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The Bitter Truth About Coffee (or is it?)
Plus: the brain myth that just won't die
The 10almonds Team
July 07, 2023
Today’s almonds have been activated by:
Loading Screen Tip: Take 3 deep breaths. Feel better.
⏰ IN A RUSH?
Today’s 30-Second Summary
If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:
Coffee has many health benefits that aren’t controversial. For example:
Coffee is the world’s biggest source of antioxidants
65% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s for coffee-drinkers
67% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes for coffee-drinkers
43% reduced risk of liver cancer for coffee-drinkers
53% reduced suicide risk for coffee-drinkers
However, there are some more contentious considerations, which we look at in today’s main feature!
Green tea can be a very healthful alternative to coffee due to its high l-theanine content
Today’s sponsor Verb Energy are offering high protein, low sugar snack bars at a very good price—and they use green tea caffeine for the extra boost
Read on to learn about these things and more…
👀 WATCH AND LEARN
The brain myth that won’t die | Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett
☕ MAIN FEATURE
The Bitter Truth About Coffee (or is it?)
Yesterday, we asked you for your (health-related) views on coffee. The results were clear: if we assume the responses to be representative, we’re a large group of coffee-enthusiasts!
One subscriber who voted for “Coffee is a healthy stimulant, hydrating, and full of antioxidants” wrote:
❝Not so sure about how hydrating it is! Like most food and drink, moderation is key. More than 2 or 3 cups make me buzz! Just too much.❞
And that fine point brings us to our first potential myth:
Coffee is dehydrating: True or False?
False. With caveats…
Coffee, in whatever form we drink it, is wet. This may not come as a startling revelation, but it’s an important starting point. It’s mostly water. Water itself is not dehydrating.
Caffeine, however, is a diuretic—meaning you will tend to pee more. It achieves its diuretic effect by increasing blood flow to your kidneys, which prompts them to release more water through urination.
How much caffeine is required to have a diuretic effect? About 4.5 mg/kg.
What this means in practical terms: if you weigh 70kg (a little over 150lbs), 4.5x70 gives us 315.
315mg is about how much caffeine might be in six shots of espresso. We say “might” because while dosage calculations are an exact science, the actual amount in your shot of espresso can vary depending on many factors, including:
The kind of coffee bean
How and when it was roasted
How and when it was ground
The water used to make the espresso
The pressure and temperature of the water
…and that’s all without looking at the most obvious factor: “is the coffee decaffeinated?”
If it doesn’t contain caffeine, it’s not diuretic. Decaffeinated coffee does usually contain tiny amounts of caffeine still, but with nearer 3mg than 300mg, it’s orders of magnitude away from having a diuretic effect.
If it does contain caffeine, then the next question becomes: “and how much water?”
For example, an Americano (espresso, with hot water added to make it a long drink) will be more hydrating than a ristretto (espresso, stopped halfway through pushing, meaning it is shorter and stronger than a normal espresso).
A subscriber who voted for “Coffee messes with sleep, creates dependency, is bad for the heart and gut, and is dehydrating too” wrote:
❝Coffee causes tachycardia for me so staying away is best. People with colon cancer are urged to stay away from coffee completely.❞
These are great points! It brings us to our next potential myth:
Coffee is bad for the heart: True or False?
False… For most people.
Some people, like our subscriber above, have an adverse reaction to caffeine, such as tachycardia. An important reason (beyond basic decency) for anyone providing coffee to honor requests for decaff.
For most people, caffeine is “heart neutral”. It doesn’t provide direct benefits or cause direct harm, provided it is enjoyed in moderation.
See also: Can you overdose on caffeine?
Some quick extra notes…
That’s all we have time for in myth-busting, but it’s worth noting before we close that coffee has a lot of health benefits; we didn’t cover them today because they’re not contentious, but they are interesting nevertheless:
Enjoy!
❤️ OUR SPONSORS MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE
Verb Energy: High protein, low sugar bars with organic green tea caffeine!
Forget the overpriced latte, and supercharge your morning with these:
Verb Energy are tasty energy bars that…
Are high protein, low sugar
(they even have a <2g sugar option!)
Contain 80mg caffeine from organic green tea
(so about as much caffeine as an espresso)
There’s a wide variety of flavors, from cookie dough to caramel macchiato, s’mores to chocolate sea salt—see their shop for full list of flavors!
As for price, they do various deals, but to give you an idea, they’re typically just a little over a dollar per bar—so, cheaper than the much more sugary energy bars in your local supermarket!
(Psst, use code “STACK” to enjoy 30% off)
🌍 AROUND THE WEB
What’s happening in the health world…
More to come tomorrow!
📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW
Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding - by Dr. Daniel Lieberman
Surely the title is taking liberties? We must have evolved to exercise, right? Not exactly.
We evolved to conserve energy. Our strength-to-weight ratio is generally unimpressive, we cannot casually hang in trees, and we spend a third of our lives asleep.
Strengths that we do have, however, include a large brain and a versatile gut perfect for opportunism. Again, not the indicators of being evolved for exercise.
So, Dr. Lieberman tells us, if we're not inclined to get up and go, that's quite natural. So, why does it feel good when we do get up and go?
This book covers a lot of the "this not that" aspects of exercise. By this we mean: ways that we can work with or against our bodies, for both physical and psychological fulfilment.
There's an emphasis on such things as:
movement without excessive exertion
persistence being more important than power
strength-building but only so far as is helpful to us
...and many other factors that you won't generally see on your gym's motivational posters
Bottom line: this book is for all those who have felt "exercise is not for me" but would also like the benefits of exercise. It turns out that there's a best-of-both-worlds sweet spot!
What did you think of today's newsletter?We always love to hear from you, whether you leave us a comment or even just a click in the poll if you're speeding by! |
May your day see you full of energy,
The 10almonds Team