Caffeine, pros and/or cons?

[audreyh1]

I have lots of PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) and caffeine can be a trigger, so my cardiologist said absolutely none for me. Not even chocolate!

Giving up coffee was bad enough, but chocolate was one of my major food groups.

Getting O.L.D. sucks.

Too bad, DH is OK with chocolate.

 

[Fermion]

One obvious pro to coffee is I will die without it.

 

[Toast]

DH and I spent a good 30 years as green tea drinkers. Then, in our early 40s, we had plain black coffee for the first time. Delicious! We’ve been coffee drinkers ever since. We still enjoy green tea several times a week but can’t imagine not drinking coffee. We joke that our years without coffee are the “lost decades”.

My vote is to enjoy your coffee.

 

[TripleLindy]

I’d be more concerned about the chemicals in any soda and the way the body reacts to “fake” sugar in diet drinks more than I would be about caffeine. Love my coffee - 3 good sized cups every morning. Then it’s water for the rest of the day.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

One obvious pro to coffee is I will die without it.

An often overlooked consequence of giving up coffee.

 

[DrRoy]

In the past I have gotten headaches from caffeine withdrawal, so now I do not have more than one cup of black tea a day. Later I night have green or white tea, which have much less caffeine.

 

[finnski1]

I’d be more concerned about the chemicals in any soda and the way the body reacts to “fake” sugar in diet drinks more than I would be about caffeine. Love my coffee - 3 good sized cups every morning. Then it’s water for the rest of the day.

This!
Approx 3 (8 ounce ) cups every morning for me. Strait black strong coffee, No sugar. Brew a pot every morning

 

[marko]

I'm beginning to wonder if I have some issue with my beloved coffee in general.... caffeine or decaf.

Over the past six months I've developed some very annoying PVCs (heart palpitations). I usually only drink decaf and I've tried to correlate between a few coffee fasts, going to camomile tea.

This is my third coffee fast--two weeks at a time-- and I'm just about ready call coffee in general as my cause. This makes me very unhappy but the PVCs make me miserable.

(Yes, I've gone through the whole cardiac stress tests, Holter monitor, echo cardiogram route etc)

 

[street]

I drink too much coffee, but I don't see any ill effects from it. I drink coffee most of the morning if not doing much. Maybe have a cup if home in the afternoon.

You read so much that coffee is good for you and then read where it isn't. Everything in moderation is key and everyone has different levels IMO.

 

[MarieIG]

Bought some T-bills, did an ASL (American Sign Language video) listening to a health video, and pursuing the ER forum.

While sipping on a big Bubba mug of black coffee.

When I finish that, I'll do my stationary bike for an hour . . . (I had listened to a podcast a while back that it was ok to drink the black coffee before morning exercise.)

 

[tmm99]

I drink 80oz of green tea a day (a pound of gyokuro was delivered minutes ago) and have zero trouble sleeping.

Enjoy your beverages while you can.

I think sencha and particularly gyokuro has a high content of Threonine which is quite calming. Too much of either of those teas makes me very sleepy.

 

[Midpack]

An article with pros and cons.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/caffeine-health-benefits#1


This article references caffeine in coffee: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coffee-brain#parkinsons-risk

I’d always read caffeine had pluses in moderation along with minuses in excess.

I drink 1 cup of coffee a day, and it makes no difference in my sleep or mood that I know of. If I miss a day, it doesn’t make any difference (no headaches as some report).

 

[mpeirce]

When deciding on drinking coffee vs (hopefully diet) colas it’s good to keep in mind that coffee has much more caffeine than colas.

Diet Coke (12 oz can) contains 42 mg of caffeine

Coffee (8 oz) contains roughly 112 mg of caffeine.

Coffees vary a lot though. For example a Keurig K-Cup of Starbucks Pike Place Roast contains 260 mg of caffeine while a pod of Green Mountain Breakfast blend is 180mg.

Teas are generally lower in caffeine, but vary a lot too.

 

[W2R]

When deciding on drinking coffee vs (hopefully diet) colas it’s good to keep in mind that coffee has much more caffeine than colas.

Diet Coke (12 oz can) contains 42 mg of caffeine

Coffee (8 oz) contains roughly 112 mg of caffeine.

Coffees vary a lot though. For example a Keurig K-Cup of Starbucks Pike Place Roast contains 260 mg of caffeine while a pod of Green Mountain Breakfast blend is 180mg.

Teas are generally lower in caffeine, but vary a lot too.

I'm planning to have a 16 oz "car mug" of Taster's Choice instant coffee this morning (very soon!), which they claim is about 196 mg of caffeine. That's a lot, but then I don't have to finish all of it if it seems too radical.

 

[Montecfo]

W2R,

Sounds like you were a wild one. Congrats on choosing your own way.

I do recommend brewed coffee, not instant.

Also if you like Diet Coke, try Coke Zero or my personal fave, Dr. Pepper Zero.

 

[TripleLindy]

Given that Diet Coke is being discussed as the caffeine source, consider all of the ingredients:

Carbonated Water, Colour (Caramel E150d), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Natural Flavourings Including Caffeine, Phosphoric Acid, Citric Acid. Contains a Source of Phenylalanine

Caffeine would be the least of my concerns in that list.

 

[finnski1]

Given that Diet Coke is being discussed as the caffeine source, consider all of the ingredients:

Carbonated Water, Colour (Caramel E150d), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Natural Flavourings Including Caffeine, Phosphoric Acid, Citric Acid. Contains a Source of Phenylalanine

Caffeine would be the least of my concerns in that list.

Exactly. Give me strong black coffee any day. Can't stand sodas so there's that.

 

[Sue J]

Well now, after a year of this, it seems like I sleep too much. I might as well be on sleeping pills. If I'm not sleeping I am wishing I could sleep, etc. I fall asleep for no reason. You get the idea.

In 2007 I mentioned symptoms like that to my doctor. She suggested that I go for a sleep test. Turns out I had sleep apnea. I’ve been using a CPAP machine since then and have had very good results. I still appreciate a good nap, but my sleep at night is vastly improved.

As for coffee, I have 1 cup in the morning with breakfast. Often I find about half of my coffee in my cup in the microwave where I reheated it and forgot it. So I’m not even consuming a full cup. The caffeine does not bother me at all.

 

[W2R]

W2R,

Sounds like you were a wild one. Congrats on choosing your own way.

Yes, I really was! Early Berkeley hippie, summer of love, wild child, and so on. Well, you get the idea. Some teens just have to do things THEIR way, and learn from their own mistakes. I was that way. Luckily it didn't take me too long to realize that this "wasn't me" (wasn't what I wanted in life), and to then get my life straightened out on my own out of sheer determination. Never had the slightest doubt about it after learning all that for myself.

I do recommend brewed coffee, not instant.

I'll give it a thought. I do have a small (4-cup?) "Mr.Coffee" that I could use for that.

Also if you like Diet Coke, try Coke Zero or my personal fave, Dr. Pepper Zero.

Never tried the latter! I don't really like Coke Zero though. I could probably just eliminate soft drinks, or maybe switch to sparkling water or some such thing instead of soda. Mostly I like diet Coke for the fizz.

 

[W2R]

In 2007 I mentioned symptoms like that to my doctor. She suggested that I go for a sleep test. Turns out I had sleep apnea. I’ve been using a CPAP machine since then and have had very good results. I still appreciate a good nap, but my sleep at night is vastly improved.

Interesting! Hmmm!

As for coffee, I have 1 cup in the morning with breakfast. Often I find about half of my coffee in my cup in the microwave where I reheated it and forgot it. So I’m not even consuming a full cup. The caffeine does not bother me at all.

Well, this morning I had a full 16 oz car cup of Tasters Choice (caffeinated) instant coffee. It was marvelous and I finished the whole thing really quickly. I know that caffeine keeps me awake at night if I have it after maybe 2 PM or so, but it's not even noon here, yet and I'm done with coffee for the day.

 

[Sanstar]

When I retuned home, after being gone a couple of weeks, I brewed my morning coffee with what was left in the jar I had ground before going out of town. For the next three days I felt so awful I took a COVID test. Took me that long to figure out I’d been drinking decaf. My practice until then had been 2 cups caff and anything after was decaf. Since I had inadvertently decaffeinated, I decided to stick with it.

Mainly because I don’t want to experience withdrawal again, intentional or otherwise. Secondly, if I do need to be up and alert all night (sick family member, longer than planned drive…), I know a cup of Joe will really work for me. I’ve been on BP meds d save the caff for years so caff doesn’t really help.

Lastly, I’ve been on Synthroid for hypothyroidism for 15 years. Several years ago, I had increasing fatigue. No amount of sleep was enough. Coincidentally, my primary care MD retired and I changed to a DO for primary care. She checked thyroid labs and all was “normal”. But, because of my c/o waking up tired, she bumped it up to get the number on the right side of mid-range instead of left. What a game changer! Within days I was back to my usual get up and go self.

This thread has almost convinced me to go back to 2 cups of caff. But I think I’ll stick to decaf and use caff only for the occasional need to be up and alert.

It’s a journey.

 

[bmcgonig]

I think caffeine is fine for most people and probably even has health benefits. I kind of suspect it helps the elderly.

DH can’t drink it because after a few days of use he can get irregular heartbeats. Not dangerous, but uncomfortable. Very occasional he’s OK. Decaf is fine for him.

Me too. I get PVCs from regular coffee. Otherwise I’d drink it a lot more.

 

[pacergal]

I know I have trouble sleeping if I have caffeine in the afternoon. My two cups of coffee are my morning wake up, if I want more, I switch to decaf. I have never experienced a caffeine headache, but DH does. He is a bigger coffee drinker, usually 3-4.

W2R--Enjoy your coffee and Diet Coke. If all of a sudden you are gulping down a six pack and a full pot of coffee, well, then, cut back a bit! . Life is too short not to enjoy the things you like to eat or drink, within reason.

 

[bmcgonig]

Me too. I get PVCs from regular coffee. Otherwise I’d drink it a lot more.

Interesting small study on caffeine effects. Caffeine leads to more PVCs, less sleep but also MORE exercise [emoji16]

https://pace-cme.org/2021/11/14/cof...e-pvcs-more-physical-activity-and-less-sleep/



Conclusion

This study gave daily random assignments to a hundred volunteers to either drink as much coffee as they liked or to avoid all caffeinated products and found that coffee consumption resulted in more daily PVC counts, more physical activity as assessed by steps per day and less sleep duration. Coffeee consumption was not related to atrial arrhythmias. Prof. Gregory M Marcus, MD said that these results suggest that individuals prone to PVCs or ventricular arrhythmias may benefit from coffee abstinence, but genetic differences influence risk.

 

[W2R]

When I retuned home, after being gone a couple of weeks, I brewed my morning coffee with what was left in the jar I had ground before going out of town. For the next three days I felt so awful I took a COVID test. Took me that long to figure out I’d been drinking decaf. My practice until then had been 2 cups caff and anything after was decaf. Since I had inadvertently decaffeinated, I decided to stick with it.

Mainly because I don’t want to experience withdrawal again, intentional or otherwise. Secondly, if I do need to be up and alert all night (sick family member, longer than planned drive…), I know a cup of Joe will really work for me. I’ve been on BP meds d save the caff for years so caff doesn’t really help.

Lastly, I’ve been on Synthroid for hypothyroidism for 15 years. Several years ago, I had increasing fatigue. No amount of sleep was enough. Coincidentally, my primary care MD retired and I changed to a DO for primary care. She checked thyroid labs and all was “normal”. But, because of my c/o waking up tired, she bumped it up to get the number on the right side of mid-range instead of left. What a game changer! Within days I was back to my usual get up and go self.

This thread has almost convinced me to go back to 2 cups of caff. But I think I’ll stick to decaf and use caff only for the occasional need to be up and alert.

It’s a journey.

Interesting post! I can sure relate to your experiences on your journey. Time will tell whether I stick to caffeine every day, or not, but so far so good (1/2 day into it).