Coffee....should we, shouldnt we...?!

Should you be drinking coffee?

I set to work to start writing an article about the health effects of coffee and whether we really should avoid it or if it’s not as evil as some people make it out to be. Half an hour down the line and I have realised this isn’t even about coffee….it’s all about caffeine! Sure coffee has been shown to have high levels of antioxidants which are very important to our health but of the other benefits (and negatives) it generally all comes down to the caffeine. So what’s good about caffeine and what’s bad, and at the end of the day, should we be consuming it?

                                                                                                                    

What’s good about caffeine?

Caffeine has long been considered an ergogenic aid, which means it can help to boost athletic performance – and it is one of the few substances that has solid scientific backup to support these claims. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, specifically the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers your body into action and creates a feeling of increased energy and alertness.  However, if you are serious about competing caffeine consumption should be saved for competition day as prolonged use of the stimulant reduces its effects and your sensitivity to it.

Caffeine increases the release of free fatty acids into your blood stream providing you with a boost of energy. This makes caffeine a great tool for the average recreational exerciser looking to lose fat as it will help increase your fat metabolism. It has been shown that caffeine consumption before exercise can increase fat burning during exercise by up to 30%. This makes caffeine a great tool for people trying to improve their body composition and lose fat. But you can’t just keep taking caffeine and expect the same results. These beneficial effects will only be seen if you are unaccustomed to the stimulant.

Many people use caffeine as a ‘pick me up’ or to wake themselves up in the morning. With regular consumption this effect is likely to be purely psychological. However, taking caffeine before an important meeting or when you really need to focus could actually be beneficial as regular coffee consumption can actually improve your cognitive ability. A recent study showed that participants who regularly consumed at least one to two coffees a day scored higher on short term memory recall, spatial ability, logic tests and general IQ testing.

Caffeine gets a really bad reputation as it is known to temporarily increase blood pressure, cause anxiety and jitters and in some extreme cases it is linked to the onset of depression. However, I think much of this reaction is due to the way people use caffeine rather than the innocent cup of coffee itself. Today's coffee consumer is addicted to a daily habit of drive-thru kiosks and super-sized 20oz+ cups of coffee, not to mention those who add a sugar-laden syrup and dollop of whipped cream. I might suggest that coffee isn't so much the problem as is the habitual effect of mega cups of eye-ball popping caffeine several times a day, every day.

What’s not so good about caffeine?

The stimulating effects of caffeine can have great benefits when it comes to improving body composition BUT this is not a one-size fits all rule of thumb – as with all nutrition- (if only it were simpler!).

If you have a history of stress, adrenal fatigue, depression, anxiety or sleep disruption you should avoid the use of caffeine completely. The increased stress hormones produced from consuming caffeine will just exacerbate the problem and could leave you in a vicious cycle of dependency.

Caffeine is a stimulant and causes a release of the stress hormone cortisol putting your body into ‘fight or flight’ mode. Cortisol levels in the body generally fit in with your sleeping patterns – if you are a healthy, un-stressed person that is! Therefore, your cortisol levels are always highest in the morning which triggers you to get up and out of bed. Consider this next time you reach for a mid-afternoon caffeine pick up. Caffeine can stay in your system for more than 6 hours meaning that your 3pm hit can still be producing stimulating effects at 9pm. Not only will this interrupt your sleeping patterns but it can also dampen the release of growth and repair hormones that usually come in to play later in the day to help repair your body as you sleep.

 

To step back and look at the wider picture, it’s also the full cup of coffee that can cause some problems and not just the caffeine. Coffee has been shown to be a gastrointestinal irritant which means it can increase the levels of inflammation within the gut. Coffee is fairly acidic which is why when you drink too much coffee on an empty stomach, you'll often experience a basic discomfort in your digestive system. The stimulating properties of caffeine also affect the gut. Caffeine stimulates gastric emptying which is why it is a commonly used substance in enemas. This can cause diarrhoea which means food may pass too quickly through your colon before all the nutrients have been absorbed.

The acidic nature of coffee can lead to problems with heartburn and reflux. Research hasn’t shown that this effect is reduced by drinking decaffeinated coffee so it must be due to other chemicals in the coffee rather than purely from the caffeine alone.

So should you be drinking coffee?

It is difficult to draw a complete rule of thumb when it comes to caffeine and coffee consumption. Advice must be varied depending on the individual, but this rings true to a lot of things when it comes to diet…just like with exercise too! But a few take home messages are definitely clear:

 

-       Long term high intake of caffeine is not recommended as it can cause a chronic increased level of stress hormones which has many negative effects on the body including weight gain and adrenal fatigue. It can also increase levels of inflammation and tissue damage along with a host of other complications.

-       Do not use caffeine as a pick me up when feeling sluggish, tired and generally fatigued as the stress response will just exacerbate the problem and make your symptoms worse. Only use caffeine as either an ergogenic aid before exercise or just drink it for the enjoyment of a fresh cup of Jo!

-       A cup of coffee makes for a great pre-workout drink to boost your feeling of alertness and energy and help you to increase your fat metabolism, especially when exercising in a fasted state.

-       Monitor your own reaction to caffeine as people vary in their sensitivity. If you are highly sensitive the consumption of caffeine can wreak havoc on your sleeping patterns. Cut out caffeine after midday – or even completely - if you are highly-caffeine sensitive.

-       Try and consume caffeine around times when you are going to be relatively active, i.e. before a morning workout or trip to the shops. This means that your body will utilise the free fatty acids released into your bloodstream rather than them getting stored straight back on your body as fat again.