COFFEE...Come Over For Free Energy Everyday? I Don't Think So.

I FOUND THIS QUOTE ON A WEBSITE RECENTLY….

Do you know that coffee means:"Come Over For Free Energy Everyday"?


I think it’s a funny quote, but just like anything else, we all know there is no FREE. We pay for things one way or another.

Here are some ways we may pay for that perceived energy that coffee is thought to provide…we pay through deficits in our long-term health:

1. Stress
Caffeine stimulates the excretion of stress hormones, which can produce increased levels of anxiety, irritability, muscular tension and pain, indigestion, insomnia, and decreased immunity. Increased levels of stress can keep you from making healthy responses to normal daily stress.

2. Emotional Disturbances
Anxiety and irritability are hallmark mood disturbances associated with caffeine consumption, but equally important are depression and attention disorders. Depression may occur as part of the letdown after the stimulant effects of caffeine wear off. It may also appear during the recovery period after quitting caffeine while the brain's chemistry is readjusted. Rather than increasing mental activity, caffeine actually decreases blood flow to the brain by as much as 30%, and negatively effects memory and mental performance.

3. Blood Sugar Swings
Diabetics and hypoglycemics should avoid caffeine. Caffeine stimulates a temporary surge in blood sugar followed by an overproduction of insulin, which causes a blood sugar crash within hours. This rollercoaster causes weight gain since insulin's message to the body is to store excess sugar as fat.

4. Gastrointestinal Problems
Many people experience a burning sensation in their stomach after drinking coffee because coffee increases the secretion of hydrochloric acid, which leads to an increased risk for ulcers. Coffee, including decaf, reduces pressure on the valve between the esophagus and the stomach so that the highly acidic contents of the stomach pass up to the esophagus, which can lead to heartburn and gastro-esophageal reflux disease. No wonder the best selling over-the-counter drugs are the so-called antacids.

5. Female Health Problems
Fibrocystic breast disease, PMS, osteoporosis, infertility problems, miscarriage, low birth weight, and menopausal problems such as hot flashes are all exacerbated by caffeine consumption. Women on birth control pills are particularly at risk since they have a decreased ability to detoxify caffeine.

Adapted from Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America's #1 Drug, by Stephen Cherniske. Warner Books, $13.95.