Is coffee bad for your health?

#1

I recently got addicted to coffein. Never got used to smoking or alcohol, but coffein seems my weak spot.
I’ve read numerous articles, and some claim it’s ok, some it’s bad and some it won’t harm you.
But I get this gut feeling it can’t be you feel so energetic and elevated out of nowhere. It should consume some resources.
What is your story? Have you been consuming coffee for many years? Do you regret or do you feel it’s fine?

#2

This may sound ironic, but I drank more coffee as a kid than as an adult.

The exact cause might be anytime I try and drink it, it burns my lips. And I hate the taste.

As for health, I was definitely more energetic but I don’t recall any serious health effects.

#3

JordanNVFX That’s interesting. Maybe you had an allergic reaction? Coffee can be very mild or very strong, depending on a brand.

#4

Anything in excess is bad for you. I would, however, be careful with coffee for a few reasons.

Let’s start with the obvious. Caffeine is a stimulant, which is why people tend to drink it. However, the average cup of drip brew coffee can contain 210mg - 250mg of caffeine for a standard 12oz cup. To put that into context, a single 12oz can of Coke Zero Sugar only has 34mg of caffeine. That means, to get the same buzz from Coke Zero Sugar as you would coffee, you’d have to drink more than a 2-litre bottle or 6+ cans. That’s a lot. So, if you’re having 2 cups a day, you might as well be drinking a whole 12 can case of Diet Coke or Coke Zero Sugar.

Because caffeine is a stimulant, you have to be extra careful. Never overdo your caffeine intake. It’s very dangerous to do so. Consuming too much of it can result in the same sort of consequences as taking other stimulants such as (meth)amphetamines or cocaine. Too much of any stimulant can lead to heart palpitations or even a fatal heart attack. Moderation is the key here.

Caffeine has another side effect. As with any other stimulant, you get that grand high initially that is soon followed by an intense low. It’s super easy to crash from having too much caffeine. As quickly as it revved you up, it’ll then make you lethargic and sleepy. High or low, your sleep cycle will also be impacted as a result.

Caffeine is, technically, a drug. Unregulated, but still very much a drug. You can become as dependent on caffeine as you would crack, heroine, and so on. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. It alters your brain chemistry. The more you consume, generally, the more you’ll want and the more you’ll require to achieve the same energy boost.

Coffee comes with another few ugly side effects. The first is discolored teeth. After time, it CAN turn your teeth this nasty brown/yellow shade similar to what you’d see with lifelong smokers. It’s nasty. Even nastier is that, because caffeine is a stimulant, too much of it can lead to frequent urination or… diarrhea. Yep. Enjoy your (messy) stay on the toilet.

Caffeine can also dehydrate you. Ironic because it actually has water. Still, it does. Best to balance it out with some of that high quality H20 throughout the day. You don’t want to get a kidney stone or UTI, both potential side effects of dehydration.

Kicking that coffee habit isn’t easy and, as with other stimulants, shouldn’t be done “cold turkey”. You can experience withdrawal symptoms, the most common of which are loss of energy, disturbed sleep patterns, headaches, and irritability. I would taper off. If you’re drinking 2 cups a day, cut back to one in the first week. In the second week, cut back to a half cup. By the 3rd week, switch to decaffeinated or even tea.

Be aware, however, that neither tea nor decaf are 100% caffeine free. Most teas tend to have as much caffeine as a can of Coke Zero Sugar or Diet coke. Decaf coffee DOES have some caffeine, up to 14mg per 12oz. Far less than regular coffee, but still not 100% caffeine free.

The Mayo Clinic recommends no more than 400mg of caffeine each day. IOW, no more than 2 cups of slow drip coffee or 4-litre of diet soda. It’s super dangerous past that point; My brother was once a 4-5 cup a day person. He started to get REALLY sick from it and now only has 1 cup in the morning.

ME PERSONALLY? I hate coffee. Hate the taste. You have to basically put enough creamer and sugar in it for it to not taste like garbage. At that point, it just tastes like a slightly bitter cocoa so why bother? I am a massive caffeine whore though. My poison is, as you’ve guessed, Coke Zero Sugar. I can consume 2-litres of that each day. Mercifully, it’s 0 sugar and 0 calories. Coke Zero is basically just 67oz of carbonated water with aspartame and the total equivalent caffeine in 1 cup’s worth of coffee. Enough for a minor energy boost, but not enough to screw with my metabolism or other functions. (I was a cola kid. Had tons of it growing up. That 0 sugar, 0 calorie stuff was a blessing for me. It IS addictive, as I said. Best to have the lesser of evils here.)

#5

Interesting OT regarding caffeine? The reason why it was added to Coca Cola is because the original recipe actually included cocaine - when it was still legal. Once it became illegal, they bumped up the remaining caffeine content to give you a high, albeit a much smaller one. Yep. They just traded one addictive stimulant for another.

#6

FYI? Energy drinks like Red Bull are a total scam. The caffeine content is actually a few mg lower than a can of Diet Coke. You’re being sold on that whole “gives you wings” image. Monster Energy is significantly more caffeinated at 160mg per 16oz can, but it’s still less than 1 cup of drip coffee. About the equivalent of 4 cans of Diet Coke. Again, they’re selling an image.

#7

Ha, it’s not so much an allergic reaction but I know anytime I’m served coffee from a store, it’s always super hot.

The only coffee I can really enjoy are the “iced” drinks. At least they’re cool and they come with flavor like vanilla.

But other that, I prefer to drink either water or fruit juice these days.

#8

Coffee is a poison. Pure and simple. Plants use it as n insecticide. The feeling you get from drinking it derives from the fact the body is going into overdrive to fight it…it reduces blood flow to the brain by 52%…it causes brain damage. It is a dumbing down drug to make you easier to control.

#9

Not so simple.

There are a lot of things that are potentially toxic that also contain legitimate medicinal uses. For example, because it does affect blood flow, caffeine is often one of the key components in migraine pain relievers. Additionally, caffeine can pretty much perform the same services as bronchodilators used to treat asthma. It was actually one of the reasons why my parents introduced me to caffeine at such a young age. For the first 18 years of my life, I had asthma. However, because my family was pretty poor, they couldn’t always afford inhalers. So, whenever I’d get an attack. caffeine to the rescue. It works and is clinically proven.

All things in moderation. You’re far more likely to suffer grievous harm to your internals thanks to smoking or drinking than caffeine. Is caffeine dangerous? Definitely. … … … IF you consume it out of context and in its pure form. Drinks such as coffee & cola use diluted concentrations. Again, you’d have to consume 12 cans of cola before you even come close to the daily maximum of 400mg recommended by accredited institutions such as the Mayo Clinic.

For starters, you’re probably referencing a nearly 15 year old study. On top of that, at best, blood flow reduction is 27%. About half of what you suggest. Either way, it’s a temporary effect.

Quite the contrary. The reason why caffeine is so popular with those looking to “get `ir done” is because it’s a stimulant. Its affect on the brain isn’t exactly what you suggest. Yes. It does constrict blood flow to some portions of the brain, but it also increases blood to other areas too. That actually boosts neuron performance while the caffeine is still in affect. Numerous peer reviewed studies have conclude caffeine poses no lasting affects on brain chemistry and/or performance. Trust me. I’ve been consuming caffeine for a good 40+ years. I’m crazy smart - a certified genius - and caffeine hasn’t done one darn thing to rot my brain. Vodka, however… :stuck_out_tongue:

Yeah. You’re mistaking it for alcohol, nature’s own social lubricant. Talk to me when they start a Folger’s Anonymous group. Caffeine is addictive and potentially harmful in large quantities, but it is no way comparable to narcotics such as crack cocaine. Cannabis is far more likely to impair judgment than caffeine. Even then the lasting impact of that on your brain is fleeting.

That’s because small creatures like mosquitoes are far more susceptible to its toxicity. In humans, it poses far less of a toxic risk. Negligible really.

One more thing… Chocolate contains caffeine. If anything, that sugar in your Hershey bar is far more dangerous than the caffeine that’s also in it. The concentration of caffeine in your food or drink is in no way as deadly as pure powdered type. That stuff will kill you quite easily.

#10

Worship Caffè!

Possibly, I’d suggest due too distant Italian heritage, forebears were of solid fisher stock via Bari, hence the near addiction :crazy_face:

#11

This idea that it’s poisonous for insects not us is the same argument that was used to justify DDT spraying. The point is that it’s a fallacious argument…life is life and the nervous system of ants are affected int eh same way ours is. out of interest, what is your view on vaccination? The injection of poisons to stimulate the body into ‘remembering’ an attacker. More fallacious reasoning in my humble opinion

#12

Honestly, and quite respectfully, you have no idea what you’re talking about. FWIW, this isn’t a “left or right” issue; I’m a life long conservative Republican (not MAGA though). When it comes to vaccines, I trust in the science.

Let me tell you something. Nobody says anything when you’re a little kid and schools demand that you get vaccinations for things like polio or small pox because the work and, consequently, those diseases have mostly been eradicated. However, we now live in an age where everything is politicized. People have turned the COVID vaccines into a hot button topic to distract from the real issues of political corruption, insurrection, and all out incompetence of would be dictators. We have reached the summit of stupidity and have discovered the Idiocracy in full effect.

VACCINES WORK. Do they sometimes have negative effects? Sure. Everybody’s slightly different. Are those effects worth the risk? Definitely. Those people affected are in the minority. These vaccines are thoroughly tested and peer reviewed - more so for people under the age of 18. More than 1mil people have died in the US due to COVID so far. Those numbers could have been far smaller if people had trusted in common sense by wearing masks and social distancing. Those numbers could taper off dramatically still if people would just get their goddamn shots. PERIOD.

Look. I’ve had COVID… TWICE. Yep. Twice. Here’s my story in short(-ish).

The first time I had COVID was in very early 2021. It was bad. I got it because nobody knew exactly what was going on (not fully), masks were almost impossible to find, and people were just scrambling incoherently. New York is NOT a place where social distancing is easy.

My symptoms started off like a very bad cold - cough, fatigue, fever, etc and so on. Then they suddenly became violent. By the end, I had torn my throat so badly that I was coughing blood and couldn’t speak a word for 2 weeks. I recovered, but I was intensely sick for 1 month.

The SECOND time was far, far worse. I got it on December 10, 2021 and I didn’t recover until the first week of February, 2022. I still suffer long term side effects from COVID. How did I get it the 2nd time? Well, I wore clean masks AND gloves everywhere… almost. I mistakenly thought that I could travel a few dozen feet from my apartment to the lobby to check my mail without a mask. A few feet? That can’t hurt. :confused: Again, the 2nd bout with COVID was the worst.

For starters, I was bed ridden and damn near comatose for weeks. I was so sick that in the first 2 weeks alone, I lost 17-lbs. I had a fever so intense that I was shaking violently and taking 1hr long showers just to cool down.

Beyond the chills and intense fatigue, I had a cough that hurt like fire, body aches, dizziness, confusion, headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and so on. I literally could not walk 8 ft without wanting to collapse.

I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance on December 28th. The doctors had to release me because there were no beds. However, they were terrified for me because I was - well - dying. My COVID had morphed into intense pneumonia and my lungs had filled up with fluid. They could treat the pneumonia, but not the COVID. I spent the next month and a half just about expecting and hoping to die. I got better.

However, again, I still having lingering side effect from COVID. I still suffer from bouts of intense fatigue and occasional brain fog where my memory doesn’t work so well.

What worse is that I accidentally gave COVID to my 70+ year old parents in the early days of my 2nd bout. My dad’s case was minor and he was only sick for 2 weeks.

My mom… She was worse than me and nearly died on the spot on December 29, 2021. She lost her ability to walk, has been on breathing and feeding tubes for the past 18 months, and her brain has more or less rotted away. COVID damaged her brain, taking her from genius level intellect with multiple degrees to a point where she can’t fully communicate or remember anything on her worst days and confuses situations, people, time, and words on her best days. In essence, COVID gave her an advancing case of dementia. She’s never going to get better, only worse. She’s in a nursing home now and til the day she dies.

I’ve since gotten vaccinated. 2 shots and fully boosted with the Moderna. I NEVER leave my house these days without wearing TWO masks. I wash my hands obsessively, won’t do large gatherings, and continue to work from home. COVID isn’t over and is only getting worse (again) in some places like New York. I believe in vaccines 100% and will get whatever future boosters are available to me. I also believe in prevention and paranoia. Been sick with COVID… TWICE. Nearly died. Don’t want that again.

Vaccines and masks keep us safe. At the risk of getting banned, I feel that anybody who doesn’t see it this way is just a f-in idiot. Not getting vaxed or taking precautions is just you dooming the human race. Period.

#13

Caffeine can lead to digestive problems like Gerd. Google it. its agonizing having this. cant get a good nights rest anymore. going to need an expensive surgery.

#14

First off, saying “Google it” means absolutely nothing. I can post something online about people having sex with pigs and training their mutant offspring to become donkey assassins and alien ambassadors. I can even post seemingly credible testimonials from witnesses, doctors, and victims’ family members. All wrapped up in a pretty and believable bow waiting to be indexed by all manner of search engines and aggregators. Just because you read it online doesn’t necessarily make it true. Welcome to the internet age. Happy to see you join 2022.

Question everything. Look for other independent reports or evidence that don’t draw from the same well of sources. Assume that, unless you can back the stories up, it’s probably false. What’s next? Gonna tell us to “wiki it” too? Not good enough.

THAT SAID…

GERD and general acid reflux are caused by issues relating to the esophageal sphincter opening and closing (eg. hernia). There can also be genetic factors at work. You can make it worse or increase your chances of getting it if you’re fat, pregnant, or don’t empty your stomach as frequently as you should. Caffeine itself doesn’t cause GERD. Sorry.

There ARE foods and habits that can aggravate a preexisting condition. Fatty foods. Chocolate. Oranges. Tomatoes. Onions. Garlic. Spicy foods. Carbonate beverages of ALL types. Smoking. Eating late at night. Booze. Coffee. Asprin.

Just because coffee and soda can aggravate your symptoms doesn’t mean that it created the original problem. Correlation does not automatically mean causation. That’s Science 101.

Do yourself a favor. If you’re going to look things up on the web, check some reputable medical sites. If you are, well, it’s clear that you don’t understand what you’re reading or just have an anti-caffeine agenda. Again, there are MANY people who regularly consume caffeine and don’t have acid reflux; no more than the average person.

EDIT>>> I’m sorry that you’re suffering. That’s never something I want to happen to anybody. Just saying that there are legit causes and there are also scapegoats. Caffeine can make your condition worse. No doubt. I know people who have your problem. It just doesn’t CAUSE it. If that’s what your doctor is telling you then you need a new doc. You probably had risk factors that led to your GERD and the caffeine just intensified what was already going on with you.

#15

its according to 4 sources.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=can+caffeine+lead+to+gerd&form=ANNTH1&refig=e6dacd0fbe25433083147abb923f556e

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For the longest time people said cigarettes didn’t cause lung cancer, but ppl with lung cancer should avoid it. but we all knew it was the cause. its just the reality, that all the people who have gerd who i spoke to had drank lots amount of coffee or energy drinks. Its easy to argue from axioms and syllogism , and repeat logical phrases to make your point but its not grounded on reality of the people who actually suffer from it personally. I would take the word of someone’s account who was literally drinking coffee and had to spit it out when immense heartburn and first time symptoms occurred. Its pretty simple to surmise that a host of things caused it, coffee, onions, orange juice etc. But to simply say it had no part at all is not grounded. Its like saying i caught a cold from wiping my dirty hands on my face while at the same time being caught in rain , eliminating one of the causes and saying the rain did it and was solely responsible. In short coffee definitely contributed to my gerd amongst other things, and simply eliminating it from your diet will reduce it from happening, along with citrus beverages etc.

#16

How do you know that what you had was ‘covid’…a worthless PCR test. More likely you were the victim of stressors…or even the vaccine schedule which is designed ti UNDERMINE that’s right -undermine the bodies immune system, not bolster it…the gullibility of people astounds me.Clearly the vax program is causing these effects,

#17

(EDITED OUT MY OWN NASTINESS)
Not gonna feed the trolls.

#18

I don’t think, an affinity toward coffee is an addiction at all.
You can reduce your dependency by cutting down the quantity. But, anyone who is having coffee on a daily basis is not at all an addict.

#19

I mean, you CAN become addicted to caffeine just like anything else. People can get addicted to food, sex, drugs, drama, etc and so on. It’s just that most people aren’t. Addiction is far more rare than having a preference for or leaning to something. Anyway… That’s pretty much all I have left to say on this silly topic. This is a CG forum, or at least it once was in its better years.

#20

if you have had the full course including boosters, it’s the opinion of many, including Dr McCullough, that within a few years you will develop immune diseases. Not only do vaccines NOT work, they are NOT safe OR effective. Vaccines have NOT saved millions s of lives - they have shortened millions of lives. This is by design. If you think the ‘Government’ (actually puppet and placeholders for massive corporate interest) care about your health you are a f***kin idiot. You will never fully know what made you so sick - but it wasn’t a virus. Where are the studies that show ‘Covid’ is aerosol transmissible? Where are the studies that prove a pathogenic virus has been isolated by Koch’s postulates?> There ARE none.