The Switch to Decaf: A Personal Journey and a Glimpse into Coffee Health
Two months ago, I made a rather abrupt switch to decaffeinated coffee, a change prompted by a lack of coffee beans on a Saturday morning and my wife's insistence that I really needed to cut back. As an avid coffee drinker who considers coffee akin to water, I realized that I often exceeded the recommended caffeine limit. My tendency towards the all-or-nothing principle led me to the decision to completely switch to decaf coffee. In this piece, I share my personal experience and briefly explore the health effects of coffee, supported by recent studies.
Withdrawal Symptoms and Transition
The first days after my switch to decaf coffee were marked by familiar withdrawal symptoms. A pounding headache accompanied me for the first two days, followed by a period of fatigue that persisted for two more days. However, to my surprise, these withdrawal symptoms had completely disappeared by Wednesday. In retrospect, it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated.
My decision to switch to decaf was not just based on a random event but rather a strategic choice. As someone who sees coffee as more than just a beverage and more as a lifestyle, I knew I was inclined to follow the all-or-nothing principle. The idea of drinking only one or two cups of regular coffee a day might seem like a solution in theory, but I am aware that the temptation to have an extra cup or more would be too great. I prefer to completely eliminate foods and drinks that I know I can't resist from my immediate environment; that's my personal philosophy.
Health Effects of Coffee
While I currently only drink decaf coffee, my intention is not to discourage you from enjoying regular coffee. My choice is simply a form of self-protection. It's fascinating to think that in 1991, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified coffee as a carcinogen, implying that it contained substances that could cause cancer. However, in 2016, this classification was reversed after a comprehensive review of over 1000 observational and experimental studies. Scientific literature showed no evidence of a link between coffee consumption and cancer. Instead, scientists even found evidence that drinking coffee may contribute to reducing the risk of certain forms of cancer, such as colorectal, prostate, and liver cancer.
Delving into recent coffee studies, I noticed that the focus is mainly on research within the United States, where an abundance of studies has been conducted over the past two decades. Without getting lost in the wonderous world of coffee research and its health effects, for now, I have limited myself to key points from three scientific articles published after 2019.
Recent Studies and Health Findings
In 2020, Van Dam, Hu, and Willet published an article titled "Coffee, Caffeine, and Health," presenting their findings based on previous studies. Firstly, the article suggests that consuming coffee, the primary source of caffeine in adults in the United States, does not lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Moreover, several studies consistently showed that drinking 3-5 cups of coffee is associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases. Therefore, to experience the positive effects of coffee, a daily limit of 400 mg of caffeine for adults and 200 mg for pregnant women is recommended.
Furthermore, epidemiological studies, investigations into the health of large groups of people, point to various beneficial effects of coffee on the digestive system, including anti-inflammatory effects and inhibition of uncontrolled cell growth. Nevertheless, little is known about how coffee specifically affects the digestive system compared to other body systems, as stated by Iriondo-DeHond et al. (2021), despite the fact that it is the first in contact with ingested coffee. There is also more emphasis on the relationship between coffee and the health of the gut-brain axis, the constant and two-way communication between the gut and the brain that includes the connection between emotions and neurodegenerative processes in the intestines. Coffee seems to have various positive effects here as well, but much remains to be discovered about the specific details and broader impact on our health.
Socola et al. (2021) also discuss the positive effects on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other forms of dementia. Caffeine as a component has been extensively studied, and the beneficial effects of coffee consumption can largely (but not exclusively) be attributed to caffeine. However, they emphasize that scientists must overcome several challenges to get a clear picture of the health effects of coffee, with one of the main challenges being the high variability in the final composition of coffee, depending on many factors such as the origin of the coffee beans, the roasting level, and brewing techniques. It also strongly depends on the metabolism of each individual, causing the response to coffee intake to vary significantly among people.
While I personally made the switch to decaf coffee based on my own considerations, scientific research points to numerous beneficial effects of coffee on health. These benefits include a reduced risk of certain forms of cancer, positive influences on the digestive system, and neuroprotective properties against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It is important to emphasize that there are other possible positive health effects that have not been discussed. Regardless of whether someone prefers decaffeinated or caffeinated coffee, it is becoming increasingly clear that scientific research constantly provides new insights into the many facets of this beloved beverage and its impact on our well-being. However, the complexity of coffee composition and individual variations remains a significant challenge for definitively establishing conclusions.
References
- Van Dam Rob M., Hu Frank B., Willet Walet C. "Coffee, Caffeine, and Health." The New England Journal of Medicine 2020; 383;4: 369-378.
- Iriondo-DeHond, A., Uranga, J.A.,del Castillo, M.D., Abalo, R. "Effects of Coffee and Its Components on the Gastrointestinal Tract and the Brain–Gut Axis." Nutrients 2021, 13, 88.
- Socała, K. Szopa, A., Serefko, A., Poleszak, E., Wla´z, P. "Neuroprotective Effects of Coffee Bioactive Compounds: A Review." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2021, 22, 107.