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A Boost With a Big Price
Red Bull, espresso, cappuccino, green tea, black tea,
chocolate, coffee, Mountain Dew, colas, Excedrin and other pain relievers, diet pills,
many cold remedies . . . what do they have in common? They all contain the most widely
used mind-altering drug in the world – CAFFEINE. Caffeine is a big, booming business
with 80-90 percent of adults reporting regular use. Consumers currently spend 30 million
dollars a year on caffeine tablets and an additional 50 billion dollars each year on
caffeinated soda in the United States alone – and for only two of the many forms of
caffeine. This does not include chocolate, or the profitable coffee, latte and Starbucks
sales (with the current growth rate on this planet of four new stores a day). Caffeine is
such a widely accepted psychoactive drug that it is even fed to young children in the
forms of chocolate and soda pop.
Many current news articles tell us that coffee and chocolate, despite their caffeine
content, are healthy indulgences because of their rich antioxidants. We are told that they
curb inflammation and decrease heart disease. I recently read results of a 15-year study
out of Norway’s University of Oslo showing that post-menopausal women who drink at
least a cup of coffee a day are less likely to get heart disease. Such reports cause many
to believe they can coddle their addiction without guilt. Can these findings be true?
Let’s consider some facts about caffeine. Caffeine acts as a powerful vasoconstrictor
in the brain. What occurs is the widespread constriction of this vital organ’s blood
vessels, thereby decreasing circulation and oxygen supply by up to 30 percent. As a
stimulant, caffeine increases heart rate and raises blood pressure. We all know that these
are not health-creating conditions. Coffee is acid-forming in the body rather than
alkalizing, and decaf coffee is even more acidic than regular. Most people suffer from
extensive acidity to begin with and do not need further contribution from this ominous
element. The body is forced to rob calcium from the bones and tissues in an effort to
neutralize debilitating acid. A number of credible studies have linked caffeine to calcium
loss, contributing to osteoporosis and increased bone fractures. A study printed in the
January 1994 Journal of the American Medical Association found that women who drank just
two cups of coffee a day increased their risk of hip fracture by 69 percent. Coffee has
also been linked to cancer. When roasted, coffee beans form a potent carcinogen called
benzopyrene. An average cup of coffee contains 500 micrograms of known carcinogens. A 1981
study from the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that drinking coffee was the
cause of half of all pancreatic cancer cases. It also found that drinking three cups of
coffee a day increased the risk of pancreatic cancer by three times. Furthermore, all
disease is promoted in an acidic environment and the goal of health is to create an
alkaline body.
Nutritional deficiency has created a crisis of low energy and fatigue that is rampant.
While many use caffeine for a "pick me up," what it actually does is induce a
state of stress. It drives the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones that can remain
in the bloodstream for 18 hours after consumption. The cortisol that is pumped out invokes
a fight-or-flight response. Energy is sent to our muscles to prepare for crisis. This
reduces immunity and pilfers health-providing hormones. Precious energy that is needed for
normal metabolic function is depleted by caffeine toxemia.
Caffeine promotes further blood sugar imbalance in the approximately 60-70 percent
suffering with or prone to either hypoglycemia or diabetes, maladies which are steadily
increasing. When caffeine is in the system, insulin or the amount of sugar in the blood is
increased, placing the body’s chemistry in peril. J. Curtis Nickel, M.D., professor
of Urology at Queen’s University and physician at Kingston General Hospital in
Ontario, found that animals given small doses of a chemical called alloxan had a higher
incidence of diabetes because it poisons the pancreas, affecting insulin production. This
alarming finding impelled him to experiment on himself as well as with diabetic patients.
Realizing that caffeine stimulates the production of alloxan, he intentionally eliminated
all forms of caffeine with hopes that it would positively affect his own diabetic
condition. After two weeks without caffeine, he was able to forego insulin. This prompted
him to suggest that 45 of his Type II Diabetes patients remove caffeine from their diet.
An amazing 40 of those 45 patients were able to reverse their diabetes simply by omitting
caffeine from their lifestyle.
With any drug, withdrawal symptoms occur, so those with the courage to remove this harmful
stimulant must expect detoxification discomforts. One of the most common is headaches,
caused by the sudden increased circulation to the brain when blood flow is no longer
constricted. Other indicators are fatigue, sleepiness, irritability, lethargy, discontent,
depression, poor concentration and, in some, even flu-like nausea and vomiting accompanied
by muscle pain and stiffness. The narcotic effect of caffeine is so powerful that its
influence is abundantly clear when the addict reintroduces this stimulant and all symptoms
vanish. Social acceptance of this lethal substance versus an illicit drug is all that
separates the detrimental effect.
One has to consider all of the facts before reading a study and then rushing to jump on
the caffeine bandwagon. It is easy to pull just one piece of information from a study and
skew it to prove almost anything. Are there antioxidants in coffee and chocolate? Of
course, but they also exist in heroin and cocaine. Does that make you any more prone to
consume those substances? You can acquire even greater benefits by consuming real foods
chock-full of nutrients and beneficial antioxidants and phytochemicals. The group of
antioxidants touted in coffee is polyphenols, plant compounds that act as antioxidants and
protect against heart disease and cancer. Coffee contains polyphenols, but so do many
other plant foods. Grape skin practically overflows with polyphenols, and the deeper their
color, the richer the source of polyphenols. Those avoiding fructose can acquire similar
benefits from green vegetables such as bok choy or mustard greens. These whole foods also
provide fiber, high amounts of quality vitamins, minerals and in some cases fatty acids.
Consider the perceived benefits of energy and the positive antioxidant effect from
caffeine. Then contemplate the fact that wheatgrass juice contains a much wider array of
antioxidants and also provides the body with a surge of cumulative energy. Rather than
depriving the brain of oxygen as caffeine is apt to, wheatgrass juice oxygenates all cells
and provides life-giving enzymes. Rather than stimulating the body to produce stress
hormones, it actually supplies health-inducing hormones.
Carefully consider the wording when reading studies. One study reported that Americans get
more antioxidants from coffee than any other food. I stopped and thought about the fact
that, because Americans are consuming such a nutrient-poor diet with little to no fresh
vegetables or fruit, it is not surprising that they are getting more antioxidants from
coffee than other foods. The second greatest source is tea, then bananas, beans and corn.
This is not to say that these foods contain the highest amount of antioxidants, but rather
that these are the foods Americans as well as most Westerners eat that happen to contain
limited antioxidants. Observe for yourself the way the facts were manipulated.
Living a healthy life in the 21st century requires us to be intensely discriminating.
Believing and acting upon twisted studies promoted in the media and by greedy corporations
and entire industries will lead us to consume "false foods" like caffeine and
compromise our health in the process. Your health depends upon your resolve to take
personal responsibility and make the best choices. If you employ good common sense, you do
not have to search for scientific approval before consuming any food or substance. For
decades, coffee and other caffeinated drinks have been targeted as health destroyers. This
fact remains in spite of the bogus claims made by corrupt researchers.
Hippocrates Volume 26, Issue 4
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