My lifelong love affair with coffee has been one of transformation; I’ve migrated from instant to percolated, from Starbucks to Nespresso. Regardless of its mode of production, coffee has been a staple of my morning routine for years; it elevates my mood and evokes fond memories. However, some recently-published studies have complicated my relationship with this popular beverage. One question remains: should I ditch this “drug in a mug” or continue in my caffeinated ways?
Our collective infatuation with coffee is not new. Its production and trade began sometime during the fifteenth century in the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, it figured so prominently in Turkish culture that an insufficient coffee quota was grounds for a woman to divorce her husband! By the seventeenth century, coffee was being exported to Europe, despite the Church’s condemnation of it as the “beverage of Satan.” Obviously, this label did little to deter consumption; today, coffee shops can be found on street corners all over the world. But very few coffee-drinkers actually know the components of their favorite beverage.
Coffee contains a substance called cafestol that is a potent stimulator of LDL cholesterol levels. Because cafestol is found only in the oily fraction of coffee, it is most concentrated in French press and Turkish preparations, whereas its presence is negligible in filtered and instant coffee. For those with high cholesterol levels, it is therefore advisable to choose one of the latter preparation methods.
Don’t let this talk of cholesterol sway your opinion; research has shown some surprising benefits associated with coffee consumption. A recent study published in Diabetes Care “found that a 1-cup/day increment of regular coffee was associated with a 9% reduction in diabetes, and 1 cup/day of decaf was associated with 6% reduction in diabetes.” Another study, published by the American College of Cardiology, suggests that coffee may also decrease risk for Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. The same study also showed an inverse relationship between coffee consumption and clinical depression.
Why, then, do people opt for “decaf”? (The average cup of brewed coffee contains 180mg of caffeine, while one shot of espresso contains 75mg.) First, all of the aforementioned benefits of coffee result from sources other than caffeine; they are derived from antioxidants and polyphenols. Furthermore, aside from the fact that caffeine affects the central nervous system and can inhibit sleep, excessive consumption can also cause increased anxiety and irritability.
Although decaffeinated coffee may help you drift off to sleep more smoothly, it is not without its own complications. This is because most decaffeination techniques—the direct method, the indirect method, and the CO2 process, for instance—use chemical intermediaries. These, in turn, exacerbate bone loss, making decaffeinated coffee a poor choice for individuals suffering from osteoporosis. The Swiss Water Process is the exception: it uses a combination of steam and charcoal filters to remove caffeine, thereby circumventing problems incurred during the chemical processes.
In the end, it seems to me that coffee consumption ought to follow the axiom “all things in moderation.” For now, I’ll stick to my morning routine—and maybe forestall Alzheimer’s while I’m at it!
Sources:
“The History of Coffee,” National Coffee Association, accessed June 16, 2014, http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=68.
O’Keefe, James et al, “Effects of Habitual Coffee Consumption on Cardiometabolic Disease, Cardiovascular Health, and All-Cause Mortality,” Journal of the American College of Cardiology 62, no. 12 (2013): 1043-1051.
“Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more,” The Mayo Clinic, accessed June 16, 2014, http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372