coffee... good or bad?

[Aleesha Sattva]

There is so much info out there... whether or not coffee is good or bad. I want to put some info together for a friend but my brain seems to be sleeping this morning. I can't remember all the reasons to not drink coffee. Yes, I know it is not good for your pH but what else?

Help a girl out please LOL

[Veronica01]

Here's a page i googled. http://www.coffeefaq.com/site/comment/reply/12

10 grams of caffeine is lethal to humans, thats the amount in approx 70 cups of regular coffee... that number may not be far away from people's weekly and monthly consumptions

also the beans are roasted which adds to them being carcinogenic

[Aleesha Sattva]

to overdose on something you have to take it all at once. so that would be drinking it in a very short period of time.

[Veganforlife]

http://www.chetday.com/nocoffee.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Coffee---Health-Risks-Drinking-Too-Much&id=1238715

http://www.aolhealth.com/healthy-living/longevity/coffee-dangers

http://ask.yahoo.com/20060102.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/GoogleSearchResults.html?q=coffee&cx=010579349100583850635%3Aw_kzwe9_yca&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8#1316

[Veronica01]

Yes but poison is poison right? Not many people are like me in that once they knew caffeine was bad for them, i stopped drinking pop and i never let myself try to like the taste of coffee. I know a lot of people in my family that load up on the coffee, they never feel right and can't sleep at night and one has RLS (so they say)... eek

[Aleesha Sattva]

Coffee overworks the adrenal glands.

The caffeine in the coffee belongs to the same alkaloid group of chemicals as morphine, cocaine and strychnine. It is no surprise then why people have such a difficult time, at first, letting go of coffee, and replacing it with healthier beverages.

Caffeine combines with the stomach's hydrochloric acid and forms a potent toxin, caffeine hydrochloride. As this toxin is absorbed into your portal circulation and hits your liver, bile is released in an attempt to flush the toxin from your system. This accounts for the increase in bowel "regularity" of which many coffee drinkers boast.

Regular use of coffee prevents some of the nutrients in your food from being absorbed effectively in your small intestines, which leads to further vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Because of the overload on the liver to detoxify chemical residues, long-term coffee drinkers often have a toxic, congested liver and impure blood.

the above info is from the first link lucy posted. i didn't find much value to the other two links though. but that first link was filled with good info. thanks lucy!!! (((hugs)))

[Aleesha Sattva]

Yes but poison is poison right?

yes veronica but i'm looking for real info... not scare tactics. i don't teach people in that way... i give them the facts and let them decide for themselves. telling them they can OD on coffee... when they are only drinking a cup or two a day isn't relevant. :)

[Veganforlife]

there's five links up there now...the natural news link has a BUNCH of articles...

[Aleesha Sattva]

okay thanks lucy. i'll keep reading. :)

[Veganforlife]

this is a good one:

http://www.naturalnews.com/012352.html

[Aleesha Sattva]

Within five minutes after you drink your morning coffee, the caffeine begins to stimulate your central nervous system, triggering the release of stress hormones in your body, causing a stress ("fight or flight" ) response. The stress hormones are useful if you need to prepare yourself to fight or flee a dangerous situation, but if you are simply sitting at your desk you may feel a short charge of alertness, quickly followed by feelings of agitation. Within the next hour or so, after the stress response dissipates, you will probably feel more tired and hungry. At these low-energy times, many people reach for another cup of coffee, or eat a snack that is often high in sugar to "pep up" and stay alert. However, both caffeine and sugar only give you temporary feelings of increased energy, which quickly dissipate.


Although acute caffeine consumption provides stimulation, regular caffeine intake may actually lead to chronic fatigue. While mice fed one dose of caffeine demonstrated significant increases in their swimming capacity, when the dose of caffeine was given for 6 weeks, a significant decrease in swimming capacity was observed.

Habitual caffeine use ultimately leads to Phase 2, what has been called adrenal insufficiency or adrenal exhaustion. This condition bears more than a casual resemblance to the post-traumatic stress syndrome experienced by soldiers returning from combat. In effect, the adrenal glands simply wear out from chronic stimulation.

from this last link from lucy

[rawstrength]

Yes but poison is poison right?

Everything is a poison, it all depends on the dose. You could kill yourself by overdosing on water.

Coffee makes me feel terrible, shaky and even passing out. lol that's all I have to say on this topic.

[Veronica01]

Oh i didn't mean to try and tell people 1 or 2 cups a day would kill them. Everyone is different i guess, but every time i go with facts to people i know no one wants to read them lol. Like statistics or scientific studies, so i end up reading them myself and giving them the jist of it. I always want to know the 411 on what im eating and doing to myself, but none of my friends and family care. My roommate even told me to never again tell him that pizza is bad for him because he just doesn't care. I said ok fine, leave me a lone with my salad.

I applaud you for trying to share the facts with loved ones. I don't try to scare people and just say "this is bad for you" I give reason too, but for me personally if i find it is in general bad for me i stop eating it/doing it and don't remember every detail after a while.

[Inca_faerie]

The worst thing about coffee is probably it's very high levels of acrylamide; a proven carcinogen found (mostly) in high carbohydrate foods that have been baked, fried or roasted. Basicly any food cooked without water that contains carbohydrates has varying levels of acrylamide.


"A global risk analysis of nearly 7000 food items finds French fries, potato crisps and coffee recording the highest contamination levels of the carcinogen acrylamide, warns UN committee, but confirm that recent studies by food industry show processing methods could significantly reduce the levels, writes Lindsey Partos.

Scientists from 15 countries meeting under the aegis of JECFA, the UN's committee on food additives, caution that the harmful contaminant acrylamide, in certain foods, may be of public heath concern since it has been shown to cause cancer in animals."
http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Crisps-and-coffee-highest-acrylamide-levels-warns-UN


"COFFEE is responsible for as much as a third of daily consumption of the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide, research by the United Nations has found.
The study reveals that coffee may give those who drink it anything from 13% to 39% of the acrylamide they consume — only chips and crisps are responsible for greater quantities on average."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article788739.ece

[rawlight]

Here is a more recent pro and con discussion and I think it really depends upon how much you drink. I do not believe a cup a day is a bad thing, but that's just based on my own experience and opinion.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=77214

[JennaBoBenna]

It leaches calcium from your bones! (Has that been posted yet? lol)

I find it very surprising that the doctors I work with (chiropractors!!) drink coffee almost daily.

[Veronica01]

What i find strange is the study that proved that, it only occured in woman, apparently it does not leach from men's bones? I have no idea why...

oh and what appauls me when i told my sis that she said she makes up for it by drinking half of her coffee with milk to replace the calcium lost....

[Aleesha Sattva]

It leaches calcium from your bones!

I didn't know about that one... that's a really good piece of info!!! thanks!!!

[rawlight]

It leaches calcium from your bones! (Has that been posted yet? lol)

I find it very surprising that the doctors I work with (chiropractors!!) drink coffee almost daily.
Well, on the other hand....

"One of the criticisms of coffee in regards to health is that it leaches calcium from the bones. But this effect has been found to be overemphasized, at least in children. And adults who consume a diet with sufficient levels of calcium will be protected from the small amount of calcium that is lost due to coffee consumption. "
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/12-13-2005-83817.asp
And I just found this study:

http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2008/06/18/coffee-drinking-associated-with-a-reduced-risk-of-death-in-women/

I've come to the conclusion that you can find a study to support whatever you want to believe!

[RawSar]

damn, I love coffee mmmm...

[SweetTangerine]

Ever since I stopped regularly consuming caffeine it really messes with me if I have it now. The last time I tried drinking coffee I felt like I just did a line. the buzz lasted for about an hour and then I totally crashed. The next morning I felt really sluggish and had some horrible cravings for coffee. That experience got me off the stuff for good! Thanks for all of the good information everyone.

[cornvalley]

People love good news about their bad habits.

[Aleesha Sattva]

People love good news about their bad habits.

That is probably the best post I've seen in ages. Thank you for being so insightful and real... I love this!!!