So that's why I have trouble remembering names! And I thought it had to do with being over 80.
My wife and I drink no more than 10 to 16 oz. of expresso a day, although we start off with a couple of cups of good strong tea.
She usually has another coffee at lunch and we both also usually have tea in the afternoon.
I believe the caffeine effect on us is mitigated by the bottle (or maybe a little more) of wine we have with dinner.
Caffeine is low in espresso if water is not run through for long. The longer the grounds are soaked the more caffeine and tannin.
Caffeine also stimulates mitochondrial processes. This means consumption of sugar from the bloodstream. Coffee without sugar has potential to cause hypoglycaemia and stress via that pathway. Perhaps that is the pathway to elevated cortisol.
Elevated cortisol is catabolic. Causing plaques to form seen or unseen, teeth and elsewhere. And causing electrically charged calcium dust storms in the cell that the mitochondria thought they got rid of when they invented skeletons. Magnesium is essential for calcium management.
3
Eat it, don't eat it, okay in moderation, don't even smell it--argh! Ms. Brody, I get a different recommendation on everything I stick in my mouth every time I go to a doctor, and especially when I go to a specialist. I used to be a science writer and I know that one published study does not a truth make. Who funded the study? I knew someone who got her doctorate at Georgetown University and monitored studies that "proved" cigarette smoking wasn't harmful--multiple studies that turned out to be funded by Philip Morris. I have multiple sclerosis, and taking steroids is probably responsible for a diagnosis of advanced osteoporosis--oops, coffee may contribute as well, but my neurologist says moderate amounts of caffeine will help with M.S. fatigue. Eggs, saturated fat in meat, carbs even from whole grains--all integral parts of ancient human diets--now taboo--at least until next year's crop of studies come out. I give up. I'm not listening anymore. I will eat anything natural in moderation, including coffee, unless it makes me feel sick. My body is my ultimate study in MY health.
3
Dear Jane,
Thank you for your level-approach to suggesting that moderation may be a reasonable approach to coffee.
For future pieces rooted in scientific and medical suggestions, however, I would suggest that you consider consulting experts with opposing views on any such topic.
Caffeine spikes your cortisol is the message I glean from this article, which seems more an avenue of imploring your brother to stop drinking 6 cups of coffee a day. Other things increase cortisol, as well: reading this article for me, driving to work in even light traffic, receiving a disturbing text message from your teenager (I'm a millennial without kids, but I can imagine).
The benefits of coffee and caffeine need not be demonized by a wispy link to cortisol increases when not taken in context. This is why "drugs" are not available for scientific research in the United States, because of dangerous generalizations from non-experts. Your intent is genuine and well-directed, but caffeine is not the enemy here, nor is the 6th cup of coffee your brother drinks. You may inquire about other matters regarding diet and exercise, not specific to your brother, but as a general topic of discussion relevant to CABG.
Thanks.
5
Ms. Brody -
To understand your brother’s mental changes after his Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, CABG, I recommend that you read the book “Broken Hearts: The Tangled History of Cardiac Care,” by David S. Jones, an M.D. and a Professor at Harvard (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Hearts-Tangled-History-Cardiac/dp/1421408015). Particularly it’s Part II, which is specifically on the “dirty little secret” of CABG: the cerebral complications from being on the heart-lung machine.
It’s not the continued coffee. It’s the the cerebral effects of being on the heart-lung machine during his CABG procedure.
A really good book by the way…
3
@SRP. My brother was not put on the heart-lung machine. He had no post-operative cognitive issues and only positive emotional ones.
Unlike most of my friends and family, I have never drunk an entire cup of coffee. Some are surprised, astounded or even horrified that I do not survive off of caffeine, however, when we begin discussing the topic, most would sympathize and generally assure me that I was choosing the right path. Although soon, I might be forced to pick up a few cups during my all-nigher years of college. That's how it usually starts, with a few cups here and there-while finishing a major essay, and then sooner or later, it is just a normal habit. Sadly, most people are only aware of the positive side to this addicting supplement, "It is a central nervous system stimulant that increases alertness, relieves fatigue and improves concentration and focus," according to the article. The scary and very problematic effects are often ignored. As also seen in the article, anxiety, depression, memory loss, concentration problems, weight gain, high blood pressure and heart disease are just some example that prove caffeine is not all benefiting. Although the caffeine epidemic can not be completely suppressed, the few billion coffee drinkers need to at least acknowledge and educate themselves on what is really going on after consuming a daily 10 cups.
To determine if 6 cups of coffee-per-day are significantly worse than 3 cups-per-day, one simply needs to look at the Dose-Response curves from the mountain of epidemiological studies that have been done on the subject. Odd that Ms. Brody didn’t do that.
When you do, you find that her speculations are simply incorrect: the health benefits from 6 cups-per-day are not less than from 3 cups per day. See a recent meta-analysis of meta-analyses [!], the “umbrella” review on coffee at PMID 28826374, with 112 meta-analyses of observational studies. It’s Figure 4 indicates essentially no increase in all-cause mortality going from 3 cups-per-day to 6, and lower incidences for many diseases.
The All-Cause mortality Dose-Response curve for coffee is simply flat from 3 to 6 cups-per-day.
See PMID 24279995, combining 20 different prospective studies with almost 1,000,000 people where, compared to no or rare coffee consumption, having 2-4 cups a day dropped the risk of dying by any particular age by 14%, and having 5-9 cups/day dropped all-cause mortality by 15%.
See essentially the same thing in Figure 2 in PMID 25156996, which combined 23 studies with 1,000,000 people.
See the new UK Biobank results, with 498,000 people with genetic tests, PMID 29971434. Same all-cause mortality results at more than 8 cups as at 2-3 cups. And no differences based on genetics or whether their coffee was caffeinated or decaffeinated.
No benefit to moderation here.
Leave your poor brother in peace!
8
I fill my coffee maker to the six-cup line every morning, but that’s only two of my giant mugs. I so enjoy it and it gets me out the door. In the afternoon I have a skim latte, which perks me up and keeps me going through the gym and commute home. On days I don’t work I usually skip the afternoon buzz. I started drinking coffee at age 18 and liked it immediately, I’m 63 now. I have low low blood pressure, too. Yes, I’m a coffee-holic!
4
Decaf is a far cry from Sanka. Those who reject it should try the good stuff, brewed. I use half decaf and half regular coffee and it's delicious.
4
Ah ha. This pretty much explains all the hostility in the country nowadays: clearly the proliferation of Starbucks and 7-Eleven big gulps has made us a jittery, anxious, irritable nation itching for a fight. Can the legalization of marihuana save us?
9
So many people start their day saying "I need my coffee!!!" and rush to the nearest source. Well, no, you don't need coffee. Your body was engineered to function just fine without caffeine. Give it up for a week. You'll see.
I feel that the amount of coffee you intake is up to you; however, you should make a limit to your body's desires. All bodies are different-everyone know that- so the limit that the 'health board' put forth may not work for everyone. So, it's important to know what your body's maximum is before you internal hurt yourself.
1
I feel like caffeine is an essential necessity to many people in the world today. Like the article said up to 90 million people consume coffee each and everyday. You see it everywhere, it is ubiquitous. I feel as if too much caffeine can effect your body. Personally, I am a younger male and I do not drink coffee or soda, and I have been able to function on everyday activities. However, depending on the person a little too much caffeine is okay and is beneficial to the body.
I think the results of over-consumption of caffeine can be deadly and this article makes that very clear. For the best Personal Health a person should consume 3 cups of coffee maximum.
I have brewed my coffee at home half regular, half decalf. I don't think it tastes any different than the full strength and is an easy way to tone down how much caffeine I am getting.
2
I think different people have different responses to caffeine. People should pay attention to their's. Coincidentally I recently sat in my kitchen for a moment at 5pm, getting psyched to make dinner and spend a long evening driving my young teens around. I was drinking coffee and playing with my phone, and I remembered my phone could measure heartrate.
48 BPM.
I usually run in the low 50s.
Paradoxical caffeine response? No response? Definitely not a raised heartrate though
1
I have noticed many comments that Jane's argument of risk from the high levels of cortisol triggered by the high levels of caffeine is not scientific. It seems to me that risk of high levels of cortisol is not well understood by many people.
Neuroscientists like Dr. David Perlmutter or Dr. Dale Bredesen has been warning us sternly about the excess levels of cortisol damage our brains, and there are many scientific researches on this subject:
"Both acute and chronic elevations in cortisol secretion increased aging-associated hippocampal atrophy and a loss of hippocampus activity." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2680862/
Furthermore, cortisol inhibits memory retrieval of already stored information.
"Acute cortisone (a form of cortisol medicine) administration impairs retrieval of long-term declarative memory in humans" https://www.nature.com/articles/nn0400_313
Also, there are many researches that connect high levels of cortisol to the risk of heart diseases via high levels of homocysteine that coexists in the serum with high levels of cortisol.
"Cushing's syndrome (prolonged high levels of cortisol) is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. Although a series of cardiovascular risk factors have been identified, sulfur amino acids like homocysteine, recently indicated as independent cardiovascular risk factors."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16174722
1
For me I’m trying to stay away from caffeine, because it’s really affecting my body odor.
1
Giving up caffeine eliminated my vestibular migraine and reduced my other kinds of migraine, my blood pressure went down by 15 points. I now limit myself to one cup per day and I don't go over that. Accidentally drinking a caffeinated coffee during the day makes me really hyper. It's a powerful neuostimulant.
3
@Lynn
We're all different. For me, coffee can stop a migraine in its tracks, keeping me from having to take sumatriptan or one of the other migraine meds that I have been prescribed and keep on hand. If my blood pressure got much lower, I'd be fainting regularly.
Seems like the author may be a slow caffeine metabolizer-- Long term benefits of reduced dementia and reduced Parkinson's, reduced 9 cancers including breast and liver, better arterial elasticity accrue to the 82 to 88% of USA population (I do not know the data for other countries), whereas side effects of abnormal heart beats, anxiety, gastric upset and headaches accrue for under 150mg to slow metabolizers. So benefits of much and more seem substantial for fast metabolizers --you can test yourself with seeing your reaction to a cup. Jane your bro is prob a fast metabolizer
12
ahhhh... this is why our country is going crazy... those who drink too much coffee need to back off ... and those who don't need to rev it up ... one might call it balance ... on second thought ... maybe he needs to chill out of the coffee ... just sayn' ;)
3
We all drink coffee for the caffeine, a CNS stimulant whose chemical structure is similar to adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Caffeine blocks the action of adenosine, thus exerting CNS stimulant effects. Abrupt cessation may induce withdrawal symptoms like any other addictive drug. Caffeine is also a Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor which increases epinephrine and cortisol. Other PDI's in medical use include Methylxanthines, aminophylline, theophylline and sildenafil, According to Dr Anwar in a 2013 publication, "Phospho-diesterase inhibitors (PDIs) have important vascular and myocardial protective effects and thus have shown therapeutic usefulness in the clinical settings for treatment of patients with heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and coronary artery disease". For more see: https://jeffreydachmd.com/making-coffee-out-of-this-world/
3
Jane Brody must be the most annoying family member ever. How does she get back at her brother for daring to ignore her advice? She writes a story about him in the NYTimes!
26
Hello Jane,
Great article. I had a triple bypass on 1/4/18. This came as a total shock as I had never had any of the standard precursors of heart disease, i.e. no problems with cholesterol or high blood pressure, etc. The doctors were quite surprised to find that I had 9 arteries blocked with five over 70% and one at 90%. They had no explanation as to why I had such blockages. After reading your article I am suspecting that the liters and liters of caffeinated soda I used to drink every day for years led to my numerous arterial blockages and eventual heart surgery.
Thanks for your article and enlightening information, Paul
1
@Paul
Excess cortisol-related heart disease risk is the phenomenon during cortisol excretion is abnormally high. When cortisol excretion becomes normal, the risk goes away. Your case is probably not related to "excess coffee drink".
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/90/12/6616/2837184
"SAA (Sulfuric Amino Acids) abnormalities completely recover in CD (Cushing's Disease- abnormally high level of cortisol level) patients after normalization of cortisol secretion with the disease remission. This finding indicates that hyperhomocysteinemia (abnormally high level of homocysteine) and hypotaurinemia (abnormally low level of taurine) are completely reversible metabolic complications of CS. This suggests that they may contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk of patients with CS during the active phase of disease but not the persistence of relatively increased cardiovascular risk in patients cured from CS."
I have chronic Gout, nothing worked including Allopurinol, the ridiculously expensive Colchicine or any lasting effects from Advil or Aleve. On a whim I tried 5-6 cups of coffee per day and have no symptoms, though I must keep that intake. Consequently I have learned to dislike coffee but the alternate is quite painful and relentless.
3
I am so done following the ups and downs of coffee and health. Fights dementia! Affects sleep! Protects against heart disease! Stresses the heart!
It’s my favorite drug and I’ll never forsake it.
17
Coffee consumption is widely misunderstood. Brewed coffee aggravates my stomach whereas expresso does not, nor does cold brewed. There are reasons for this. Expresso produces a better true coffee flavor without bitterness as does cold brewed. I drink expresso with hot almond milk and sweetener but lower volume, richer taste. I'm "off" American style coffee. It doesn't compare and causes stomach acid flare-up in my case.
2
@Frank Jay
Dear Frank I enjoyed your comment as coffee can cause stomach upset in me as well. But please note. Espresso has no X in it.
2
Has Ms. Brody's brother tried cold-brewed coffee? Evidently when coffee grounds sit in water at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, the complex flavorful compounds leach out into the surrounding water but most of the caffeine (and acid) remains in the grounds. Keep a jar in the fridge, and when you want some hot mellow, minimally caffeinated coffee warm up a cup of cold brew in the microwave. It's convenient and pretty good.
3
For some reason I read this entire article with a fair bit of attention (despite several red flags), and then I got to the end and read the author's credentials: "...is the Personal Health columnist." Oh boy.
Nutritional science is dicey and often bogus at the best of times. Let's not make it worse by peddling secondhand accounts from non-scientists with axes to grind.
17
@rumplebuttskin
There’s nothing nutritional about caffeine. It’s a drug. Just like the cocaine in coca plants or heroin in poppy flowers. Caffeine is a drug contained in coffee beans.
As for Ms. Brody, you apparently are unfamiliar with her reputation as an excellent reporter since the ‘70’s. I see no indication that you know that Ms. Brody has any “axes to grind.” You seem to want to stereotype her.
As for secondhand accounts, then, scientific results, according to you, cannot be explained by a knowlegeable reporter on the subject. Maybe you would prefer unknowlegeable people to go to the original medical journals and interpret results. That is exactly how we get the crackpot reports that you dislike.
9
The answer to the coffee dilemma is, of course, to drink tea. Tea is the world's #2 beverage behind water. The nuanced taste and aroma of a good cuppa tea are incomparable. I made the switch 15 years ago and have not regretted it. My nerves are less jangled and thoughts less anxious.
"If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; If you are depressed, it will cheer you; If you are excited, it will calm you."
-William Ewart Gladstone
10
I too have cut back on my caffeine intake because of - how you say in American intelligence circles - “sleep deprivation”?! To state the obvious is classified, so I’ll euphemistically say I’ve cut back by one dbl. espresso from the 4 I used to have during the time that the mercury was not in the 50’s as it is now, thereby requiring only 6 scoops instead of eight.
2
Everyday, I usually drink a cup of coffee in the morning then I have a pop in the afternoon. I never drink a “ton” of caffeine but I usually need it the most in the morning to keep me awake since I am not a morning person whatsoever. I never get worried about using it too much but I have started to need it in the morning because I am simply too tired what I wake up and coffee really help me throughout my school day. Without it, my day would go downhill quickly because I would be trying not to fall asleep during important lessons.
1
I love coffee passionately, but I'm really sensitive to it. Even decaffeinated coffee makes me more reactive, similar to the author's experience with her brother. So it's a largely forbidden fruit. I'll have a cup of good quality decaf (swp) a couple times a week.
I'm pretty into yoga and the view it takes of food. Coffee and tea are viewed as too simulating for the mind; they essentially make it impossible to stay calm. When people can't function without caffeine there are usually a host of other factors involved - poor diet, poor sleep, no exercise, too much exercise, overstressed,the list goes on.
Coffee isn't really good for you, no matter what those studies say. But it is incredibly delicious, so... carry on.
4
Cortisol is a hormone whose daily effects in small amounts is necessary for many important effects for a healthy human ( deficiency state is Addison’s disease). It’s functions include mobilizing carbohydrates, lipids and fats for use during periods of stress. Chronic elevation can contribute to development of obesity and diabetes.
Epinephrine is the “fight or flight” hormone, whose function is to get the body ready to react to extreme stress. It is responsible for delivery of blood and nutrients to large muscle groups which requires abrupt elevation of heart rate and blood pressure to get ready to save one’s life.
Back to the topic of caffeine, whether we get it from coffee or green tea, there are beneficial compounds such as polyphenols along with the caffeine. As usual, it is a balancing act as to determine how much to ingest for desirable versus undesirable effects.
Moderation, and I would say that goes for media consumption as well!
11
For some people coffee is like drugs and in any case they won’t give up it. That’s why such articles don’t provide us with useful information. Nevertheless, I really would like to see more proofs (articles, research, methods).
2
This article is odd in the face of several recent medical studies demonstrating that coffee intake is inversely related to mortality. I am reminded of that old Voltaire quote about coffee being a slow poison, “It must be. I’m not dead yet.”
16
This is like the scenario every Statistics 101 student has heard: We know that the sale of ice cream increases during summer months. We know that the incidence of sex crimes increases during summer months. Do we really want to say that increased ice cream consumption causes increased numbers of sex crimes (or vice versa?) Big difference between casual and causal association.
18
People from cold foggy coasts need to stick up for coffee because we need need need it!
5
The problem with evaluating studies on coffee is bias. The scientific community is collectively addicted to caffeine. If you find scientists who aren’t, they are probably anti-coffee zealots. Disclosure of caffeine consumption should be included with the other potential conflicts of interest. I suspect the information would be astonishing.
7
So... a rockstar each day with 250mg of caffeine isn’t good for me? Oops ;)
5
Drank a Preworkout with 300mg of Caffeine. Went to the ER the next day due to "major gut inflammation" Worst stomache pain ever
6
Jane Brody's brother became irritable when he resumed drinking several cups of coffee after a CABG.
Was he irritable when he drank a lot of coffee before the CABG?
CABG is associated with mental status changes. Was it the coffee or the CABG?
8
Or is he an irritable fellow just by nature? As Momma used to say, don't confuse I'll health with a lousy disposition.
5
Or was he crabby because his sister was being judgy?
7
I think this article confuses cause and effect as far as cortisol and conflates cortisol with adrenaline. Cortisol is the body's response to stress, not the source of the stress. The description of fight or flight response describes mainly the effects of adrenaline, produced by the adrenal, like cortisol, but in a different part of the gland and chemically very different.
I agree, though, about caffeine. Moderate doses are beneficial but excess, like most other excess, is bad for you.
7
So drinking large amounts of coffee can mimic the symptoms of Cushing’s disease. Take it from a former Cushie... keep it under 6 cups a day, folks.
3
Something else to bear in mind is the headache that many (most?) people get when they skip their daily dose of caffeine. That can't be a sign of anything good.
3
Jane Brody, I wish you would use a better descriptor for the amounts of coffee you say have amounts of caffeine. A certain amount of coffee? A coffee cup full used to be 5 oz, but you say 8 oz. Brewed with how much coffee and how much water so you really mean? Does a larger amount of water extract more caffeine from the given coffee? Is part of the harm from doing it all day long? It's just awfully hard to tell what you are suggesting.... Asking, as they say, "for a friend!" Like, 3 coffee scoops (1 oz each) makes 6 cups on the carafe, which is two mugs (30 oz), drunk in one sitting in the morning. Or divided up. Which is better, how much caffeine, how to guess?
11
Why is Ms. Brody wrong? (I.e. my previous comment on the actual dose-response curves.)
Because she is not looking at the big picture, but rather just speculating based on individual, isolated biological mechanisms. This will almost always lead us astray.
You have to look at ALL mechanisms and ALL effects/outcomes. For example, smoking causes lower weight. Lower weights are associated with better cardiovascular disease outcomes. Therefore, should we encourage more smoking? No, because smoking affects MORE than just weight and some of those effects go in the other direction and overpower any positive weight effects.
Same logic here.
Coffee has more than just caffeine; it also has beneficial chlorogenic acid/polyphenol compounds (and a substitution effect with detrimental sugar-water drinks). (See, e.g., PMID 30369868, 24062792, 21490142, & 19550428.)
The healthy effects of the added chlorogenic acids overpower or counter-balance any theoretically-detrimental effects of any marginal caffeine or cortisol.
You have to look at the NET effects—or you reach the wrong conclusion and the wrong recommendation.
13
This is important information. A coworker of mine who drank 6 shots of espresso daily passed from a heart attack earlier this year. He was 37. Everyone was stunned. A little coffee is good. Moderation is key.
4
@Mary M, according to Brody’s article, six shots of espresso can have the same amount of caffeine as just two cups of American-style brewed coffee, so this isn’t actually very much. Still, very sad.
6
@Mary M - While this is indeed sad, it's also an example of common faulty reasoning. The fact that your coworker 1) had coffee and 2) passed away from a heart attack in no way supports a conclusion that the coffee caused the heart attack. His coffee consumption - in the absence of other facts - is no more or less related than the color of his hair.
12
@Mary M. And that is the sole reason why he passed: too much coffee?
1
In my case this makes so much sense...as far as the info on cortisol is concerned.
I’m a moderate coffee drinker...2 cups a day..most of that is left to get cold.
However, I have elevated levels ocortisol, brought on by family Issues that have stressed me for years.
Had a cardio calcium test do this year, and my levels are elevated...brought on, I’m sure, by the cortisol running through my veins.
I’m also overweight, not entirely from poor diet choices ( menopause...the gift that keeps on giving).
Trying yoga and meditation ( and prayer) to get the stress levels down.
Need to be around for the next 30 years, to see my granddaughters grow into womanhood.
7
@Cheryl
Please take hs CRP test to check how risky you are. Mayo Clinic advises that CRP level above 2.0 mg/dl is the red flag.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/c-reactive-protein-test/about/pac-20385228
Don't be fooled by cholesterol-count test which is outdated from the latest science.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3984678/
2
In addition, following 3 lab-tests will guide you for the better health in next 30 years:
1. Homocysteine test
This will tell you how much your high level cortisol has messed up your normal methylation/trans-sulfuration pathways to increase toxic amino acid called homocysteine that causes CVD/stroke and brain atrophy. Fortunately, B vitamins, particularly B12, folate and B6, will lower the homocysteine level.
2. Hemoglobin A1c test
This will tell you how much of your inflammation (testing results of hsCRP) comes from excess sugar (glucose). Each 1% reduction in HbA1c was associated with reductions in risk of 21% for diabetes, 21% for deaths related to diabetes, 14% for myocardial infarction, and 37% for microvascular complications. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10938048
Therefore, the test results will be your guideline to lower HbA1c level.
3. Insulin test
This will tell you how insulin cause you gain weight. You need to lower insulin level for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's in the future.
Also vitamin K2 is associated with the inhibition of arterial calcification and arterial stiffening.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566462/
Hope you could see your granddaughters grow into womanhood.
1
I was familiar with some of the negative effects of caffeine (especially for women) and had my suspicions about its effects on the heart, but the specifics were unknown to me. I will have to pass this down to all the caffeine drinkers who I care about! Luckily for me, I am highly sensitive to this stuff and won't consume it - very bad things happen to me when I have.
3
I find too much stress causes great harm to my caffeine intake. That's no good!
13
Thank you for sharing this information. Many people also likely don't know that caffeine inhibits iron and calcium absorption - a worry for women in particular. Best taken in moderation or eliminated, really.
7
Great article, author Brody. It is much appreciated as it connects now more common and now more easily available evidence and understandings.
1
I also love coffee and still drink it, but I had to cut down on the amount for health reasons. I used to work in a newsroom and drank coffee throughout the day, probably 5-6 cups. At one point I started having chest pains and an irregular heartbeat. I was only in my 30s. At first I was worried about heart problems, because my grandfather and uncle both died prematurely of heart conditions. However, repeat medical examinations over a period of several years failed to turn up anything, fortunately. Finally, one doctor suggested the chest pain might simply be indigestion. Somehow I began to realize the possibility that my coffee intake was causing both the pain and the irregular heartbeat. I cut down my intake to two cups a day -- one at breakfast and one after lunch (to stave off food coma), and voila! The symptoms were gone, and they've stayed gone. More recently, I experimented with eliminating my afternoon cup of coffee to reduce my stress levels. While I was able to wean myself from it, I found that I was less productive at work and decided to bring it back. My conclusion? Enjoy your coffee and its benefits, but don't overlook the possibility that there could be a connection between your intake and things you might suffer from such as insomnia, anxiety, chest pains, irregular heartbeat etc. If you think there could be a connection, experiment with adjusting your intake and see what's right for you.
17
I'm off caffeine after suffering a mini stroke back in June. One cup is enough to send my blood pressure soaring. I'm on decaf now. Who was it that said, "Nothing in excess"? Oh, yes. It was chiseled into stone at Delphi over 3,000 years ago. How soon we forget.
5
Never had a cup of coffee in my life. Never had a sleepless night in my life.
Tea is nectar of the gods.
1
@jerseyjazz Actually, tea has lots of caffeine in it.
11
Tea has less caffeine in it than coffee does.
I wonder how many of those "energy shot" drinks are unintentionally causing heart problems.
6
One cup a day is ideal; two is the most. Drink more water; your body will appreciate it.
7
It all makes sense ...here's coffee, one of the greatest things ever discovered, being pilloried by Jane Brody, one of the biggest scolds who ever lived.
33
It's clear that caffeine was innocuous if not healthful until 2016. What doesn't the Trump administration ruin?
10
This comment isn't so much about caffeine per se but more about doing what one enjoys in later life. When my father was 92, he developed mild diabetes. His carers immediately stopped all his sugar content - no desserts, no small whisky before dinner and no sugar in his morning cup of tea or after lunch coffee. He was utterly miserable and commented that, at his age, food was one of his last enjoyments. I insisted he be allowed his single whisky, a little sugar in his tea and coffee and a piece of dark instead of his desserts. He perked up and lived to be almost 98 - no need for insulin but did take meds. Sometimes the quality of life is more important than its length.
93
True and you gave good advice considering his age. Sometimes, however, the length is more important.
1
So, there is no direct evidence that large amount of coffee causes heart disease. It's only through an inference via elevated cortisol level that you are *suspecting* caffeine may cause heart disease.
This kind of inference often doesn't work. The causes for the elevated corticol, not just the cortisol itself, may make difference and there is no external stress involved with caffeine. I'd wait for a direct study. Before anyone accuses of being defensive, btw, I only drink 12-24 oz per day.
11
I have issues with irritability too. When I don’t get enough coffee,preferably Costa Rican finely ground beans. I don’t know why,it’s some regional thing,but many Southerners ,especially back in the day,were given hot milk and coffee with breakfast. Gives you a reason to live. I love Ms. Brody’s columns,but I question this one.
10
I find coffee gives me a nice uplift as long as I don't drink more than 2 cups. In fact, it often takes away my headaches, so I don't need a Tylenol. Not to mention I love the flavor and the sense of relaxation I get starting my morning off with it. However, the moment I start getting that 'jumpiness', I cut back.
I don't drink it after 3 PM as It will keep me up at night.
Moderation is the key, and monitoring the effect it has on you.
We respond differently.
10
I love how whenever anything is written about caffeine, all the addicts flock to it to try to rationalize or refute their addictions. Cite all the flawed or legitimate science you want, you are addicted and you know it. And you are secretly worried about what it might be doing to you. Our culture has normalized lifestyles in which sufficient rest and good health are barely enough to function, let alone feel happy and mentally engaged. So we all turn to a highly addictive legalized drug and tell ourselves we enjoy its innocuous benefits. But no drug in existence comes without a catch. There is always a price to pay.
10
@Michael
Get a grip! In the grand scheme of things, caffeine addiction is small potatoes. It is possible to be addicted to caffeine and value rest and good health. Many of us need one cup of coffee each day to feel alert and to stave off headaches that come when we don't get our cup of coffee. We enjoy this one cup of coffee in the morning and go about our days eating healthfully, exercising, meditating , and sleeping for eight hours. Coffee works for us. I dare say, it takes the edge of and makes us less ornery.
28
@Abby
“One cup in the morning” or you’ll get headaches? Sounds like a rather generous cup.
3
@Abby
I agree, it is small potatoes as addictions go. But it is still an addiction. And I have no doubt it has negative side effects on many people's physical health, mental health, or both. Like any drug, very few people will have the discipline to stay with a low dose once they build up a tolerance. One cup will become a larger cup will become an occasional second cup will become multiple cups.
If you are one of those who manage not to let your dose creep up and you don't feel like you are more dependent on it than you want to be, more power to you. But for the majority that is not the case.
1
Too much caffeine may stress the heart, but a couple of years ago, I started having another problem which was caused by my coffee consumption habits. Usually at work I would drink 2 or 3 cups(mugs) of strong (dark roast) with 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar. Starting in the summer 2016, I began having very strong heartburn (acid reflux) problems. When I stopped drinking coffee for week during jury duty, my heartburn problem almost completely ended. So I stopped drinking coffee for about six months; since then I have experimented a bit and now I only drink 1 cup of medium roast coffee with no sugar in the morning and I am not experiencing the heartburn problem I had in 2016. I am not sure what in the coffee was causing the problem. Maybe the sugar was part of the problem.
5
@entre deux mers doubt the sugar's a prob, but coffee, maybe caffeine, is a known gut irritant. I dont know the chemistry of it; some say its hi acid, but so's orange juice & much citrus.
1
Studies on caffeine and heart disease abound. There is no reason to rely on indirect markers as done in this article. The simple fact is that multiple studies have failed to find an association between caffeine (even high doses) and CAD. A responsible journalist would have said that up front and clearly.
39
@Andrew is correct. Brody cherry picks studies, keying in on one that's nearly 14 years old, to make a personalized case. She ignores or downplays findings that complicate or do not support that case. She simply gets basic medical physiology - about hypertension and caffeine - wrong in her drive to the conclusion.
Ironically, the NYT also recently published an article that showcased elevated coffee consumption (up to 5 cups a day) as protective against risk of various cancers. It has published similar findings about dementia. In these articles, the comparatively benign side effects of coffee are a premise.
Brody might help her readers see how biomedical science can come to such varying conclusions, or indeed, how readers might think about balancing risks. Instead, she takes the intellectually easier route of advocating a personal stance. Nothing wrong per se with that; it can work in law. But not in science, however charming her tale.
25
@Andrew, be responsible and cite an accessible, scientifically sound source.
2
Sorry, bad science. Coffee consumption has not been linked to chronic hypertension or heart disease, apart from a small protective effect. Blood pressure changes upward from caffeine are transient, not continuous, though that is worrying in people with already dangerously high blood pressure -- spiking a blood pressure of 200/100 is not a good idea. Sure, people would be well advised to drink no more than 3 or 4 coffees a day or 5 or 6 cups of tea, none after 6 pm, and no colas and no energy drinks which raise their own health issues. A huge dose of caffeine, say from chugging several energy drinks or taking caffeine pills, can kill -- cause cardiac arrest -- but that's a different problem, i.e. poisoning, and very unlikely to occur except in children or very small adults.
17
If you’re worried about the stress hormone cortisol, you should probably avoid reading the New York Times.
55
@itsmildeyes, what do you recommend ?
Or any other periodical.
It was a joke. Guess I won’t quit my day job.
14
Oh, great.
2
Let me inject a bit of good-humored controversy into this weighty discussion of life and death:
I don't understand how people can drink American-style coffee for any reason other than the buzz. It's brown dishwater.
Espresso, and nothing but. And not just stove-top espresso. Real espresso from an Italian machine.
Go on, hit me. ... I can take it.
14
@Taz
Ah yes, only Europeans (especially Italians) do it right. FYI, Cuban coffee is best.
3
"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison, the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison."
What would be the caffeine content of "decaf"?
Darn, caffeine is bad this week! I wont quit caffeine just yet, I will wait for next weeks article about the benefits of caffeine :)
46
I enjoyed the logical leap of "my brother has issues with irritability" therefore it must be the coffee he drinks. That does not necessarily follow. Perhaps your brother has a temper issue or some other mental health concern. I'd be more concerned about the well-documented issues some people have with mood after major surgery than I would be with the coffee.
18
I love caffeine. Many people say that caffeine has a bad effect on your mood and overall health but look at me, I'm fine! Caffeine makes me feel great! I feel happier and more alert. However, I do worry that I am addicted to it. It's like a drug. If I don't have it, I am tired, I am angry, and I am very irritable and snappy. For example, this morning someone said to me, "You must have had coffee today because you aren't mad at me." This just shows what caffeine withdrawal does to people. In conclusion, I will continue to consume it, but I will have a big problem when I am not able to.
7
I've tested the effect of coffee (which contains caffeine and alkaloids and hundreds of chemicals) on my blood pressure. 3 cups a day. Careful testing over 3 months. Raises blood pressure by around 10 mm (consistent with academic studies). Pure caffeine tablets alone 5 mm, so the other compounds matter. Stopped all tea and coffee for last few months. After rebound headaches passed, blood pressure lower, better sleep.
God, I miss coffee. And while lower pressure lowers the incidence of heart attacks, not sure if mortality has increased or decreased.
13
Could you stick to one regular serving per day? That might be a good compromise.
1
You say that decaf has almost no caffeine, but according to what I've read that isn't true -- a cup of decaf typically has as much caffeine in it as a cup of tea or a soda.
As a slow caffeine metabolizer (thank you, 23 and Me), I have to avoid regular coffee and find that the stimulating effect of decaf is roughly comparable to that of a cup of tea.
4
@Josh Hill
I suspect that some"decaf" coffees even have as much caffeine as regular coffees, judging by my body's reaction. Whether it's the variety, or the process, I don't know.
4
@Josh Hill
I drink both real tea (brewed fairy strong) and decaf coffee, each about one cup per day (sometimes more tea). Subjectively, it seems to me that the real tea has more of a caffeine kick than the decaf coffee. But it is also clear to me that the decaf does have a small amount of caffeine. Not a scientific study, just my experience.
1
As I was about to leave the hospital after quadruple bypass surgery 8 years ago, I asked my cardiothoracic surgeon whether coffee was permitted. His response, "We spent 50 years trying to prove that caffeine was harmful to the heart, only to realize in the end that, as a stimulant, it effectively exercises the heart."
So, have a cup ...
42
@CW Davis, how much, what potency, responsibly grown?
coffee's not so easy anymore --
now we need the likes of Ms Brody
1
Too much may be bad for the heart, but not enough, my heart won't even keep beating.
19
@NLL, experimental evidence ?
1
Suggest to your brother that he try substituting plain hot water for a couple of his daily cups of coffee.
I know two people who do this because they needed to cut back but missed the comfort of a warm mug.
12
@KJ. Hot apple cider.
2
Jane Brody and many doctors including some endocrinologists don't know the missing link of high level of cortisol and high level of toxic homocysteine. This is because homocystein is the amino acid that our body produces and high level of homocysteine caused by aging, depression, stress etc. can be lowered by B vitamins like B12, folate and B-6. Because medicines are not necessary, general public don't know the serious health issues such as CVD/stroke, MCI and Alzheimer's, caused by high level of homocysteine. Prof. Dale Bredesen of UCLA, a pioneer scientist that has developed therapies for MCI and early Alzheimer's patients, has warned us that high level of homocysteine causes increase of tau tangles in the brain cells.
The medical condition suffering from high level of cortisol is called "Cushing's syndrome or disease" that comes along with high level of homocysteine.
"Hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with Cushing's syndrome."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15292300
People have no idea that too much coffee, chronic stress or depression will lead to serious medical conditions via high level of cortisol and high level of homocysteine.
Senior people had better take homocysteine test or high sensitive homocystein test once a year together with annual lab-tests. If you worry about CVD/stroke risk, high sensitive CRP test is better than cholesterol-count test since atheloscrelosis is caused by inflammation of artery.
8
@Wind Surfer, I understand that high levels of homocysteine are caused by low levels of vitamin B12. And those at risk of B12 deficiency include vegetarians, especially vegans, since plant foods don't contain B12, and the elderly, whose ability to actively absorb B12 from food decreases due to the lack of an intrinsic factor. And B12 is necessary for all sorts of health benefits -- or it's lack results in all sorts of deleterious consequences.
e.g.: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/vitamin-b12-necessary-for-arterial-health/
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-brain-loss-with-b-vitamins/
6
@Dr. J
Not only B-12, but also deficiency of folate (often occurs for people with MTHFR gene issue and also meat only dieters) and B-6 (again vegans and vegetarians need to watch the level of homocysteine) also raise homocysteine level as Oxford researchers treat Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients with B-12, folate and B-6. B-12 seems most important in the treatment.
"Homocysteine-Lowering by B Vitamins Slows the Rate of Accelerated Brain Atrophy in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2935890/
The problem is not simply solved by B vitamins as patients need to enhance entire methylation pathway.
4
@Wind Surfer
That was an interesting link. Tnx.
I once knew someone who drank at least four to five cups of coffee a day. He was the most phlegmatic, stressless person I've ever met. I do note he wasn't in the least interested in being "successful," so you could say he lacked motivation, but he was very easy to be with.
7
Drink espresso.
5
Gives heartburn. Very acidic.
1
Moderation is a good strategy for me, for GE, for America, and the world. Sustainable is better strategy for us all. Thank you Ms. Brody for the nudge.
4
@Russell Gentile, yes, but many of the greed-crazed plutocrats dont see sustainable as better --
they think its their death knell since they live for Greed and Hubris, and so they fight enviro-, green-related things tooth & nail.
D. Trump is one of them as shown by his weakening of SO many enviro regs.
I don’t know anyone who drinks 8 ozs of coffee and considers that a “cup”. I am probably grumpy from not having yet completed my cup of coffee but I wish these sorts of articles would abandon official measurements of coffee and their acommpanying nomenclature and adopt 12 ozs as a as the standard measure of a “cup” of coffee which, IMO, better reflects real world practices. It would lend more accuracy and less confusion when discussing caffeine levels. Espresso of course would require a different measurement.
24
@David Langan, 8oz = cup o coffee for me [caffeinated.
My BlacknDecker rig suggests 6.
@David Langan Thank you. Totally agree. Or, at least use the term mug.
1
Coffee has been, for me, liquid Ritalin.
I didn't know I was self medicating with coffee, until a diagnosis of ADHD. I could drink a six espresso shot latte and fall asleep soon afterwards.
I've reduced my caffiene to one cup of coffee per day. Whenever I drink more, I get agitated, now and nervous.
Your body, I believe, becomes addicted to caffiene, in a biological/chemical level.
Thinking of doing with Caffiene what I did with social media. Quit entirely for self preservation.
12
@El Jamon, no tru addiction w/ caffeine as w/ booze & opioids
1
I have always enjoyed reading Jane’s columns. Her Nutrition Book, which I read in 1985, changed my entire approach to eating and nutrition. It was my first education in thinking about what food choices I make. While studies and trends have come and gone and come again, that initial guide gave me a solid base of thought on what, how much, and why I will decide what I eat. I am blessed to be active at my high school weight in my sixties. While I do not plan to deviate from my daily enjoyable 2-3 cups coffee, should my health or bloodwork change in any way, I can take the information in this article into consideration as a possible cause.
6
Dear Ms. Brody,
If you need caffeine to stay awake while driving or attending concerts and plays, please consider taking a screening test for sleep apnea. It can be sneaky. Sign me a physician who defied the usual stereotype but identified her own obstructive sleep apnea - confirmed by overnight sleep study. Getting treated can save your life.
16
I was drinking decaffeinated and just quit all coffee for a variety of reasons. Never felt better. Have more energy, maybe because of improved sleep.
5
This article lacks clarity. It melds effects of sheer stress with effects of caffeine because both lead to elevated cortisol levels. However, the obesity/diabetes epidemic began around late 1980's long after we Americans were drinking lots of coffee. This elision of caffeine-stress-cortisol takes the spotlight off stress from the socioeconomic pressures of a declining middle- and working-class. It also does some very clever "blame-the-victim". People are to blame for their health problems according to this article.
17
@Rodrick Wallace, huh? yes, in many ways people ARE to blame for their health probs -- thats undeniable, e.g.: many of the overwt and obesity causalities could be avoided w/ better lifestyle management;
same w/ tobacco, alcohol & inactivity
1
This coffee drinker is now 63 and the same svelte weight I was in High School. These studies make little sense. Get off the couch and workout.
13
Jeez Jane. Maybe your brother is getting stressed, irritable and upset because you keep bugging him about how much coffee he drinks. Leave the poor guy alone. He's 80 years old. Maybe he'd rather die 6 days earlier than he would have if he drank less coffee but die with a smile on his face!
188
@Greenie — where does she state her brother is 80 years old? She mentioned an 80 percent blockage, but there is usually not a direct correlation between the two.
7
@Greenie, consuming too much greenie?; re: your mistake on the age of JB's bro.
1
It is amazing that so few articles about coffee mention that many of its consumers feel so strongly about its main active ingredient that every major coffee vendor offers a version of its product known as “Decaf”. It's almost as if customers suspect that coffee is not so good for them after all.
5
I love coffee! BUT I get addicted to it quickly and I've found that I start getting irritable easily after just a few weeks of having even small amounts. I'm healthy and have low blood pressure. Recently, someone told me that they had anxiety for years and it's GONE after eliminating caffeine from their diet. Every time you have caffeine, it stimulates your adrenal system, your survival "fight/flight" response. For those of us who are sensitive to this highly stimulating drug, a "sane" life would work much better. This means getting enough sleep, following the healthy living cycles our bodies need, eating well. Not an easy thing to do in our culture! For me, life feels much happier without the stuff.
16
vhttps://health.clevelandclinic.org/love-coffee-or-hate-it-the-answers-in-your-genes/
“For the over 80 percent of Americans who are fast metabolizers, the benefits of coffee generally outweigh the risks,” says Dr. Roizen.
20 percent of us are slow metabolizers.
12
I am surprised by the sheer number of readers that have no ideas that Ms. Brody talks about serious medical issues about excess caffeine leads to increase of toxic homocysteine that damages vascular vein and brain.
"Caffeine Stimulation of Cortisol Secretion Across the Waking Hours in Relation to Caffeine Intake Levels"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2257922/
7
So forget about 4 cups of coffee a day as medically helpful,
to 4 cups is a significant heart/artery health risk?
I'm shocked.
This kind of change in medical thinking is so very unexpected.
Usually studies are reliable to eternity.
19
When cortisol increases in the bloodstream, it not only increases glucose made by liver (gluconeogenesis), but also increases homocysteine, a risk factor amino acid for heart disease and brain atrophy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18827476
Researchers from Oxford University explains about decrease of homocysteine level by B12, folate and B-6.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2935890/
6
I try to eat right and do healthy things for myself. A few years back I wondered about coffee...a good for you study comes out one week - and the next week one where it’s bad for you. I love drinking at least 4-5 cups a day so my solution was brewing it half-caff. Honestly cannot tell any difference in taste from the full-caff version and now I can drink twice as much. Problem solved.
18
@David If you drink twice as much as the half-calf doesn't that make it full caff?
8
@William Smith,
Yes, but he is back to where he started, no actual increase but twice the fun:)
12
dunno about cortisol - sounds reasonable.
but if you're worried about heart attacks and strokes - leading causes of death in rich countries - I've read that terpene oils in unfiltered coffee tend to raise your cholesterol.
I used to drink unfiltered (French press/plunger) coffee - until a blood test showed I had high cholesterol - after reading about this I switched to paper filter cones - next blood test results the doctor said 'I don't know what you did but it worked !'
30
@Frank
I have explained about the high level of caffeine leads to increase of toxic homocysteine that damages brain and vascular vein.
This is the research that explains about the danger of homocysteine for the CVD.
"Role of homocysteine in the development of cardiovascular disease"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4326479/
2
People avoid the decaffeinated versions of coffee and tea because much of the flavor gets washed away with the caffeine. Biologists well understand how to knock particular genes out of plants. It is time to develop genetically modified coffee and tea varieties to suppress the formation of caffeine without removing the desirable flavorful constituents.
7
@Robert M
I enjoy decaffeinated coffee, and to me it tastes like the real thing. I have occasionally sneaked it in on my husband, who normally drinks only regular coffee, and he does not notice.
Decaffeinated tea is another story. I LOVE my hot tea (one or two cups per day), but to me decaffeinated tea tastes like paper. I suspect that I am kind of addicted to it, but it isn't the caffeine, it is the tannic acid. I love strong black teas with plenty of tannin. I'm sure there is a downside; don't know.
5
@Robert M Wouldn't it be easier to develop GMO people impervious to the effects of caffeine? While we're at it, we can create genes conferring lack of susceptibility to other environmental toxins such as glyphosate, DDT, Parabens, Nicotine. GMO world, here we come!
3
Caffeine is a stimulant drug.
Different people react differently to every drug, also tolerance can develop.
Because an individual is not be bothered by caffeine doesn’t mean it won’t strongly effect another person, even in the same family.
I applaud Ms. Brody for discussing the real hazards of caffeine to people. Her brother may have developed a tolerance earlier, which was reversed after his abstinence.
Caffeine has been touted too much without sufficient attention to the deleterious effects to many people. Any walk down the caffeinated drink aisle in a grocery store will demonstrate the marketing power of those with a vested interest in caffeine.
Red Bull anyone? Heading out to Starbucks?
“Energy drink” is a great way to market a drug.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
12
I appreciate Ms. Brody's concern for our health. Nonetheless, I plan to drink coffee until I am no longer able to do so, which (for me) will be one of the indicators it is time to die. As long as I can read the NY Times on the internet, drink a good cup of coffee whenever I want, and pet my dog, I can handle whatever else life throws my way.
Perhaps Ms. Brody's brother feels similarly.
218
@Madeline Conant
Amen to that sister!
14
@Madeline Conant You have the right to live your life however you wish, regardless of the health consequences you experience from your choices. Just don't ask me to help pay into Medicare so that you can get your CABG or stent placement when you develop coronary artery disease. I wasn't making you drink the coffee, but now you ask me to pay for your self-destructive behavior. This is a good example of how one's decision to play fast and loose with one's health appears to be a personal decision, when it fact it is a decision that affects everyone in an individual's social network, including the larger community in which one lives. Attitudes such as Ms. Conant's help us to get a better understanding of why health care costs continue to rise.
7
@Samantha. Pretty strong response to what may be somewhat less than etched in stone results on coffee. Like many other research findings there is considerable variability among people - she could be doing much worse, let her enjoy her coffee.
55
At two cups a day, the milk (and sugary chocolate) taken with coffee (beans) probably has greater negative impact on overall health than the coffee, itself. Peruse the studies over the past 20 years. Also, if the coffee is not paper-filtered, there is a lot of evidence about increased LDL, if that's a concern to the individual
7
Too much caffeine can give you Afib or Atrial Fibrillation also! I know it did it me not long after an operation in 2017... I stopped using anything knowingly that had caffeine and haven't had Afib since...
7
@Alfonso Barrs
After a heart bypass some years ago, I experienced 4 episodes of afib. I was told that about 35% of patients experience afib after bypass; for most it resolves spontaneously.
The last episode awoke me on July 4th, 60 days after the procedure and the day I was to leave for a self-congratulatory 10 day trip to London. The episode subsided; I took the trip (they have hospitals in London) and afib has never recurred, to my knowledge.
No coffee involvement, whatsoever. I drink coffee every day, black, on an empty stomach. I can't imagine not doing so.
3
I am glad your brother is recovering nicely and I hope he doesn't mind you writing about his health story. I am a coffee lover and found switching to a 50/50 blend of regular coffee beans and decaf beans worked for me. Minimizes the bad side effects yet lets me enjoy my hot cup of Joe for the good side effects. A key to good health is to know your health numbers as you age and to keep them under control i.e. blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, weight. Common sense, moderation, regular check ups are very good things.
13
I find the sharing of a family member's medical history, let alone his supposed personality faults, unconscionable - and he's supposed to take the advice of his layperson sister? Her brother's coffee intake is between him and his doctor.
122
@B Lundgren
Don't you think that Ms. Brody discussed all of that with her brother before publishing her column? Why in the world would you choose to assume otherwise?
61
I had the same thought.
14
@B Lundgren
Ludicrous comment, Lundgren. And if memory serves, you seem to regularly belittle Times writers. For your information, however, Jane Brody has been writing her highly regarded health column for many, many years, a column that not only lay people like myself regularly read for her insights but so do many health professionals. For me, it is the single best thing about every Tuesday NY Times.
The fact is that she is a great treasure, and while some people may disagree with some of her thoughts, there is no denying that she is a highly dedicated...and ethical...reporter.
That you have such a jaundiced view of her is your loss, and as a dedicated Brody reader, and someone who has long appreciated the effort she puts into her writing while explaining important health issues to her readers, I would prefer that you simply keep your negative views to yourself.
60
I just returned from Rome, where I was deliriously happy
with having 4-5 cappucinni per day. My faked version now that I am home is dreadful.
Perhaps there exists medical evidence that Brody's cautions here are correct. But the lack of empirical evidence -- and the reliance on her personal anecdote -- in the article are making me suspicious that none of Jane's conclusions are based on anything but hunches.
38
Glad you loved it but isn't cappuccino a breakfast drink? As in, maybe too much dairy in a day for some? Personally I find the espressos divine and could easily abuse 4-5 a day, but maybe that's just me?
2
Espresso has a lower caffeine count. Also the cream in cappuccino would moderate your caffeine intake but could up your cholesterol.
3
@Sequel
It is not her hunches, personal anecdote nor lack of emperical evidence.
"Caffeine Stimulation of Cortisol Secretion Across the Waking Hours in Relation to Caffeine Intake Levels"
"Serum homocysteine: relationship with circulating levels of cortisol and ascorbate."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18827476
"Homocysteine-Lowering by B Vitamins Slows the Rate of Accelerated Brain Atrophy in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial"
Homocysteine-Lowering by B Vitamins Slows the Rate of Accelerated Brain Atrophy in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2935890/
2
My Father drank 4 to 5 cups of black coffee a day and lived to be 90 years old. I would say that caffeine affects individuals differently and for SOME people it is a risk. Dad did like to drink beer. At 86 years old he put down 18 Blue Moon 16 oz bottles of beer in two days. Oh, by the way, the beers went down like water for him and he was happy to oblige! I got home from work and wanted a beer. dad said ooops, sorry son I had a few when you were at work. I said what? how many and laughed!
27
@Rangerdoggy Are you trying to convince people that maybe their invented prejudices are not actually facts? Good luck with that.
Go eat your kale ... and don't leave the table until you're purified!
1
I laughed when I read Ms. Brody's statement: "a suggestion [to drink less coffee that] he categorically rejected when I offered it"
Because that's the exact same response I get when I recommend whole foods plant based eating (no animal products or processed foods), healthier for so many reasons.
Maybe Ms. Brody will one day write an article about what does persuade people to change to healthier habits and lifestyles.
25
Coffee has always been controversial. LDS, Mormons don't drink it. There are studies to the contrary that show that Coffee does not harm any more people than statins, e.g. Lipitor. Doctors hand out statin prescriptions like candy to children, so have that cup of Coffee today and notice how better your morning starts with a cup of Coffee.
13
I'm impressed that Ms. Brody can still drink coffee before concerts and the opera. If I'm feeling droopy I now take a 200mg tab of caffeine instead because it can be a long wait for bathroom breaks and a full bladder is awfully distracting. I recently attended a Boston Symphony performance of Mahler's 2nd Symphony which along with a short opening work was being performed without intermission. That's well over 90 minutes. Before the concert I was wandering around the hall and watching all these people, many older than me, drinking their coffee and cocktails and I was wondering how they got through the concert.
45
Get your prostate checked out.
7
@jim No one said life was going to be easy, or fair.
@bill
Please explain. Because I'm having a hard time understanding how your snarky comment is in any way relevant to my original post.
4
Once again the media is providing click-bait science with no real evidence:
"researchers have found that a stress-induced rise in blood pressure was associated with a 24 percent increased chance of developing calcium deposits in their coronary arteries 13 years later. "
Here is what the study actually researched:
"We tested whether blood pressure changes during psychological stress predict subsequent coronary calcification (CaC) in young healthy adults."
There is NO claim here of cause and effect and it has nothing to do with caffeine.
The reason people mistrust "science" is that most of what passes for science in the media is hyperbolic click-bait reports that avoid any discussion that makes the actual science less interesting.
43
Yes, caffeine, when consumed in significant amounts - equal to several cups of coffee - will raise blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels. I'd like to point to two facts from the study by Dr. Lovato and colleagues (quoted in the article): one, the study used 300 and 600 mg caffeine per day, divided into three equal doses, with the last taken at 6 PM, or placebo capsules (no caffeine), and then challenged the volunteers with 250 mg caffeine on day 6 in the morning, at lunchtime, and at dinner (6 PM). Two, and important for most of us, people who had regularly consumed caffeine had NO or little spike in cortisol to the morning caffeine challenge, but did have a response after the midday and evening dose. So, that confirms something many of us do anyway: if you're worried about the possible adverse effects of drinking coffee, make that morning Joe a morning Joe, and avoid caffeine later in the day. Lastly, one thing most of us also know is that caffeine in the afternoon and evening can interfere with restful sleep, and not getting enough sleep can increase cortisol levels, lead to overeating, and impair blood glucose control. With coffee or tea, it's the old "use, don't abuse"; enjoy smartly and in moderation.
87
Jane doesn't mention another aspect of caffeine consumption: whether you are a fast or slow metabolizer of caffeine. Caffeine consumption had no cardiac effect on fast metabolizers. However caffeine was associated with increased cardiac events for slow metabolizers. The theory is that the caffeine stays in slow metabolizers' systems longer thus causing more harm. It is perhaps one reason there are conflicting studies about the harm/benefits of caffeine.
63
@Leslie
I wonder if that is why so many of us find that we once could drink coffee in any amount , at any time with no jitters or problems sleeping, but as we age can tolerate less and less caffeine.
It does seem to occur with other medicines - many of us older types need less.
I once could sip coffee as a nightcap; now one full cup of caffeinated coffee is pushing the limit. SO the search has been on to identify the best decaf - - - decaf which is actually low in caffeine ( some varieties, I suspect, cheat a bit). Because for me, as for other coffee lovers, that first cup of the day is such a pleasure.
3
@Leslie
I learned several years ago from 23 and Me that I was a slow caffeine metabolizer and for me, coffee is far too much -- I might as well be snorting cocaine! I've learned that I have to stick to tea or decaf (which does have some caffeine in it -- about as much as a cup of tea, despite what Ms. Brody says in the article).
It seems to me that everybody should be given this test as a matter of routine since, as you say, coffee has cardiovascular risks for slow metabolizers (but small quantities of caffeine do not).
5
@Leslie Yes, and one straightforward way to deal with this outside of getting a genetic test or measuring blood levels over time is to monitor our response to coffee or tea: If I can't fall asleep and find myself being restless after consuming coffee or tea in the afternoon, I might well be a slow metabolizer, and it would be better for me to adjust the timing and amount of coffee consumption accordingly. For example, a small amount of regular mixed with a large helping of decaf (more exactly, low caffeine) in the morning may allow me to enjoy my coffee and still be able to sleep at night.
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This is fairly old, but accurate, news. Many people minimize, or outright dismiss, the effects of caffeine, but it has the potential for much greater harm than just to the heart.
In 1948, a Swiss pharmacologist researched the effect of various drugs drugs ( including amphetamine, mescaline, strychnine, LSD, and caffeine) on the common garden spider. The effects were manifested in the spider's web building abilities. Without doubt, caffeine produced some of the worst effect.
For more info, or just to look at the various post-drugged webs, here's a link to the story. Enjoy the story AND cut down on the caffeine.
https://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Effect_of_psychoactive_drugs_on_animals
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@Jack Carter
I'm going to cut the coffee supply to all of my arachnids right now.
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@Jack Carter
Those black and white pictures were posted in one office I worked in --maybe, in the 70's We suspected someone who couldn't take how hyper the rest of us could get -- unless maybe they were selling LSD. As I recall, those acid inspired webs were beautifully intricate, but the spider perhaps more devoted to the web than to the purpose of the web ( food).
The caffeinated spider was, indeed, completely out of control, a little madman with spinnerets spewing silk all over the place, a bundle of nerves unable to produce a recognizable web.
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I can only speak for myself when I say that for many years I was a 6 or 8 MUG a day coffee drinker which translates into 36 or 48 ounces. Eventually, it began to upset my stomach so I stopped it but missed it for years. Recently I began to drink it again in moderation because it perks me up after a medication I have to take which slows me down a bit. I do precede the two mugs of coffee with an 8 oz glass of water in the early am and several more glasses of water during the day. So far so good. Not all of us but Many of us are very habituated to: sugar; caffeine; salt; exercise; chewing gum; our electronic gadgets; pain killers; alcohol; nicotine. Why? Because our brain likes it, Mikey, and what the brain wants, the brain usually gets.
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Well, it seems too much caffeine must be bad for you.
I mean, it's turned the hair of the guy in the picture green!
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Jane, I usually agree with your articles but I think you are wrong on this one. You found one study from 2012 to prove what you already believe about caffeine. In the recent past I have read several studies that have found no association with morbidity in coffee drinkers. One study even stated that people drinking as many as six cups of coffee a day were protected against some forms of cancer. Stay away from the sugar and exercise at least 20 minutes a day is the way to go.
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@Pharmguy-agreed, it is a cycle, give it a few yrs. and the latest report you quote will be outdated.
Bottom line until a major study comes along that says something like coffee is proven to give you cancer the same way asbestos can, drink it in moderation.
The thing I have found as I have gotten older is that unless you are in the 5% freak class, 95% of coffee drinkers have to cut consumption down because it starts to give you coffee kickback ie intestinal/stomach type problems.
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@Pharmguy My wife's Uncle is a healthy 95 and he drinks 17 cups of coffee a day.
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@khm53 So?
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What we add to coffee also affects health: sugar, milk, cream, whipped cream. So does what we have with it: chocolate (my favorite), cookies, pastries and other goodies. Drinking black coffee on an empty stomach can cause stomach distress. For tea drinkers, adding milk blunts the health benefits; adding a squirt of lemon to green tea enhances them.
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@William
Why does milk blunt tea but not coffee?
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@William, I make coffee in an AeroPress coffee maker; the coffee reportedly has 1/5 the acidity of regular drip brewed coffee. And this little coffee maker is so versatile! For example, I can make a coffee concentrate, and dilute it with cold water and ice to make fresh brewed iced coffee in the summer.
Oh, and I drink my coffee black -- it's good! -- and with fruit, preferably a banana.
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@Nancy Good question. The best technical answer I think can be found in one of the free videos by Dr. Michael Greger: NutritionFacts.org.
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