|  Coffee
Packs more than a Caffeine Buzz!
It's Not Just the Caffeine That Gives You a Jolt
By Del Millers, Ph.D.
Coffee is by far the most popular beverage and the most abundantly
consumed stimulant worldwide. In fact, many people drink more coffee
each day than they drink water. However, regardless of whether you
take decaf or regular, getting your daily fix may still give your
nervous system a jolt. A recent scientific study suggests that it's
not just the caffeine in coffee that gives your heart a buzz. There
are numerous other compounds in coffee that may also affect your
system.
A recent study published in The Journal of the American Heart Association,
looked at the effects of caffeine and coffee in 15 healthy volunteers,
including six habitual coffee drinkers and nine occasional coffee
drinkers. Researchers measured the participants' blood pressure,
heart rate, and nervous system activity before, during, and after
drinking a triple espresso with and without caffeine. They also
took these measurements after an intravenous injection of the equivalent
amount of caffeine or a placebo.
Coffee increased blood pressure
Sixty minutes after drinking the espresso, whether it had caffeine
or not, occasional coffee drinkers had an increase in systolic blood
pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading). No change
in blood pressure was found in the habitual coffee drinkers.
When they looked at nervous system activation, researchers found
this activity rose after consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated
coffee in both groups, despite the fact that blood pressure increases
were found only among occasional coffee drinkers.
Coffee contains hundreds of substances
This is the first time such differences have been found in people's
reaction to coffee. Coffee contains hundreds of substances, and
the study authors say these findings suggest that something other
than caffeine may be responsible for its effects on the heart.
Coffee's effects on the heart and cardiovascular system are controversial.
A number of studies have suggested that coffee drinking increases
the risk of heart-related death, but others have disputed those
results. Activity in the nervous system is thought to play an important
role in the regulation of blood pressure. Overstimulation of the
system has been associated with high blood pressure.
Decaf and the nervous system
Scientists believe that regular coffee drinkers may build up a tolerance
to the blood pressure-raising effects of coffee found in non-habitual
drinkers. However, some studies suggest that tolerance to coffee
does not seem to be related to caffeine because nervous system activity
increased in both groups when they were given caffeine intravenously.
The bottom line
Until now, scientists have attributed the adverse cardiovascular
effects of coffee to caffeine. However, non-coffee drinkers given
decaffeinated coffee also display these effects. This demonstrates
how little scientists really know about the stimulant effects of
coffee on the body.
Therefore it is not clear at this point whether people with high
blood pressure should avoid decaffeinated coffee as well as regular.
According to the American Heart Association, one to two cups of
coffee daily do not seem to be harmful. However, drinking more than
three cups of coffee per day may become addictive and may also lead
to overstimulation of the nervous system.
— Del Millers, Ph.D. is a fitness and nutrition consultant
and author of three books. Visit his website at delmillers.com
to sign up for his e-mail nutrition newsletter.
DID YOU KNOW:
Did you know that fruit and vegetable capsules
can supply your body with an abundance of nutrients depleted by
the effects of coffee and caffeine? Get
more info...
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