B vitamins in supplement form can often be full of lots of irritants, allergens and impurities, so getting them from a food like coffee is a good route to go.
So why has coffee received such a bad rap in some health circles?
Well, the first misconception is the fact coffee can increase your blood pressure. While coffee did in fact raise blood pressure in some studies, the effect was very slight. Also, what the publishers of the studies failed to mention was that even drinking plain water can increase your blood pressure in the exact same way. Basically fluid consumption can temporarily increase blood pressure no matter what the fluid is.
Another misconception is that coffee will increase adrenaline and other stress hormones. While this is sometimes true, it's because of a very specific reason. Coffee, like thyroid hormone, raises the body's metabolism, which then increases the body's need for glucose. When these glucose needs are not met, stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol do increase. That is why it is very important to drink coffee with a meal or with sugar and cream to balance the blood sugar lowering effects that coffee can have. Often people will try coffee for the first time and experience shakiness, anxiety, and feelings of low blood sugar. This tends to be even more pronounced in those starting with sluggish metabolisms. Starting small and having a couple ounces with, or after a meal, tends to be more agreeable with those who have had negative experiences with coffee.
Lastly, these studies were done on participants with empty stomachs and often very high amounts of caffeine/coffee were used. The extreme overconsumption was likely to blame for the perceived negative effects.
As was mentioned above, coffee is best consumed with some white sugar, milk or cream. Artificial creamers and sweeteners can take a backseat on this one.
Rather than treating coffee like the stimulant most people think of it as, it should instead be thought of as a health food, or adaptogenic food. I think of it has one of the healthiest foods you can consume, and like most things that are truly healthy, it is darn enjoyable as well.
A note on tea: while teas has received lots of positive attention lately, it doesn't quite match the benefits of coffee. While teas do contain the beneficial caffeine, they also contain estrogenic compounds that could mitigate or decrease the overall benefits of the drink. Black tea's tend to have less of this negative effect on estrogen than green, but in my opinion it is best just to stick to coffee.
Relevant studies on caffeine and coffee that pertain to the info above:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837842
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0304383591900097
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1777646
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8104822
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2816215
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10743484
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10819950