Nutrition III - Nutrition and Lifestyle - Food and Beverages to Avoid; Coffee and alternatives

Question 1

Coffee

Answer 1

Coffee comes from the seed (often referred to as the bean) of certain plant species within the coffea genus.
* It is one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world (a reported 2.25 billion cups are consumed each day)
* Well some research suggests health benefits, affects overall are overwhelmingly negative
* Unless organic, coffee plants are one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world
* The roasting process of coffee beans can create a mix of undesirable compounds including acrylamides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, furans and methyl-furans – known as carcinogens

Question 2

Addiction

Answer 2

Coffee is addictive; this is due to the caffeine content and is evidenced by withdrawal symptoms similar to drug addiction, including headache, fatigue, depression, anxiety and irritability

Question 3

Sleep

Answer 3

Coffee impairs sleep; it blocks adenosine receptors to inhibit asleep. Adenosine is a substance that increases in the brain through the day and increases desire to sleep

Question 4

Adrenals

Answer 4

Coffee taxes the adrenals resulting in exhaustion: it stimulates the release of adrenaline (irritability, anxiety) and cortisol. Chronic elevation in cortisol increases inflammation and elevates blood sugar levels

Question 5

Gastrointestinal effects

Answer 5

Gastrointestinal effects:
* Relaxes the oesophageal sphincter leading to gastro-oesophageal reflux
* Compounds in coffee bind with minerals in the gut reducing their absorption

Question 6

Cardiovascular effects

Answer 6

Cardiovascular effects: Stimulate the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline = vasoconstriction, increase heart rate and BP

Question 7

Acidity

Answer 7

Acidity: Coffee increases body of acidity, which contributes to a range of diseases including cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis and kidney stones

Question 8

Decaffeinated

Answer 8

• Be aware that ‘decaffeinated’ coffee often still has 15 - 30% the caffeine content of normal coffee
• Caffeine has an average ¼ life of 12 hours, which means that if you want to drink coffee at lunchtime, ¼ of the caffeine will still be circulating at midnight in the average person
• A persons ability to degrade caffeine in the liver is determined by various factors, including genetic variation in the enzyme responsible (CYP450 1A2), as well as ageing
• When the body degrades caffeine, the adenosine receptors are suddenly vacant, allowing adenosine to rush in and bind, creating a significant urge to sleep (i.e. the ‘coffee crash’)>