The Real Buzz on Coffee: Healthful or Harmful?

Coffee. A romanticized drug

Many experts on nutrition advise people to cut back or eliminate coffee from their diets.  At the same time, reports circulate in magazine articles about coffee’s incredible health benefits.  Who or what are we to believe?   It seems that the question of health versus harm as it relates to coffee would be best answered by a one-armed nutritional researcher, to avoid the inevitable “on one hand…” answer.

The link between coffee consumption and health may actually depend on our genes, according to the science of nutritional genomics.  There is a growing base of evidence that suggests that different foods react with our individual genes to produce varying health outcomes.  Our genes can dictate how a substance is absorbed, distributed and ultimately metabolized, and our individual genetic makeup would ultimately determine how a substance like caffeine is broken down by the body.  This might explain why some people can still sleep after having a cup of java in the evening, and why others wouldn’t dream of having so much as a sip after lunchtime.  It also might explain why coffee could actually cause someone to be at increased risk for a heart attack, and why it could decrease the risk in others.  But one effect doesn’t relate to the other — you may be up all night after drinking coffee, while your liver still might be able to process the caffeine relatively fast enough to avoid potential heart risks.

If you have genes that can break down caffeine quickly (and don’t have heart problems or high blood pressure), you might be able to benefit from the cancer-fighting antioxidants and other health properties of coffee.  Unfortunately, it’s not an easy task to figure out how the genes in your liver handle caffeine.  You can’t rely on your propensity to get the ‘jitters’, as that has more to do with your nervous system than the genetic makeup of your liver.   A DNA test would be the only real test to see how you handle caffeine, but for most of us ordinary folk a genetic test is likely out of reach.  That’s why I’m a proponent of the common sense approach – good quality organic coffee, properly prepared, and taken in moderation.

Personally, I enjoy coffee because it’s a stimulant.  Like most people, I can’t function in the morning without it.  I also like to have some just prior to intense exercise, as I find it gives me an energy boost.  So I’ll admit that I don’t drink coffee just for the antioxidants – although I know they’re there.  Nevertheless, since I’m a bit of a java-nut, when I do imbibe in a shot or two, I try and go for quality to ensure that I get the most bang for my buck.  And when I say java-nut, I don’t go as far as to say that my coffee has ‘overtones of chocolate and passion fruit’, but I’m sure that with time (and a bit of fanaticism), I’ll get there.

First of all, I’m cutting back on my coffee-shop consumption, unless it’s from a quality independent coffee house that I trust.  Does anyone still make coffee at home?  People seem to have ditched their own coffee for the over-branded stuff sold by the major chains.  The result is that paper coffee cups are one of the largest sources of litter, at least here in Toronto.

I’m also limiting my coffee to a few shots of espresso, as made by my trusty Faema Family machine.  My Faema is about twenty years old and still making shots like new.  There is no substitute for a quality machine and grinder!  I also find that a shot of good espresso is less irritating to my gastrointestinal system than a cup of regular brewed coffee.  I’m not aware of any research to support this; I just know that regular coffee often leaves me with a feeling of ‘coffee gut’.

I’m also choosing high quality organic arabica beans.  Organic is a must, since coffee is one of the most sprayed crops in the world.  A quality coffee will also either be 100% arabica or might contain just a small amount of robusta beans.  The latter are cheaper beans and contain about twice as much caffiene as arabica.  While good organic, free-trade beans are pricey, this isn’t an area where I’m willing to spend less.  Money I save on avoiding Starbucks allows me to make high quality shots at home!

Extracting a good shot of espresso isn’t difficult if you i) use a good quality pump machine; ii) start with high quality beans; iii) use good filtered water; and, iv) act quickly, but carefully.

Tags: antioxidants, cofee, espresso