Coffee

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Coffee

Postby JeffN » Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:39 pm

NOTE: The original poster removed their question about coffee


Hi Kathy

Seems like you got some great advice already.

Most all of my clients tell me that once that get off caffeine and past the detox and headaches and lethargy, they feel like they have more energy than ever.

Just to review some of the info and make a few additions and points of clarity

Technically speaking, only products made from the leaves, buds and twigs of the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, can be called "tea". Products made from other leaves, buds, twigs, fruits, grains etc are supposed to be called "herbal infusions".

There are 4 main teas, white, green, oolong, and black all coming from the same plant, and are fermented for different times with the white being the least and the black being the most fermented.

The following are averages and dependent on several factors. The average amount of caffeine is a cup of brewed coffee is about 100-150 mgs, for Black tea it is about 35-60, green tea around 15-25. Oolong is between black and green and there is some debate on white as some have found it a little more than green and some a little less.

Decaffeinated means that most of the caffeine has been removed (~98%) from the coffee or tea and caffeine free means there is no added caffeine to the product.

Teas labeled Decaffeinated will contain no more than 0.4% caffeine on a dry weight basis.

To qualify as decaf coffee in the United States, coffee must have at least 97 percent of its caffeine removed. That still leaves about 5 milligrams of caffeine in a 6 ounce cup of decaf coffee.

You can decaffeinate teas at home by the "water process" which is done by infusing the tea leaves for 30 seconds and then pouring off that infusion. Then steep as you normally would. While this does eliminate some caffeine it is difficult to be sure just how much caffeine is left.

A recent analysis of decaf coffees bought at local popular coffee houses showed that several of them exceeded the guidelines to be called decaf and some even had levels as high as regular coffee.

Good luck!

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Jeff Novick, MS, RD
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coffee again

Postby kriscos » Thu Feb 21, 2008 2:41 pm

Hi Jeff
How long is the average "detox" time for kicking the coffee habit?
Also, what are the most important reasons for avoiding coffee?
I see a lot of conflicting info regarding this issue, for example, magazine articles promoting the "antioxidant" effects of coffee...is that just marketing hype?
Thanks,
Kris
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Re: coffee again

Postby JeffN » Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:41 pm

kriscos wrote:Hi Jeff
How long is the average "detox" time for kicking the coffee habit?
Also, what are the most important reasons for avoiding coffee?
I see a lot of conflicting info regarding this issue, for example, magazine articles promoting the "antioxidant" effects of coffee...is that just marketing hype?
Thanks,
Kris


Hi Kris

I do not think there is a "set" detox time as everyone responds differently. In the residential centers I have worked in, which are caffeine free, it seems like the first 24-72 hours are the worst and then it tapers off from there. Some people seem to be fine right after that period, while others seem to take a few more days to a week or more. While at first they usually feel more lethargic, by the end of the week their energy levels are usually soaring.

The coffee bean contains chemicals called diterpenes that have been shown to raise LDL and total cholesterol. In addition, some studies have shown that coffee may raise homocysteine levels.

Decaffeinating the coffee doesnt not remove these chemicals. Brewing coffee through a paper filter (as in a typical coffee pot) does reduce these chemicals somewhat. However, it seems these days everyone is drinking varieties of coffee that is brewed without a paper filter such as French press, cappuccino , espresso, etc. so they are getting the full dose of these chemicals.

Coffee also increased the risks of getting GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease). It is a stimulant and may increase anxiety in certain people, and also may be contraindicated in those with mood disorders. Last year, one of the journals of emergency medicine reported that there were more admissions to emergency rooms for caffeine overdose last year then in any other year. They said this was largely due to the popularity of all those energy drinks, especially amongst teen-agers and young adults. Caffeine can also interfere with sleep and may produce heart arrhythmias in certain individuals.

One of the big news stories that was opular about a year or two ago was one that said coffee was the leading source of antioxidants in the American diet. So, of course, everyone thought this was good news about coffee. But, when you looked closer at the details of the study, you found that the coffee bean, like any bean, is a good source of antioxidants, but, not more so than any other bean or plant food, like fruits, veggies, or whole grains. The reason coffee was found in this study to be the leading source of antioxdiants in the American diet, was because American drink so much coffee while at the same time eating so few beans, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. So coffee didn't win on quality, it won on quantity and a very skewed dietary intake amongst Americans.

(PS, this is also why you sometimes hear about the phytochemicals in chocolate. Chocolate is made from the cacao bean and like any bean, it is a rich source of phytochemicals. But, it is also very high in fat and very high in saturated fat and calories).

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Jeff Novick, MS, RD
Last edited by JeffN on Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Thanks for all the great, helpful info.

Postby kriscos » Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:15 pm

Hi Jeff,

Thanks so much for the incredibly helpful and informative information regarding coffee consumption!

And thanks Krista for your info as well. You mentioned that you felt so sick you had to try a slower way of 'quiting'. May I ask what your symptoms were?

I'm really sluggish! and crabby! since I quit. And quite surprised how difficult it is to give it up!

Kris
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Postby LauraA » Sat Feb 23, 2008 2:47 pm

Hi - I've never been a coffee drinker, but was very addicted to diet coke. Years ago I got off of that caffeine "cold turkey" and felt pretty bad for quite awhile. Later, I started up with diet coke again, and tried several times to quit gradually. I don't like the caffeine free, and whenever I would try to have just one, then I would drink way more. This time, I switched to green tea in the morning - I like it, but I'm not addicted. For the first few days I added one excedrine, then half of an excedrine. It was just for about 4 days, and it really helped. Now my question - since green tea is so healthy, should I keep having it in the morning, make it decaf, or give it up entirely? I can skip it now, so I seem to be over the caffeine addiction. Thanks, Laura
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Postby JeffN » Sun Feb 24, 2008 12:46 am

LauraA wrote: my question - since green tea is so healthy, should I keep having it in the morning, make it decaf, or give it up entirely? I can skip it now, so I seem to be over the caffeine addiction. Thanks, Laura


While it seems green tea may have some potential benefits, I do not see green tea (decaf or not) as an essential or required component of a optimal diet. So, if you are trying to avoid caffeine, then ether avoiding it all together or choosing a decaf green tea would be your best choices, but the choice is really yours. Either one would be fine with me.

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Postby LauraA » Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:12 am

Thank you so much, Jeff - I'm learning so much here. These boards are really making all of this so very workable. I really appreciate all that you and Dr. McDougall do, and all members of the boards! Take care, Laura
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Re: Coffee

Postby JeffN » Mon Jan 09, 2017 9:31 am

The effect of coffee consumption on serum lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2012 Aug;66(8):872-7. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2012.68. Epub 2012 Jun 20.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22713771

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
Numbers of epidemiological studies assessing coffee consumption and serum lipids have yielded inconsistent results. We aimed to evaluate the effects of coffee intake on serum lipids.

SUBJECTS/METHODS:
We searched several English and Chinese electronic databases up to September 2011 for randomized controlled trials of coffee on serum lipids. Weighted mean effect size was calculated for net changes in serum lipids by using random-effect models or fixed-effect models. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted to explore possible explanations for heterogeneity among trials.

RESULTS:
Twelve studies conducted in Western countries with a total of 1017 subjects were identified. Meta-analyses showed, on average, drinking coffee for 45 days was associated with an increase of 8.1 mg/dl (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.5, 11.6; P<0.001) for total cholesterol (TC), 5.4 mg/dl (95% CI: 1.4, 9.5; P=0.009) for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and 12.6 mg/dl (95% CI: 3.5, 12.6; P=0.007) for triglyceride (TG). The increase in TC were greater in trials using unfiltered coffee and caffeinated coffee as the treatment group. Those who had hyperlipidemia were more sensitive to the cholesterol-raising effect of coffee. Meta-regression analysis revealed a positive dose-response relation between coffee intake and TC, LDL-C and TG.

CONCLUSION:
The intake of coffee especially unfiltered coffee is contributed significantly to the increase in TC, LDL-C and TG, and the changes were related to the level of intake. Studies of coffee intake on serum lipids in Asian populations should be performed.
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Re: Coffee

Postby Mober » Fri Jan 20, 2017 9:47 am

sample size n=1 but I took blood pressure at home one day just to see if I could tell what impact coffee has on me. no impact after 2 cups (although I could feel the effects), but after 3rd cup, BP went up significantly. Physically that lined up with when coffee starts to feel jittery rather than awakening. These werent right after one another either, probably separated by 30 minutes or more. And it was the good stuff, fresh ground, espresso pressed type coffee. Hard to think about giving it up!
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