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Can’t make it through the day without your Java? Coffee actually contributes to insulin resistance and could leave you feeling tired in the afternoon, hungry all day long, and even cause difficulty sleeping at night.
by BodyEcology.com [1]
Coffee gets a lot of press.
Its deep, nutty aroma and earthy, bitter taste have created fans and connoisseurs of coffee across the globe. The morning ritual of coffee, taking a coffee break, and meeting for coffee are events that are near and dear to the hearts of many.
Maybe you have heard about the antioxidants in coffee and how these benefit the cerebrovascular system.
Major mainstream publications and even popular medical journals have celebrated coffee as heart health-friendly and a good way to lower risk of stroke. This is especially true as new studies to support these claims emerge.
Recently, major publications have cited a coffee study where Swedish researchers followed 35,000 women for 10 years. However, as Gary Schwitzer, founding Editor-In-Chief of MayoClinic.com, professor at University of Minnesota, and health journalist points out, this popular study was just that: an observational study that does not prove cause and effect.
He also points out that the generalizations and inaccuracies in stories covering the coffee study from WebMD, CBSNews.com, and USA Today are entirely misleading. His main complaint was shoddy journalism that claims benefit and risk reduction, rather than any attempt to persuade his audience about the pros or cons of coffee. (1)
Noteworthy and along the same vein, a 2006 peer-reviewed study looked at the relationship between drinking coffee and acute coronary events, based on catecholamine activity. The study observed that heavy coffee consumption, roughly 3.5 cups a day, increases acute coronary events in variants of the COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) gene. (2)
Other recent articles have pointed out that coffee lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Interestingly enough, this claim is followed with a minor paradox:
“Those antioxidants play another role: boosting your cells’ sensitivity to insulin… other studies have shown that caffeine can blunt the insulin boost, so if you do drink several cups a day, try mixing in decaf occasionally.” (3)
It seems that coffee made from roasted and otherwise unadulterated coffee beans both boosts sensitivity to insulin and dulls the insulin boost.
It is important to look at the relationship between insulin and the adrenal glands, which caffeine stimulates. If you:
- Depend on caffeine to function
- Frequently miss meals
- Eat foods high in sugar or crave salty and sweet foods throughout the day
- Have a difficult time waking up in the morning
- Experience a dip of energy around 3-4 pm
- Are grouchy if you go too long without eating
Then consider the possibility of having reactive hypoglycemia.Hypoglycemia is a condition of low blood sugar. Reactive hypoglycemia is when the drop in blood sugar happens 2-5 hours after eating. As Dr. Kharrazian, known for his revolutionary book on the thyroid, points out: “Reactive hypoglycemia is an early stage of insulin resistance… and can lead to diabetes.” He also explains how hypoglycemia is related to many forms of hypothyroidism and sluggish pituitary function. (4)
Even though insulin resistance makes you sleepy, resist the urge to grab a cup of coffee.
Insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes, happens when an ongoing release of insulin is released in response to high blood sugar. This actually exhausts the cells, and they begin refusing insulin. Insulin escorts glucose, metabolic fuel, into the cells. Important stuff and not something we want our cells to refuse. But it happens. And it happens all the time due to excess sugars in the diet.
Yep, you guessed it; coffee and other stimulants play an important role in this wide-spread and fatal metabolic disorder. What does insulin resistance look like? Someone who is insulin resistant:
- Needs a nap after every meal
- Is hungry all day, even after large meals
- Has difficultly falling asleep at night
- Carries extra belly fat
- If a woman, may grow facial hair while losing head hair (insulin resistance promotes testosterone production in women)
- If a man, will develop breast tissue and experience widening of the hips
- Have a difficult time losing weight
Caffeine, including decaffeinated coffee, stimulates the adrenals.
Chronically high blood sugar eventually leads to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance and hypoglycemia often occur at the same time. The adrenal glands raise blood sugar while the pancreas and insulin control blood sugar. The combination of insulin resistance with hypoglycemia is the result of a seesaw effect in the body and is common.
Caffeine, caffeinated energy beverages, and coffee, including decaffeinated coffee, stimulate the adrenals. Habitual consumption of these beverages fatigues the adrenals and throws the metabolic pathways out of balance to lead to irregular blood sugar levels.
Coffee increases brainpower! Right?
It is true that you may feel alert after jump-starting your adrenals with a cup of coffee. And solid claims have been made that coffee reduces risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s. (5) However, when working with a permeable gut, it is essential to consider the latest research regarding gluten sensitivity.
There is such a thing as gluten-associated sensitivity and cross-reactive foods that trigger a systemic gluten-like inflammatory response. So far, Cyrex Labs is the only testing facility that checks for the appropriate antibodies. Cyrex researchers have discovered that coffee has the highest rate of cross-reaction with gluten. Meaning, it tops dairy as a cross-reactive inflammatory trigger.
Perhaps a little less surprising is that dairy shows up as commonly cross-reactive because its protein structure is so similar to gluten. An array of testing for cross-reactivity can determine which foods will trigger a gluten-sensitive response in your body. (6) It is important to build the healthy microflora in the gut with coconut water kefir [2] or probiotic beverages [3] in order to lower the inflammatory response.
What does a permeable and inflamed gut have to do with brainpower and neurodegeneration?
Well, a lot. Think of the gut and the brain as best friends that are constantly communicating via the vagus nerve. Another reason why they are such good friends is that they are made of the same stuff, neurons and glial cells.
When glial cells get the inflammatory signal, a sort of excited frenzy of cell death occurs. If these episodes of cell death happen frequently, irreversible neurodegeneration follows. In short: fire in the gut, fire in the brain – both have the potential to lead to neurodegeneration.
Therefore, while studies have observed a positive link between coffee and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s, if you have any kind of systemic inflammatory condition, gut dysbiosis, an autoimmune condition, or food sensitivity, consider the most recent research that shows that the proteins in coffee are cross-reactive with gluten antibodies.
WHAT TO REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THIS ARTICLE:
- Dig deep. It is exciting when mainstream publications confirm that something like coffee, which many people enjoy, is actually good for you. However, sometimes the story gets inflated or is made to fit a certain agenda. Sometimes, whole studies are funded to fit a certain agenda. A little investigation goes a long way.
- Your body is speaking to you. Listen. And ask questions. If you feel like you cannot function without a stimulant or that it greatly enhances your day-to-day performance, then you may want to look into the mechanisms that lead to needing a stimulant. This could involve blood sugar levels. An overworked pituitary gland. Or adrenal function. These are all elements of the endocrine system and have a major influence throughout the body.
- Gluten-sensitive? Then even more reason to consider eliminating coffee from your diet. If erratic blood sugar levels and exhausted adrenals aren’t reason enough to quit coffee, research confirms that the small percentage of proteins in coffee actually stimulate a gluten-sensitive response throughout the body, leading to systemic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is the root of all degenerative disease and best avoided.
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