Over the years we have had some posts from members who were advised to, or somehow picked up the idea of, giving up coffee.
At the same time, various levels of liver disorder are quite commonly posted - often slightly elevated liver enzymes, but sometimes more serious. Including fatty liver disease (usually non-alcoholic).
On that basis, I found this article at least a little interesting.
As the article itself clearly says, this study is not proof of causation. But it does rather suggest that, other than the stay-awake effect of coffee which might be unwelcome in those who cannot sleep well, the positive effects could be sufficient to allay concerns sometimes expressed.
I am also almost at the bottom of my morning mug of coffee…
(Could it be that one of the bad things about coffee is when we add sugar? Some seem to take quite a lot. I gave that up many years ago.)
Drinking coffee may cut risk of chronic liver disease, study suggests
UK analysis shows people who drank coffee had 49% reduced risk of dying from the condition
Yay! Anything that says coffee is good for me is very welcome Years ago, I was advised to give up coffee (or drink decaf) because it was most probably a contributory cause of the palpitations I was experiencing. So I dutifully did what I was told and deprived myself of my favourite beverage... for years.
Of course, those palpitations were being caused by thyroid hormone issues, but this wasn't included in the investigations done at the time. As has so often been said here on the forum, why, when thyroid problems are apparently 'so common', do medics so often leave this out of their investigations! (Rhetorical question, no answer needed )
Ironically, many years ago, some of the techniques used to decaffeinate coffee were themselves very questionable - using various organic solvents. (I believe that at least some, possibly most or all, current day techniques do not use these solvents.)
It has been unfairly demonized in the past, but is actually very healthy.
In fact, coffee is a major source of antioxidants in the Western diet (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
It’s also associated with many health benefits, including a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and liver disease (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
But does coffee also have benefits for your brain? Let’s find out.
Active Ingredients in Coffee
Coffee is an incredibly healthy beverage. It contains hundreds of bioactive compounds that contribute to its powerful health benefits.
Many of these compounds are antioxidants, which fight the damage caused by free radicals in your cells.
Here are coffee’s most important active ingredients (5Trusted Source):
Caffeine: The main active ingredient in coffee, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system. It is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance worldwide (6Trusted Source).
Chlorogenic acids (CGAs): These polyphenol antioxidants may benefit some biological pathways, such as blood sugar metabolism and high blood pressure, both of which are related to the risk of age-related mental decline (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
Cafestol and kahweol: Present in coffee’s natural oil, high amounts of these compounds are found in unfiltered coffee. They may be good for the liver and protect against cancer, but a high intake may raise LDL cholesterol (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
Trigonelline: This alkaloid compound is unstable at high heat and during roasting forms nicotinic acid, also known as niacin (vitamin B3). Trigonelline may also help prevent dental cavities by inhibiting bacterial growth (12).
However, the amounts of these substances in a cup of coffee may vary.
They depend on a number of factors, including the type of coffee beans, how the beans are roasted and how much you drink (13, 14).
BOTTOM LINE:
Coffee is an incredibly healthy beverage packed with hundreds of biologically active compounds, including caffeine, chlorogenic acid, trigonelline, cafestol and kahweol.
How Does Coffee Affect the Brain?
Caffeine affects the central nervous system in several ways.
However, the effects are mainly believed to stem from the way caffeine interacts with adenosine receptors (15Trusted Source).
Adenosine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that promotes sleep. Neurons in your brain have specific receptors that adenosine can attach to. When it binds to those receptors, it inhibits the tendency of neurons to fire. This slows neural activity.
Adenosine normally builds up during the day and eventually makes you drowsy when it’s time to go to sleep (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).
Caffeine and adenosine have a similar molecular structure. So when caffeine is present in the brain, it competes with adenosine to bind to the same receptors.
However, caffeine doesn’t slow the firing of your neurons like adenosine does. Instead, it prevents adenosine from slowing you down.
Caffeine promotes central nervous system stimulation, making you feel alert.
BOTTOM LINE:
Caffeine is the key reason why coffee boosts brain function. This stimulant blocks adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that makes you sleepy.
How Caffeine Can Boost Brain Function
Studies have shown that caffeine can boost brain function in the short term (18Trusted Source).
This is largely because it blocks adenosine from binding to its receptors.
But caffeine also stimulates the central nervous system by promoting the release of other neurotransmitters, including noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin (19Trusted Source).
Caffeine may improve various aspects of brain function, including (18Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source):
Mood.
Reaction time.
Vigilance.
Attention.
Learning.
General mental function.
That being said, you may develop a tolerance to caffeine over time. This means you will need to consume more coffee than before to get the same effects (22Trusted Source).
BOTTOM LINE:
Caffeine causes changes in several neurotransmitters that may improve mood, reaction time, learning and vigilance.
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Caffeine and Memory
Coffee and caffeine may also affect your memory, but the research on this is mixed.
Some studies have found that caffeine may enhance short-term memory (23Trusted Source).
Other studies report no effects on memory or have even found that caffeine impaired performance on memory tasks (24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source).
Researchers still debate the effects of caffeine on long-term memory (27Trusted Source).
However, one small study found that caffeine may improve long-term memory when administered after learning (28Trusted Source).
When the subjects consumed a caffeine tablet after studying a series of images, their ability to recognize these images 24 hours later was strengthened.
Caffeine also appeared to make these memories more resistant to being forgotten, compared to the placebo group.
BOTTOM LINE:
While some studies have found that caffeine may improve short-term memory, others have found no effect. The effects on long-term memory need to be investigated further.
Coffee and Fatigue/Tiredness
The main reason why people drink coffee is to feel more energized and awake, so it’s no surprise that research has shown caffeine may suppress feelings of fatigue (18Trusted Source).
However, the energy boost only lasts for a certain amount of time before it starts to wear off. Then you may feel you need another cup.
Just make sure not to consume large amounts of caffeine in the late afternoon or evening, since it might disrupt your sleep at night (29Trusted Source).
If drinking coffee reduces the quality of your sleep, then it will likely have the opposite effect and impair your overall brain function.
BOTTOM LINE:
People often use coffee to counteract fatigue and tiredness. However, when consumed late in the day, it may reduce the quality of your sleep and subsequently make you feel more tired.
Coffee May Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia worldwide. It generally starts slowly but gets more severe over time.
Alzheimer’s causes memory loss, as well as problems with thinking and behavior. There is currently no known cure.
Interestingly, diet-related factors may affect your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Observational studies have associated regular, moderate coffee consumption with up to a 65% lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source, 32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source).
However, the protective effects of coffee and caffeine have not been confirmed by randomized controlled trials.
BOTTOM LINE:
Consuming coffee regularly in moderate amounts is linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, higher-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Coffee and Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system (35Trusted Source).
It’s characterized by the death of nerve cells in the brain that secrete dopamine and are important for muscle movement (36Trusted Source).
Parkinson’s mainly affects movement and often includes tremors. There is no known cure for this disease, which makes prevention particularly important.
Interestingly, studies show that coffee may help prevent this disease (37Trusted Source, 38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).
A large review study reported a 29% lower risk of Parkinson’s disease in people who drank three cups of coffee per day. Consuming five cups didn’t seem to add much benefit, indicating that more is not necessarily better (40Trusted Source).
The caffeine in coffee appears to be the active ingredient responsible for these protective effects (41Trusted Source, 42Trusted Source).
BOTTOM LINE:
Consuming moderate amounts of coffee may protect against Parkinson’s disease. This effect is attributed to the caffeine.
Should You Be Drinking Coffee?
When consumed in moderation, coffee can be very good for your brain.
In the short-term, it may improve mood, vigilance, learning and reaction time. Long-term use may protect against brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Although many of these studies are observational — meaning they can’t prove cause and effect — they strongly suggest that coffee is good for your brain.
However, moderation is key. When consumed in excess, caffeine can cause anxiety, jitters, heart palpitations and sleep problems (29Trusted Source).
Some people are sensitive to caffeine, while others can drink many cups per day without any side effects. That being said, some people definitely need to limit their caffeine intake, including children, adolescents and pregnant women (43Trusted Source, 44Trusted Source).
For people who tolerate it, coffee can provide many impressive benefits for the brain.
More about coffee:
13 Proven Health Benefits of Coffee
Science Confirms: The More Coffee You Drink, The Longer You Will Live
Science: Coffee is The World’s Biggest Source of Antioxidants
How Does Coffee Affect Blood Sugar and Diabetes?
What is Caffeine, and is it Good or Bad For Health?
You should try hopping over to the atrial fibrillation board! My god they cheer-lead for giving up everything except breathing over there. Coffee and tea, alcohol, meat, sugar, chocolate, additives...
Eat a plant based diet they say. Drink water they say. They all still have AF though, or were given respite by a surgical ablation.
No way. At the start of AF for me I was scared into going to decaf tea and coffee and I mostly still stick to that because I'm used to it, but I will drink normal from time to time. I eat a ton of 70% dark chocolate that's full of caffeine. I'm not about to give meat up for anything.
It seems that every condition that has a discussion forum of some kind ends up spouting a load of dietary nonsense to lull people into believing it will cure all.
My heart rate is crazy - and it happens whether or not I have coffee (and tea).
I looked at afib and decided that I am not suffering like so many. Yes, there might be the increased likelihood of a stroke, but I hardly notice the difference between 60 and 160 in terms of how I feel. Whereas some seem to feel terrible when the rate rises.
Oh I hate my HR over 105, mostly it's in the 90's. But now I have AF all the time it's much better. I'm used to it and the beta blocker stops it from being noticeable. No way am I giving up meat for it. I'm sure it's because my T3 level is wrong.
I do take an anticoagulant to protect from stroke. I don't mind that at all.
Haha - I just did almost quit tea teetotal too due to my heart and nervous system issues and in all honesty, it's helped quite dramatically, especially with getting better sleep. However I'm still allowing myself two cups a day before 12pm (ahem plus maybe a bit of darker choc than I'm denying has caffeine in for now) as there are too many reasons why caffeine is beneficial at the same time. It's even protective against parkinsons. I suppose it's about getting the balance right and not drowning in it like I might have been
Hi, I gave up coffee because I lost the taste for it along with alcohol, not that I drank much alcohol and that is since I have been on thyroid medication so I assumed they were connected. The other day a neighbour asked if I wanted a coffee so I thought I’d try again but ooh no, it made me feel dreadful, about an hour later I felt dizzy, light headed, palpitations and slight headache, lasted a day or two. I have Had fatty liver for years (non alcoholic).
I read this with pleasure this morning. I have just been told by a lovely private Doctor that I would be pleased to know that I was not a 'raging alcoholic' as my liver was in very good condition. I assured him I wasn't. I have 3-4 mugs of ground coffee a day, made in a coffee presse, without sugar, but with whole milk. Thanks for posting helvella .
Glad to see that still beneficial effects from decaf. I have had to cut out most caffeine from my diet due to my heart condition, and current medication making me more sensitive to caffeine. I wouldn't have dreamed of regularly drinking decaf in the past, but thankfully there are much better options for whole bean decaf now.
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Years ago, I was advised to give up coffee (or drink decaf) because it was most probably a contributory cause of the palpitations I was experiencing. So I dutifully did what I was told and deprived myself of my favourite beverage... for years.
