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Caffeine is the world's most popular stimulant—the drug that four out of five
Americans take on any given day. Most of the caffeine we consume comes from
coffee.
The United States buys nearly one-half of the world's supply of
coffee beans. It is said that a food service operation can stand or fall on its
reputation of the coffee it serves. Every mid-morning and mid-afternoon working
day millions of office and factory workers abandon jobs for an employer-paid
"coffee break."
Over 15 million Americans are hooked on coffee, and most of them don't even
know it, so insidious is its addictive onslaught. The child or adult may
unknowingly ingest several hundred milligrams of caffeine daily.
Like
narcotics, alcohol, or cigarettes, coffee and caffeinated beverages are
addictive, destructive drugs that each year predispose millions of Americans to
crippling illnesses and sometimes fatal diseases.
Coffee and tea are the
two most popular beverages in America. Coffee is America's number one drug
problem.
Caffeine Withdrawal
Caffeine withdrawal can occur from
missing just one cup of coffee in the morning. Symptoms of caffeine withdrawal
are headaches, irritability, inability to work effectively, nervousness,
restlessness, and lethargy. A steady user of caffeine may, at times, experience
tight headaches in the back of the neck area and be quick to anger or
irritation.
Caffeine Acts as a Stimulant
Caffeine is a toxic
stimulant. This is not natural for the body. It activates the "fight or flight"
response.
"It's important to remember that the caffeine in coffee is a
powerful substance. It can stimulate the central nervous system, increase
heartbeat and metabolic rate, increase the secretion of stomach acid, and step
up kidney and bladder action. It's also well known for its annoying ability to
affect sleep.i "
The article goes on to say that in higher doses, caffeine can cause "coffee
nerves"—a wide assortment of symptoms including anxiety, irritability,
headaches, light-headedness, nausea, and diarrhea.ii
Coffee can cause a temporary increase in blood sugar, but it is quickly
followed by a decrease, and stimulates the release of adrenaline, which causes
body tissues to be broken down into sugar and fat. Too much insulin is produced,
and the blood sugar falls to a low level.
Caffeine is a Poison
Caffeine, which is the main chemical
in coffee, is a powerful poison! A drop of caffeine injected into the skin of an
animal will produce death within a few minutes. An infinitely small amount
injected into the brain will cause convulsions. The amount of caffeine in a cup
of coffee is quite small, yet we drink coffee because of the effect of the
caffeine, just as we smoke because of the effect of the nicotine. Both are
drugs, and both are habit-forming. Both are poisons.
Coffee Drinking
and Stomach Ulcers
The general public usually associates ulcers and
heart trouble with coffee drinking. J.A. Roth and A.C. Ivy, whose experiments on
coffee are famous, state this:
"Caffeine produces gastro-duodenal ulcers in animals to whom the
drug is given in a beeswax container so that their stomachs are absorbing
caffeine continually. Also, caffeine produces very definite changes in the blood
vessels of animals, which are similar to changes produced by prolonged
resentment hostility and anxiety.iii "
Coffee Linked to Hip Fractures
"People who drink more
than two cups of coffee or four cups of tea a day could be increasing their risk
of hip fracture in old age, according to a new study."iv The study,
published in the October issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology,
is the first to link caffeine consumption with hip fractures that occur in older
people whose bones have weakened. A hip fracture often marks an elderly person's
final decline into dependency or death.
Brown University's Dr. Douglas P.
Kiel and his colleagues looked at how much coffee or tea 3170 people reported
drinking over 14 years. They then looked to see which ones fractured their hips,
a sign that bones had become brittle. They found that heavy caffeine drinkers
were 53% more likely to suffer hip fractures.
Infertility
Trying to become pregnant? Stop drinking
caffeinated drinks. Among 104 women, those who drank just one cup of caffinated
coffee a day were half as likely to become pregnant during any given menstrual
cycle as those who drank less, according to a 1988 study by Allen Wilcox of the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Most of the studies
conducted since then have also found that caffeine impairs fertility, but
usually only at three or more cups of regular coffee a day.
But the
research is only as good or bad as the women's memories. For example, scientists
at John Hopkins University found that among 2500 women who were trying to become
pregnant, consuming more than 300 mg of caffeine a day reduced their chances of
succeeding in any given month by 17%. But those results were based on the amount
of coffee and soft drinks the women could remember having consumed as many as
ten years earlier.
Even so, "it's probably prudent for women who are trying
to become pregnant, and especially for those having trouble, to cut back on
caffeine," says Mark Klebanoff of the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland.
Does Coffee Cause Cancer?
There is mounting evidence
suggesting that if you want to avoid certain cancers, you are well-advised to
kick the coffee habit. Consider these examples:
-One study revealed that not only was coffee drinking associated with
increased risk of bladder cancer, but the drinking of non-diet cola drinks also
was linked to this problem.
-Coffee drinking increases the risk of birth
defects.
-Coffee drinking increases blood pressure, increasing the risk of
heart disease.
It is commonly thought that the drinking of coffee, soft
drinks, and other caffeinated drinks is a minor matter as far as our health is
concerned. But is it? We cannot estimate its effect on mind and emotions,
discrimination, and judgment. And then there are the harmful effects of the
stimulation on the heart and other vital organs.
Coffee and other caffeinated beverages are poor substitutes for water. The
body need fluids, but not stimulating drugs. Giving up the coffee habit is
relatively easy to do for most folks—once a commitment has been made. Since
caffeine is a less toxic drug than alcohol or street drugs, the majority of
coffee drinkers can give up the habit without the sort of difficulties that
alcoholics and drug addicts typically experience.
When giving up caffeine, eat and drink only what contributes in some way to
good nutrition for the body. Any food or drink does not contain vitamins,
minerals, or enzymes should automatically be crossed off the list. While
breaking the coffee habit, be sure to drink plenty of fresh juices and water.
"Just how widespread is coffee drinking? The average American drinks over
twenty-six gallons of coffee per year, but perhaps more germane to the
discussion is caffeine itself. Coffee has over three hundred chemicals; caffeine
is only one of them."v
i Executive Fitness Newsletter, October 13, 1984.
ii
Ibid.
iii Gastroenterology, November, 1948.
iv Providence Journal, October 1, 1990.
v Carol Simontacchi, The Crazy Makers (New York: Tarcher, 2001).
For more information, check out these references:
Charles F. Wetherall, Kicking The Coffee Habit, Wetherall Publ. Co.
MN.
Andrew Weil, MD & Winifred Rosen, Chocolate To Morphine,
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
Mervyn G. Hardinge, MD,
A Philosophy of Health, Loma Linda University, CA.
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