Alex Gottwald said (July 20, 2015):

I just read your article on coffee. Here's my two cents, if you like:

For years I was struggling with coffee addiction, I at times replaced by black or green tea addiction. Coffee made me nervous and after that little kick very tired. It often also gave me headaches. Black tea had a similar effect on me, green tea even caused migraine headaches... so I felt quite desperate about what to do...

Some years ago I then came across Guaraná back in 2006 in Germany.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarana

Guaraná is a vine from the Amazonian rain forest I now happen to live close by... it does contain caffeine, but it has none of those harmful effects, I described concerning the beverages mentioned above. It makes me awake slowly but surely and also clears the head in the morning from all the rests of sleepy mists and clouds. I usually put about one teaspoon in my mouth after rising in the morning. I add some black pepper, to increase the effect and leave it in my mouth until it all got soaked by saliva... by then the clearing effect on the third eye has been happening and I swallow the Guaraná...

It keeps me awake a lot longer than coffee/tea ever did... no headaches attached. No nervousness. No stress. Guaraná also has got several additional health effects btw. like e.g. a reduction in appetite. For this effect some people use it for weight loss. As this is not an issue for me, I just find it practical when I want to write all morning without needing to have breakfast.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-guarana

The most useful place for using coffee from my perspective is an enema. Leaving it inside for at least 12 minutes has a nice cleansing effect on your liver.
http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/COFFEE%20ENEMA.HTM

http://alexandergottwald.com/en

Peter said (July 20, 2015):

There is a coffee from Columbia that is popular for its deep, dark delicious flavor.

This coffee, however, comes from the SEED, not the bean.

The seed is naturally 99% caffeine-free and gives the same flavor as the bean.

The seed coffee is much more expensive because it has to be harvested and taken to the freezer within 1 hour of harvest. Beyond that time, it will quickly rot.

I have been drinking only 3 cups a day with a bit of canned condensed milk and NO sugar. But I am now going to drop the supper coffee as I had never heard
about the 12 hours it takes to rid oneself of a dose of caffeine. To ensure a good night’s sleep, I am also going to stop the noon cup, so I can get to it.

Old Salt on the Maine Lobster Coast - P

P said (July 20, 2015):

Everything in moderation and you don’t need to read articles, as confusing as this.

-

reply:

Confusing because there are different viewpoints?

h

MARK said (July 20, 2015):

We have to moderate the pro-caffeine advice here.

Dr. Mercola somewhat states that there are some beneficial studies out there, which does not surprise me really. I consider coffee rather a medicinal plant, but one not fit for daily consumption. The entire raw-food and vegan diet healthy gurus as well as fitness pros - all are rather clear on the subject. Some just use it rarely when they are extremely tired or for fasting.

Some good links also with accounts of how caffeine addiction/allergy was treated in the US in some clinics:
http://www.doctoryourself.com/caffeine_allergy.html
http://www.doctoryourself.com/caffeine2.html

Even if you want to use it as a medicinal drink Dr. Mercola recommends the following:
+ organic
+ whole bean
+ no sugar and no milk - only black
+ no chlorine bleached or paper coffee filters
+ no BPA/BPS coated paper or plastic cups
He also recommends you to buy the beans unroasted and roast it yourself, since the processing plants add chemicals to it.

Also Dr. Mercola correctly says that coffee itself is a wholefood-plants with an entire set of biochemical connections that are completely ripped apart with each processing step. The Starbucks coffee in fact is so far away from the beneficial medicinal plant that the negatives far outweigh the positives.

DAVE said (July 20, 2015):

Henry, I love coffee, the taste, the ease of making a very tasty hot beverage, but for some it is dangerous. Around 2006, I started noticing internal organ pain if I had too many coffees in a day, like 4. I also noticed that the pain would not be immediate if was 3 cups a day, but that effect over time was cumulative. It took a while to figure out because the doctors had no clue. So I stopped coffee for 2 months and ran an experiment, I decided I would have 5 cups in one day.

The pain that night was incredibly bad, it felt like a Charlie horse in my guts, left side around the bottom rib, every 20 seconds or so for about 15 minutes. If it hadn't stopped when it did, I was going to the hospital. I went off coffee for 2 months again and did exactly the same thing, 5 cups in one day, one time.

I was ready this second time, I stayed up and drove to the hospital and waited in the lot outside of emerg. Right on time it hit me and I went in when it subsided somewhat. They admitted me, did an ultrasound and then ran me through an mri the next day. They found out that the pain was caused by my spleen expanding because of the coffee. The doctor told me to stop drinking coffee as my spleen could rupture next time.

So I don't drink coffee anymore, I have an allergy, probably acquired, to something in coffee. I have not had a coffee of any kind in 9 years and I haven't had the pain or my spleen expanding either.

Tony B said (July 20, 2015):

I have, at different times in my life, drank no coffee or drank coffee all night in some truck stop (pay for one cup - the waitress brings fresh pitchers as long as you are there), getting "wired" in the process. Also, at times, I have used it moderately.

Had a retired farmer neighbour couple in Idaho, down to earth types, who used to invite my wife and I to share their morning coffee on occasion. Their simple philosophy on coffee makes the most sense to me: "One cup a day is medicine, more than that is poison." I.e., all things to moderation. Just as apricot pits contain a bit of arsenic, a poison, they are thus a true cure for certain cancers. It's a fact, no matter how the medical industry decries against it.

Coffee will regulate bowels among other things beneficial it can accomplish. But that Starbucks crap has to be detrimental to health. Talk about overload!

"Jennifer's" comment [below] on blood type is interesting. Never thought much about it but it does make differences. For instance, when I once told a friend that my sons and I sometimes put out street lamps when we walk under them, his instant reply was, "You have negative blood type," which is true. He said only people with negative blood types put out street lamps. Something to do with the "aura" we humans can't see, I suppose.

This is a good argument against the identical, mass produced, boxes government keeps trying to shove each of us into. We're all different but government always makes the identical mistakes concerning us, acting as though we all fit the one government set of dimensions.

Art from SA said (July 19, 2015):

caffeine bothers you tty South Africa''s very own Rooibos tea which has no caffeine. Dr Oz promoted it on his show.

Rooibos (Afrikaans for red bush) is now available in the US, & probably Canada.

Rooibos leeches iron though.

Also drink chicory.

I think with coffee you need to avoid instant coffee (refined). Espresso coffee is recommended by health experts, in preference to filter coffee.

Sure coffee disturbs your REM sleep, so don't drink coffee close to bedtime.

I find that coffer clears my brain, & I'm a type O.

I think that coffee beans along with cocoa beans & tomatoes & bananas etc., originate in Peru. Possibly GMOs created by spacemen? Nazca?

Al Thompson said (July 19, 2015):

As I'm drinking my morning coffee, I understand that people have many opinions on a subject like this. The problem is that there are few facts to back up the research.

I 'googled" benefits of drinking coffee and there's no shortage in articles that have the opposite point of view.

http://authoritynutrition.com/top-13-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coffee/

When it comes to an issue like this I just go back to basics. If it is a consumable that God made, then there's probably going to be a benefit.

For example, the common knowledge was that the consumption of animal fat made people obese. However, the real science says that the fat metabolizes the body allowing it to shed excess weight. Without animal fat, the body will become obese. So the modern "science" is wrong. Animal fat also satiates the appetite so one doesn't feel hungry all the time. I learned this from the Atkin's diet and lost 52 lbs back around 2003.

I don't have a lot of trust in MDs but I do like Dr. Mercola and his research seems to support the benefits of coffee.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/16/coffee-health-benefits.aspx

With the availability of the internet, people can do their own research and can contribute to their own good health by studying both sides of the issue.

Jennifer said (July 19, 2015):

Dr Peter D'Adamo's "Eat for your blood type" answers the question -why some people do well on coffee and others do not. Coffee is poison to blood types O, AB and non- secretor B. (Neutral to B). But coffee is Beneficial to blood type A!

I'm blood type O and the smell of coffee makes me want to vomit. My mother also an "O" drank coffee moderately for many years, until it caught up to her - she quit and feels much better now.

I know some people discredit Dr D'Adamo's research as not being sound/accurate however I disagree.
He continually upgrades/refines his research as new data becomes available. For example the FUT2 gene mutation significantly altered his research. His new research is updated in his books, etc taking into account about 20% of the population that has this FUT2 mutation.

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/depictor5.pl?5

Bill said (July 19, 2015):

I met a natural health practitioner who worked with cancer patients a couple years ago. He was very strict, having a background in the CIA and military. He insisted that his patients give up ALL caffeine. Personally, I love to sip coffee when I am sitting at my desk. I cannot stand the taste of black coffee though. It MUST have sweetener and flavored creamer. Being a health nut (as well as a truth nut), I refuse to use sugar or artificial sweeteners. I used xylitol for awhile, but Dr. Blaylock says it is an excitotoxin, just like MSG. So I now use liquid stevia, which seems to be safe. The flavored creamers have some horrible ingredients, but I rationalize using them because it's such a small amount. As for the coffee itself, I always use decaf because regular gives me a headache and diarrhea. Also, I discovered an herbal coffee that is caffeine free called Teecino. Using this product enables me to avoid all the pesticides that are sprayed on coffee plants. This strategy allows me to enjoy my coffee and avoid 98-100% of the caffeine.

HS said (July 19, 2015):

Just a historical note…tea was never grown or consumed in the Indian subcontinent. All that would change when the British arrived. They began growing tea in the more hilly regions of India (They chose tea over coffee because the Indian-Chinese climate is more conducive to tea cultivation, whereas coffee is more native to South America). They also grew opium, which would be exported into China (almost all of it) and would lead to the collapse of Chinese society.

In return, they received tea from China. They were left with such a big quantity of tea that it could not enough to be consumed in Europe and the Americas. So they started goading Indian people to drink it. They began offering free tea at their railway stations, and pretty soon, the entire nation got hooked. Tea would then be no longer offered for free, and the Indian people unwittingly financed their own subjugation.

Dan Abshear said (July 19, 2015):

In jail recently coffee was a very desired item to have. It was the only drug available to us really. So we drank a lot of coffee.

Monica said (November 19, 2012):

I feel sorry for all the people justifying their caffeine consumption/addiction. Even drug addicts can use the "in moderation" line! It doesn't change that it isn't healthy for you.

My naturopathic physician says there is nothing wrong with coffee. The problem is that people put it in the wrong end! Yes, he uses it exclusively for colon cleansing enemas! She would never recommend it as a beverage. There are so many other genuinely good things to drink. I guess it all boils down to the ease with which it's available and the "one of the herd" social acceptability attached to it.

Matt said (November 19, 2012):

Thanks for putting the article up about caffeine! I used to always joke "I try to drink at least a pot of coffee a day" But finally equated afternoon sluggishness to my mass coffee drinking. I haven't stopped - but cut back considerably.

I'm ordering the book. And maybe now I'll just quit it completely....

It's a subject totally off of your usual topics. But I appreciate the info.

Stephen Coleman said (November 18, 2012):

I recommend that its best not to use caffeine regularly. It acts upon the brain as cortisone when may cause some dehydration of the brain. This dehydration is useful however, with certain medical conditions.

Withdrawal can cause devastating depression and headaches in some people. The brain overcompensates from the long term dehydration and that doesn't feel pleasant. If you want to quit the caffeine habit, its best to cut down gradually.

Another aspect that I have never seen written about, is all addictive substances (those that cause us to go through withdrawal) do carry over when we pass on. It is much more difficult to overcome these addictions "on the other side".

Doug said (November 18, 2012):

Caffeine is also a diuretic which is something that causes urination, which often leads to dehydration. Drinking a single cup of coffee causes one to urinate 1.5 cups of fluid.

Jim said (November 18, 2012):

I believe that coffee/caffeine is the least of our worries. Yes, some folks would benefit by reducing or totally eliminating their consumption of it but it's not the devil it's portrayed in the article.

The bigger concern is the amount of carbohydrates (corn syrup, sugar, wheat, and other grains), artificial colors, artificial flavors and artificial preservatives that's being consumed. Additionally, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are causing untold damage to our bodies and to the environment.

Your best bet is to eat as much whole, unprocessed foods you can. And eating organically grown foods would be even better...including coffee. It's one of the most heavily sprayed crops out there.

The fewer chemicals we put into our bodies, the better off we will be. That being said, a little caffeine ain't gonna to kill you.

David said (November 18, 2012):

Thanks for the thought-provoking nonpolitical column on caffeine. I'm definitely drinking less coffee (3 cups max in the morning, nothing after 11 am) than I used to, but like so many adults I cannot imagine life without it (first pot of the day is brewing as I write this)! If the research backs up what the author claims, I will make the necessary adjustments as I push 60.

Art said (November 18, 2012):

Until 3 years ago, I would drink at least (12) 12 ounce cans of Coke a day and I did for over 25 years. I managed to quit cold turkey, as I did for smoking a few years prior. I can say for an absolute fact that each and every point made in this article is true. I hadn't been sleeping well and I never realized until I was completely free of caffeine (about 1 month after the last Coke). I was perpetually dehydrated as well.

Reading these comments, I am forced to say that there is a lot of denial going on. Like the article says, caffeine is seen as a necessary part of life and everyone is "on it" in some form or another. It's effects are assumed to be benign because caffeine addicts are always under it's influence, and by their appraisal they get along just fine. Alcoholics talk the same way, don't they? I know it's in nearly everything ... but if a person can just change their normal habits, whether it be coffee, soft drinks, or chocolate for just one month, it will become clear the effects caffeine has been having on your body for so long.

Michele said (November 18, 2012):

I'm always a bit sceptical of articles like this. As a previous commenter says there is usually someone who is exceptionally sensitive to certain foods or environmental factors, but that doesn't mean we have to rush collectively to a perceived solution. One man's meat is another man's poison after all. Moderation in all things is the best advice. I cut down on coffee years ago and now only drink one or two cups a day. With all the other food and environmental factors complicating our daily diets it is extremely difficult to separate out a single food that could be causing a particular reaction, take for example allergy testing, and this does not mean that these results apply to everyone. It would be great to find one single cause of our general malaise, but to my mind this is an oversimplification, it also does not consider the fact that it may be caffeine in conjunction with other foods that may be causing this effect. I had to stop eating cheese sandwiches followed by an orange because that combination would give me a migraine, it took me a little while to figure that one out!

There are books out there that demonize wheat, sugar et al - basically our staple foods - perhaps with some justification because of our overconsumption of such cheap and readily available foods and a lack of balance of eating other foods such as good quality protein and vegetables. I believe also that in some cultures you adapt to foods generally available, so that someone from a predominantly rice-based culture suddenly eating more wheat-based foods may find it difficult to adapt; dairy foods are another example. So many factors have to be taken into consideration.

One food that I have discovered that gives me energy and is useful both internally and externally is coconut oil! It's useful as an antifungal and a moisturiser too. But it can cause nausea as well so I only take a teaspoonful and never before going to bed. But that is only my personal experience!

Anon said (November 18, 2012):

Stress has many sources. In our psychopath paradise culture, caffeine doesn't rank in the top hundred.

Tony said (November 18, 2012):

If the report is accurate, the book is not totally accurate because it is overly simplistic. For all those horrible scare situations to kick in for the average person they would have to certainly overdo caffeine intake. Yes, some people are going to be extremely sensitive to it as there will be some people sensitive to almost anything.

Yet caffeine does some good things for the body also, as does almost everything in nature. Remember the apricot pits which the U.S. government outlawed as a cancer cure because they naturally have a tiny amount of cyanide in them. Regardless of the cyanide - or more likely because of it - those pits DO cure some kinds of cancers. What is seldom considered is the overall mix of components in the pit which naturally work together. Some food supplements use a bit of natural caffeine where it has proved beneficial in the mix.

I had a neighbor when I lived in Idaho, a retired farmer who occasionally invited my wife and me over for coffee in the morning with him and his wife. His philosophy on coffee was that one cup a day was medicine, more than that poison. I tend to agree. It comes back to the ancient tried and true adage: All things to moderation.

Unfortunately, most people today have no concept of the meaning of that word. On either side of an issue which requires moderation.

Jesper said (November 18, 2012):

Despite being a coffee drinker myself, I am quite open to the argument set forth in the article. However, for the sake of information, I thought I´d draw attention to an article recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine in which caffeine is referred to as “wonder drug”.
Here is a short introduction:

“The best part of waking up...is reducing your risk of neurodegeneration. And depression, and cancer, and cardiovascular disease... It's becoming increasingly clear that coffee is more than just a morning routine. The body of data suggesting that the world's most widely used stimulant is beneficial in a variety of mental and medical conditions is growing at a staggering rate. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that coffee consumption lowered all-cause mortality by over 10% at 13-year follow-up. Based primarily on recent Medscape Medical News coverage, the slideshow [can only be viewed by signing in] reviews the potential medical and psychiatric benefits of coffee consumption.”

Andrew said (November 18, 2012):

Nice essay on coffee, Henry. It's a problem for many people.

But for people with a normal insulin response to sugar, there is nothing wrong with a cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon. In other words, if you don't have diabetes you can safely drink coffee. The problem is that TV marketing is addicting people to coffee, sugar and cream. And they drink too much. One coffee franchise sells sugar/coffee concoctions that are formulated to be addictive. But drink your coffee without sugar and you won't drink too much. It's too bitter.

Personally I drink tea in the morning because tea contains much less caffeine but it also contains L-theanine which has a calming effect without tampering with your blood sugar. Theanine is credited with counterbalancing caffeine’s stimulating effect by inducing relaxation, although researchers can't yet determine the biochemical mechanism by which theanine produces this anxiety-reducing effect. They speculate that it alter levels of two important mood-regulating neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin.

I also drink my tea without sugar which moderates my tea consumption too.

Addiction is the problem; not coffee per se.