The caffeine and coffee debate.
28 July 2008I’m in forced exile at Starbucks of late. My kids are at a camp 20 miles from our house and in light of gas prices and ridiculous traffic foul ups I opted to spend 3 + hours a day at Starbucks. The upsides are numerous 1. I can work without distractions such as laundry or phone calls 2. I get to observe folks in various negotiations, conversations and yes, even a couple of heated discussions. 3. I am getting 2 hours of free internet because I registered my Starbucks card. The last one is just a little added bonus and makes the drive home to work less necessary. Anyway I digress. Going back to my second point about secret people watching, I overheard a very irate lady at the counter this week telling the barista what for, apparently there is no longer enough fridge space to house her favorite decaffeinated iced-beverage and she was not happy. Indignant and puffing she declared an intolerance to caffeine and an annoyance that her drink had been sidelined for the new smoothie product recently launched. That got me wondering, no not about her mental stability, but the question of how many people know that decaffeinated coffee actually contains caffeine! I recently found this out myself after being strictly forbidden to consume coffee ~ in my quest to try new offerings I decided to avoid caffeine and the kola bean too, not known for my flexibility I actually enjoy the opportunity to deprive myself of all things delightful apparently! Anyway, the reality is, I am not sure if I am supposed to avoid just the coffee or the caffeine, I need to clarify that once I return to the doctor who implored I purge myself of such drugs and stimulants **sigh**. In the meantime I am enjoying a wide range of beverages sans caffeine (thank you Tazo Teas!). Anyway, once again I digress, back to the caffeine / decaffeinated issue. All the research I found says that no beverage that is decaffeinated is truly caffeine free. Medical News Today quotes an article from the Journal of Analytical Toxicology “If someone drinks five to 10 cups of decaffeinated coffee, the dose of caffeine could easily reach the level present in a cup or two of caffeinated coffee,” said co-author Bruce Goldberger, Ph.D., a professor and director of UF’s William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine. First they purchased 10 16-ounce decaffeinated drip-brewed coffee beverages from nine national chains or local coffee houses and tested them for caffeine content. Caffeine was isolated from the coffee samples and measured by gas chromatography. Every serving but one - instant decaffeinated Folgers Coffee Crystals - contained caffeine, ranging from 8.6 milligrams to 13.9 milligrams.
In comparison, an 8-ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee typically contains 85 milligrams of caffeine.
In the study’s second phase, scientists analyzed 12 samples of Starbucks decaffeinated espresso and brewed decaffeinated coffee taken from a single store. The espresso drinks contained 3 milligrams to 15.8 milligrams of caffeine per shot, while the brewed coffees had caffeine concentrations ranging from 12 milligrams to 13.4 milligrams per 16-ounce serving.”
Just a side note here: One has to question why – if avoiding caffeine and therefore the caffeine high, one would order an espresso (DECAF) coffee, isn’t espresso billed for its pick-up qualities? Or is that just me?
Anyway, from that study alone I think we can conclude that the possibility of over-consumption of caffeine, unexpectedly, is quite high. If you are wondering where other possibilities for caffeine are the following information is from Bowes and Church’s Food values of portions commonly used, by Anna De Planter Bowes. Lippincott, Phila. 1989. Pages 261-2: Caffeine. Chocolate unsweet, Bakers 28g has 25 mg of caffeine, a Cadbury chocolate (milk) bar 28 g has 8 mg, Jello pudding pops have just 2 mg, but Jello choc fudge mousse (86g) packs a lively 12 mg, even an 8oz glass of ensure has 10 mg of caffeine. So avoidance is not as easy as requesting or drinking decaf-coffee.
To add to this debate I also started wondering how they actually remove the caffeine from the coffee in the first place. A quick look to How It Works gleaned this information: Several methods are used to remove caffeine from its natural sources:
• Methylene chloride processing
I am thinking the last two are tolerable but the first two ~ not so much. How it Works explains these methods in depth, but basically Methylene chloride is a chemical used as a solvent to extract caffeine from many raw materials. Ethyl acetate processed products are referred to as “naturally decaffeinated” because ethyl acetate is a chemical found naturally in many fruits [other "natural" chemicals include arsenic and MSG]. Caffeine is extracted in the same way as with methylene chloride processing, but ethyl acetate is the solvent. To decaffeinate using carbon dioxide (CO2), water-softened materials are “pressure cooked” with the gas. Caffeine extraction with water is used primarily for coffee decaffeination. The process is similar to the “indirect” method used in methylene chloride processing, but no chemicals are used. Click on each process in the list to learn more.
Ok, so it seems that drinking the decaffeinated varieties using the water process or maybe even the Co2 method would be fine, but the question still remains, is decaffeinated coffee really better than the regular variety, especially given that no coffee is truly caffeine free.
Science Daily published an article in November 2005, which suggested drinking decaffeinated coffee was far more detrimental to some people’s health than caffeinated coffee, this research was presented at the American Heart Associations Scientific Session in 2005. Coined the “CALM study” for: The coffee and Lipoprotein Metabolism study, randomized 187 people into 3 groups. One group drank 3-6 cups of caffeinated coffee a day, the 2nd group drank the same only had decaffeinated coffee, and the 3rd group drank no coffee, this was the control group. The study concluded after a 3 month period and found “… the decaffeinated group experienced a rise in fatty acids, which is the fuel in the blood that can drive the production of low-density lipoprotein LDL. ApoB went up 8 percent in the decaffeinated group but did not significantly change in the other two groups. ApoB is the only protein attached to LDL, and studies show that ApoB might be a better predictor of cardiovascular disease risk than one’s LDL level.
NEFA rose an average 18 percent in the decaffeinated group, while it did not change in the other two groups. “NEFA is the fuel that can drive the increase in ApoB and LDL,” Superko said. “These results are very surprising and have never been reported before for coffee consumption. This is the first non-industry-sponsored study of its kind.
Superko said people concerned about increasing fatty acids and LDL cholesterol should think twice about drinking a lot of decaffeinated coffee. “But those who are overweight and have low levels of HDL2 but normal levels of ApoB, might consider the potential benefit of drinking decaffeinated over caffeinated coffee,” he said.
According to the American Heart Association, whether high caffeine intake increases the risk of coronary heart disease is still under study, however moderate coffee drinking - 1-2 cups per day - doesn’t seem to be harmful. Co-author is Peter D. Wood, Ph.D. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded the study.”
Me, I am sticking to tea for the time being, it turns out I don’t mind the no coffee thing really, after 20 + years of drinking my fair share it seems I am ok with going cold-turkey. I am getting over the headache and tiredness withdrawal stage and I am finding the purple Tazo iced tea delicious, and a far more refreshing beverage on a hot summer day than my steamed latte. Sadly the Starbucks I found across the street from the camp is on the list of locations to be closed, I really am sad, after just a week I feel comfortable in my new corner, the one that always seems to be available no matter what time I stop by, a telling indication as to why Starbucks chose to close this location. Ultimately, coffee is going nowhere, decaffeinated or otherwise, drink up and enjoy but maybe rethink the decaf thing and accept that a little bit of caffeine is sometimes what’s needed to get you through the day, as with everything moderation is always the key.
If you want to see the next stage in manipulated decaffeinated coffee production check out this Emory University Study from 2004.
Make an adjustment: Stay Healthy ~ Be Happy.
Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan for your next chiropractic appointment in Evergreen Colorado. 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com
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