DRINKING COFFEE MIGHT MAKE YOU MOVE MORE but sleep less. Moreover, coffee might raise your risk for one type of heart palpitation. Those are the new findings from a small study recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Today we examine coffee and health, the good and the bad.
Unfortunately, most clinical research on coffee and health has been observational; scientists report on what happens to those who do and don’t consume coffee. This approach has remarkable limits, as some other factor may be driving whether someone happens to drink coffee.
Let me give an extreme example of association (without causality). Deaths among ocean swimmers rise in the summer. Ice cream sales explode in the summer seasons. Eating ice cream did not result in a big rise in swimming-related deaths; instead, both increased during the hot season.
Only a randomized clinical trial can mitigate potentially confounding variables. The new study is randomized.
“The big picture finding is that there isn’t just one single health-related consequence of consuming coffee, but that the reality is more complicated than that,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (USA).
First, let’s explore the history of coffee from its discovery to the present day.
A brief history of coffee
Coffee, one of the world’s most popular beverages, has a rich history that spans centuries and continents. From its origins in Ethiopia to its widespread consumption, coffee has played a significant role in human history, culture, and economics.
According to the National Coffee Association, the story of coffee begins in Ethiopia, where legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi first discovered the stimulating effects of the coffee plant.
One day, Kaldi noticed that his goats became very energetic after eating berries from a particular tree. Curious, he tasted the berries himself and experienced the same effects. Kaldi shared his discovery with a local monk, who brewed a beverage from the berries and found that it helped him stay alert during long hours of prayer. This beverage spread throughout the region and eventually made its way to Arabia.
In Arabia, coffee became a popular drink among the Sufi religious sect, who used it to stay awake during nighttime prayers.
By the 15th century, coffee had spread throughout the Muslim world, and coffeehouses began to appear in cities like Cairo and Constantinople. These coffeehouses became centers of social and intellectual activity, where people gathered to drink coffee, play games, and discuss politics and literature. Coffee soon became an important part of Arab culture, and the Arab world became the primary source of coffee beans for centuries.
Coffee in the 1600s and beyond
In the 17th century, coffee began to spread to Europe, where it quickly gained popularity. Coffeehouses sprang up in cities like London, Paris, and Vienna, becoming important meeting places for intellectuals, artists, and politicians.
Coffeehouses were also places where people could read newspapers, play games, and exchange ideas. By the 18th century, coffee had become integral to European culture.
Coffee also played a significant role in the economic development of many countries. In the 18th and 19th centuries, European powers established coffee plantations in their Americas, Africa, and Asia colonies. These plantations were worked by enslaved or indentured laborers and produced large quantities of coffee for export to Europe. Coffee became a major commodity, and the demand for coffee fueled the growth of global trade and commerce.
Today, coffee is a ubiquitous beverage consumed by people worldwide. Coffee has also evolved into a highly specialized industry with various brewing methods, roasting styles, and flavor profiles.
Specialty coffee shops have become popular, offering a range of single-origin coffees, artisanal brewing methods, and latte art. Coffee remains an important part of many cultures and drives global trade and commerce. My Seattle is the home of Starbucks.
In conclusion, the history of coffee is a fascinating story of discovery, innovation, and cultural exchange. From its origins in Ethiopia to its spread worldwide, coffee has played a significant role in human history and culture. Today, coffee remains beloved beverage millions of people enjoy, and it continues to be a driving force in the global economy.
Coffee and health — A new study
Researchers recruited 100 healthy adults from the San Francisco Bay (USA) area to better understand coffee’s immediate health effects. The volunteers had an average age of 39.
Each subject word a Fitbit device to track their steps and sleep. They also donned continuous blood glucose, and heart (ECG) monitors to track heart rhythms. The researchers randomly assigned the subjects to drink as much coffee as they wanted for two days, abstain for two days, and repeat that cycle over two weeks.
Here are the study results:
On days with coffee consumption, participants got an average of 1,058 more steps than on non-coffee days. Alas, on coffee days, they also slept 36 fewer minutes. The higher the coffee volume consumed, the more physical activity subjects did and the less sleep they got.
The researchers discovered no link between coffee consumption and premature atrial contractions. The latter is common, early heartbeats that we all have, arising from the heart’s top chambers. Have one, and you may feel a flutter or a skipped beat in your chest. Those with PACs have a higher risk of developing more serious atrial fibrillation.
On the other hand, daily consumption of more than one cup resulted in a 1.5 times higher incidence of premature ventricular contractions, or PVCs, than days without coffee intake.
PVCs come from the heart’s lower chambers and can feel like a skipped beat or heart palpitations.
My take — Coffee and health
The article provides rare high-level evidence of the promise and perils of coffee consumption. My takeaways?
- If you feel heart irregularities, consider discontinuing caffeinated coffee (and let your primary care provider know about your symptoms).
- If you have challenges getting good sleep, try ditching the caffeine. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the half-life of caffeine is up to 5 hours. The half-life is the time for a quantity of a substance to be reduced to half the original amount. For example, if you’ve taken in 10 milligrams of caffeine, you’ll still have five milligrams in your body after five hours. People with caffeine sensitivities might have symptoms for several hours (or even a few days) after consumption. I remain sensitive to caffeine’s effects for 26 hours.
Lastly, given caffeine’s long-term effects, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends not consuming it six hours or less before bedtime.
3. Coffee consumption may help you get in more steps if you are not especially sensitive to caffeine.
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The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
Thank you for reading “Coffee and Your Health.”
