being overridden. This can affect the thyroid and your hormonal balance.
Overworking the adrenal glands and not letting the body repair itself = Very Bad!
- Diabetes: Many people don’t know it but caffeine increases sugar absorption into the blood. Dr. James Lane, of Duke University, has shown as much as a 26% increase.1-2 Every diabetic should be aware of the caffeine in many drinks and try to find another beverage of choice. (Combining caffeine with sweets compounds the issue.)
On the other side, in moderation, there are also some good benefits we’ll look at!
- Dementia: Researchers have known for some time caffeine may protect your brain from mental diseases. Studies show:
- A couple cups of coffee a day cuts rates of cognitive impairment by 26% over 10 years.3
- Three cups of coffee a day cut the risk of mental decline by more than 50%.4
- Three cups of coffee a day also slashes the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s by 65%.5
A new study from Indiana University identified 23 compounds – besides caffeine – that may boost an enzyme in the brain, called NMNAT2, to protect against dementia. It guards neurons against stress and fights ‘tau’ proteins that collect in the brain as ‘plaque’ as you age.6
Many doctors often scoff at the idea that coffee or caffeine can guard your brain against dementia and Alzheimer’s. They are waiting for Big Pharma to come up with a cure – and there has been no progress on that front in decades.
- Antioxidants: These protect us from free radicals that would harm our cells and quite a few people include antioxidants in supplements. Surprisingly, because so many Americans drink coffee every day, coffee has actually become the number 1 source of antioxidants in the US diet.
Tips – If You Drink Coffee
Be careful about when you drink coffee. Drinking coffee in the morning is better to support your body’s natural rhythm of the release of cortisol in the morning to get you moving. As the day wears on, your cortisol levels naturally decrease. Switch to decaf coffee, or another beverage, in the afternoon to keep your body aligned with its natural cycle.
It is also good to develop a habit of avoiding artificial creams and flavorings because of the chemicals used. Also, using a natural sweetener, like Stevia, will help reduce the amount of sugar you consume.
- Journal of Caffeine Research, April 7, 2011.
- Lane, James Diabetes Care, 04;27(8): 2047-2048.
- Driscoll I, Shumaker SA, Snively BM et al. “Relationships Between Caffeine Intake and Risk for Probable Dementia or Global Cognitive Impairment: The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study.” J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2016;71(12):1596-1602.
- Ritchie, K., et al, “The neuroprotective effects of caffeine: A prospective study (the Three City Study),” Neurology 2007;69(6):536-45.
- Eskelinen MH, Kivipelto M. “Caffeine as a protective factor in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.” J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20(suppl 1):S167-S174.
- Yousuf O. Ali, Gillian Bradley, and Hui-Chen Lu. “Screening with an NMNAT2-MSD platform identifies small molecules that modulate NMNAT2 levels in cortical neurons.” Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 43846 (2017) doi:10.1038/srep43846.