Is it healthy? Will it help my sport performance? How many cups should I drink? What’s wrong with drinking more than that? And why might coffee in California come with a warning label?
Coffee is a staple in my diet. I have tried teas – green and black – but nothing beats a steaming cup of joe with soy milk in the morning. Lately I have been trying to cut back, not cut out, but decrease by at least a cup a day, which is a task upon itself. Lately cutting back has not been going so well, so what would any good nutrition major do? Go to the literature to find out all the wonderful things coffee and caffeine can do for the body.
Health Effects of Coffee:
Drinking moderate amounts of coffee (including decaf) has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and some cancers. In a longitudinal observational study of over 400,000 US adults, it was shown that drinking caffeinated coffee may reduce the risk of death caused by heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections. In comparison to men who did not drink coffee, men who drank 6 or more cups of coffee per day had a 10% lower risk of death. As for women; it was associated with a 15% lower risk of death.
Cardiovascular Disease – compared with non-coffee drinkers, those that drink 3 cups of coffee per day were shown to have a 19% reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, 30% reduced risk of death caused by stoke and 16% reduced risk of death caused by coronary heart disease.
Liver Disease - any coffee consumption, in comparison to no coffee consumption, has been associated with a lower risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a 27% lower risk of developing liver fibrosis, and a 39% lower risk of liver cirrhosis. Additionally, the addition of one extra cup of coffee a day was associated with a lower risk of mortality from cirrhosis.
Cancer - consumption of coffee has been shown to be associated with a lower risk of some specific types of cancers including prostate, endometrial, melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, and liver cancer.
Musculoskeletal - some research has shown that that an extra cup of coffee a day was associated with an increased risk of bone fracture in women, but a lower risk in men. Caffeine in coffee has been proposed as the component that increases the risk in women, as it may potentially influence calcium absorption and bone mineral density.
Neurological - coffee consumption has consistently been associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, depression, and cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.
Antioxidants - nutrients that assist with slowing or preventing harmful free radicals in the body, which are responsible for damaging cells and DNA. Antioxidants found within coffee include polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid and ferulic acids. Coffee also contains small amounts of potassium, niacin and magnesium.
Coffee and Sports Performance
Caffeine has been studied for its ergogenic potential in sport performance, specifically for endurance sports. Caffeine is proposed to enhance sport performance through blocking central nervous system (CNS) adenosine receptors, causing various effects on the body including CNS and skeletal muscle stimulation, reducing the perception of effort and/or perception of fatigue, and an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Once metabolized and absorbed, peak plasma concentrations are reached 40-60 minutes after consumption, with a half-life of 3-5 hours. The most benefit shown is in endurance sports such as running and cycling, with less established benefits for high intensity/short duration/sprint-like sports. For high intensity sports lasting under 5 minutes, about 65% of studies have resulted in performance benefits.
In the research, these athletes are consuming caffeine in a capsulated caffeine form, and less often in the form of an energy drink or coffee itself. Coffee does contain caffeine, however it doesn't seem to have as much of an ergogenic benefit as compared to consuming caffeine on its own. In a study of 9 endurance runners who ran to a point of exhaustion, it was shown that when given caffeine capsules the runners were able to run an additional 2-3km whereas when given coffee it did not improve their performance. Some studies have concluded that coffee contains multiple other compounds that may reduce the athletic benefit of caffeine. Furthermore, caffeine concentrations can vary between coffee blends and brands as well as the method of preparation.
For those in a more relaxed training schedule looking for a pre-exercise caffeine boost, there is little downside to using coffee pre-workout to enhance a workout. If an elite athlete is looking for an upper edge/improving performance by that 1-3%, speaking to a sports dietitian to determine the appropriate dose of caffeine supplement would be the best option!
What is a safe amount of caffeine?
For men and women, 19 years and older, it is recommended to consume no more than 400mg of caffeine per day in order to avoid any adverse effects. Recommendations for caffeine are lower for children and pregnant women. Caffeine is found naturally in coffee, tea, chocolate, guarana, and yerba mate. It is also added to foods and beverages.
Brewed 8oz (1 cup) - 135 mg
Roasted and ground, percolated (8 oz) - 118 mg
Roasted and ground, filter drip (8 oz) - 179 mg
Roasted and ground, decaf (8 oz) - 3 mg
Instant (8 oz) - 76 – 106 mg
Instant Decaf (8 oz) - 5 mg
What can happen if I consume too much caffeinated coffee?
Insomnia, headaches, irritability, nervousness
Rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, gastrointestinal distress
Most negative effects associated with coffee consumption are related to excessive consumption; caffeine in moderate amounts hasn’t been shown to pose any health risks.
California and Warning Bans on Coffee The state of California recently ruled to have warnings placed on products that contain chemicals that the state has ruled as carcinogenic (having the potential to cause cancer) – one of those chemicals being acrylamide. Acrylamide is a chemical that naturally forms in certain foods that are high in carbohydrates and low in protein, such as potatoes and coffee, during processing or cooking at high temperatures. It is not added to foods – it is simply formed during cooking when a specific amino acid reacts with naturally occurring sugars. It has been shown to cause cancer in experimental animals, however in humans there is not enough evidence to support the notion that acrylamide in foods/beverages, like coffee, puts us at risk for cancer. The American Cancer Society reports on their website that based on the studies conducted so far, it is not clear if acrylamide affects cancer risk in humans. Additionally, in animal studies that showed an increase in the risk of cancer due to acrylamide, these animals were provided doses that were 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the levels people might be exposed to in foods and beverages. Overall Recommendations: When you drink your coffee black, it is virtually free of saturated fatty acids, sodium and sugar and contains an insignificant amount of calories. However, that is if you take your coffee black. If you are adding cream, sugar and other sugary syrups, you will be tacking on quite a large additional amount of calories, sugar and fat each day in that cup of joe. Coffee (when drank black, or with a touch of milk), has a vast amount of health benefits (and potential for performance enhancement), however you should not rely on coffee as a source of antioxidants and vitamins; instead make sure to consume balanced meals – aiming to have half of your plate made up of bright vegetables and fruit, and include whole grains and plenty of plant-based protein sources each day. A cup of joe with breakfast just adds a bonus to all the nutrients you receive in a balanced diet!
References:
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2018). Benefits of coffee. Retrieved from: https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/preventing-illness/benefits-of-coffee
Freedman ND, Park Y, Abnet CC, Hollenbeck AR, Sinha R. Association of coffee drinking with total and cause-specific mortality. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(20):1891-1904.
Poole R, Kennedy OJ, Roderick P, Fallowfield JA, Hayes PC, Parkes J. Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes. BMJ. 2017;359(1):1-18. Doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5024
Government of Canada. Caffeine in food. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/food-additives/caffeine-foods/foods.html
Today’s Dietitian. The perks of drinking a cup of joe. Retrieved from http://www.todaysdietitian.com/news/exclusive0413.shtml
American Cancer Society. Acrylamide and cancer risk. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/acrylamide.html
Graham, T.E., Hibbert, E., & Sathasivam, P. (1998). Metabolic and exercise endurance effects of coffee and caffeine ingestion. Journal of Applied Physiology, 85(3), 883-889.
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