The Dr. Jules Plant-Based Podcast

Coffee: Medicine in a Mug?

• Dr. Jules Cormier (MD) • Season 2 • Episode 81

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Coffee—is it friend or foe? That seemingly innocent question sparked this deep dive into coffee science after a colleague questioned my own consumption habits. As a health professional and coffee enthusiast, I was surprised by the persistent myths surrounding this beloved bean.

Coffee contains over a thousand bioactive compounds beyond caffeine, including powerful antioxidants called chlorogenic acids that demonstrate anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer properties. Research consistently shows that moderate coffee consumption (3-4 cups daily) correlates with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and several types of cancer. Even your gut microbiome benefits, with studies identifying specific beneficial bacteria that flourish exclusively in coffee drinkers.

But not all coffee is created equal. Filtered coffee traps cholesterol-raising diterpenes that pass through into French press and espresso preparations. Light to medium roasts preserve more beneficial compounds than darker roasts, though the latter develops more complex flavors. Adding cow's milk potentially binds to beneficial polyphenols, while plant milks appear not to interfere with these compounds. And those sugary, cream-laden specialty drinks? They likely negate most health benefits you'd otherwise receive.

Some people metabolize caffeine slowly due to genetic variations, making them more susceptible to jitters, anxiety, and blood pressure changes. Pregnant women should limit intake to under 200mg daily. But don't worry—decaf still delivers most of coffee's health benefits minus the stimulant effects. The key is moderation, mindful timing (avoid late-day consumption to protect sleep), and listening to your body's unique response.

Ready to optimize your daily brew? Visit plantbaseddrjules.com for more resources on integrating coffee into a healthy lifestyle, and connect with me on social media to continue the conversation about evidence-based nutrition and wellness.

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Speaker 1:

Hey everyone, welcome to Season 2 of the Dr Jules Plant-Based Podcast, where we discuss everything from plant-based nutrition to the main pillars of lifestyle medicine. Yo, plant-based buddies, welcome back to the podcast. Today we're going to be talking about coffee. Now, the reason I wanted to talk specifically about coffee and dedicate a full episode to it was not only because I'm a coffee drinker and a coffee liker, but because there's a lot of confusion amongst the general public and even patients on whether or not coffee is healthy. Now people associate caffeine with high blood pressure and heart arrhythmias and anxiety and insomnia, and so they assume that coffee and caffeine is unhealthy. Now that's what happened one morning when I was dropping off paperwork at the front desk and one of my secretaries saw me with the coffee in hand and said I can't believe that you drink coffee, considering you promote health online. And I was baffled because I had never really heard someone in my circle refer to coffee in that way. So when I asked her why she thought coffee wasn't healthy, she cited that well, it was not good for your heart and increased heart disease and problem with sleep the common things that are cited when people want to demonize coffee. So I actually took the time to deep dive into the literature, and today I'm going to talk to you about the pros and cons of consuming coffee. We're going to be diving into one of the world's most beloved, yet misunderstood beverages. It wakes us up, it fuels our work days and it's the reason that I survive Monday mornings. But is it actually good for you? Now, today's episode. We'll talk about what's actually in your cup of coffee, the different types of beans and of brews, health benefits and maybe downsides of coffee and caffeine. I'll explain the differences between filtered and unfiltered, or decaf versus regular. I'll talk about coffee's impact on your heart, on your cancer risk and on your gut, and whether adding dairy to coffee changes its benefits. Let's get started. Coffee changes its benefits. Let's get started At its core.

Speaker 1:

Coffee is a plant and is absolutely permitted on a plant-based diet, and the two main types of coffee beans are Arabica beans or Robusta beans. Now, arabica is smoother, it's a more nuanced bean, it's higher quality, less bitter and slightly lower in caffeine content. Robusta is heartier, it's more bitter and often used in cheaper blends or instant coffees. It's got about 1.5 times the amount of caffeine than Arabica beans have. Now we then roast these coffee beans, we grind them and then we pour water over it or we brew them, and that's how the magic begins.

Speaker 1:

Positive and or possible negative impacts of coffee are basically explained by the compounds that they contain. In coffee, besides water, we can find over a thousand bioactive compounds. These are compounds, chemical compounds that have biological activity inside of your body. The most known compound in coffee is caffeine. Caffeine is a natural stimulant and it blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, which makes us feel more alert. It also boosts dopamine slightly and increases sympathetic tone. That's the activity of our fight or flight system. A little bit of caffeine can induce feel-good vibes, but a lot of caffeine can induce fear and anxiety and insomnia and feel-bad vibes.

Speaker 1:

Now, coffee also contains chlorogenic acids. These are a class of compounds that act as antioxidants that have potential anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-cancer properties, and that's why we want to avoid low-acid coffees. Low-acid coffees are maybe better for heartburn, but you wash out the beneficial compounds, which are the chlorogenic acids. That's what gives the acidic taste to coffee and also most of its benefits. And coffee also contains compounds called diterpenes. Now, these are compounds that can actually raise LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, which is increased with cardiovascular risk. This happens only in unfiltered coffee, because diterpenes are not water-soluble, they form an oily film on coffee and that's why they're so easily captured by paper filters. So they can increase LDL cholesterol, but they only do in people who drink a lot of coffee and in those who drink unfiltered coffee.

Speaker 1:

We'll talk a little bit more about filtered versus unfiltered coffee later. Now, a fun fact your average eight ounce cup of coffee has about 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine. An espresso has about 60 to 75 milligrams, but in a smaller volume. Now, although caffeine can have some benefits in terms of energy, concentration, alertness and even athletic performance, these benefits start to decline after about 400 milligrams, where people start having feelings of anxiety. Their heart is racing, they can have panic attacks. We see patients having sweating, shaking, feeling jittery, and it can also impact sleep if taken too late throughout the day.

Speaker 1:

Let's now shift our focus towards the differences between filtered and unfiltered coffee, as well as the different roast levels. Now, filtered coffee, like what you would get from a drip machine or a pour-over, uses a paper filter that traps most of the cholesterol containing diterpenes. Unfiltered coffee, like French press or espresso, lets these compounds flow through and into the coffee you drink, and in high-volume drinkers it could actually raise LDL cholesterol. Now, when we talk about roast levels, we're talking about whether we're roasting the bean lightly or a lot. So we have light roast, medium roast and dark roast. Now, roasting the beans lightly will actually help retain most of the chlorogenic acids and the caffeine, and that means that coffee is healthier for you. Now, darker roasts tend to lose the antioxidant power and a little bit of caffeine, but they do gain more of a bold and smoky flavor. So if you're just enjoying coffee for its taste, some people would even prefer dark roast, and if you're drinking coffee for its health benefits, you may want to stick to lighter, medium or light medium roast.

Speaker 1:

Now, I drink coffee because I like the taste and because I like the way it makes me feel. I like having a hot beverage when I wake up in the morning. Uh, it helps me feel more alert and concentrated and it helps with athletic performance. I sometimes have a coffee before a run or before a workout, so I was quite happy to see that there's actual data that supports it being used as a longevity beverage. Now, research does suggest that moderate coffee consumption about 3-4 cups per day is actually associated with lower cardiovascular risk, and regular coffee drinkers may have a lower risk of heart failure and stroke. But that applies to those who drink filtered coffee, because unfiltered coffee, as we stated earlier, can increase LDL cholesterols because of the diterpenes that they contain. Coffee is also linked to a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's. Heavy coffee drinkers actually have lower risk than non-drinkers.

Speaker 1:

We know that the polyphenols that coffee contains, as well as chlorogenic acids, have anti-inflammatory impacts. Now coffee may actually reduce inflammatory parameters when we measure them when compared to those who don't drink coffee, and studies also show that coffee reduces the risk of liver, endometrial and colon cancers, probably because of these polyphenols that they contain, and each cup of coffee can contain a few grams of fiber. So chlorogenic acids and the polyphenols we know that they also are used by your microbiome and they can also increase gut health. So it encourages the growth of bifidobacteria, a friendly gut bug, and there's actually one specific type of bacteria that is seen almost exclusively in coffee drinkers, and scientists have been using it as a specific fingerprint to identify those who drink coffee versus those who don't.

Speaker 1:

Here's the catch. Okay, coffee is healthy, but the benefits are stronger when the coffee is enjoyed without too much sugar or whipped cream or artificial flavor shots. So maybe skip the unicorn frappuccino. I mean, I'm talking here about the benefits of black coffee. We'll talk about the different sweeteners or creams that you can use later on in the episode, but I'm not talking about the 700 calorie coffee that you would buy in specialty coffee shops calorie coffee that you would buy in specialty coffee shops.

Speaker 1:

Now what about side effects? And are there people that should be cautious of drinking too much coffee? It's not all sunshine and rainbows. Too much caffeine can cause anxiety, insomnia, jitters, heart palpitations, heartburn, digestive upset, diarrhea and for some people it can actually increase blood pressure. But this is usually seen in the acute consumption setting, meaning that if you ingest coffee chronically over the long term, these side effects kind of go away as your body develops tolerance. So typically, the high blood pressure, the heart palpitations and the anxiety they kind of go away within a few days or weeks of consuming coffee.

Speaker 1:

Now if you're one of these people listening now that says well, I simply cannot enjoy a cup of coffee. I feel unwell when I take one. You may be a slow caffeine metabolizer or you may have genetic mutations or variations in your liver cytochrome enzymes. These are enzymes that basically break down or metabolize or process or detox certain compounds that we ingest. Now if you're one of these people who metabolizes these compounds slowly, coffee is much more likely to accumulate and maybe even trigger high blood pressure. That could make you at increased risk of having heart attacks or cardiovascular disease, of having heart attacks or cardiovascular disease. Now, if you're pregnant, try to refrain or reduce the amount of caffeine you consume to at least under 200 milligrams. That's about a cup and a half of brewed coffee. Higher doses of coffee or caffeine would actually negatively impact placental blood flow, that's blood flow to your fetus. So talk to your doctor if you're not sure. Better saved than sorry is my approach when it comes to pregnancy. Now, something that surprises a lot of people when we talk about decaf versus caffeinated or regular coffee is that decaf coffee still has health benefits. You still get chlorogenic acids, you still get the polyphenols and you still get the antioxidants and the thousands of bioactive compounds. You just don't get the caffeine. Decaf would be great for those who are sensitive to stimulants, to caffeine or prone to insomnia or the other negative side effects that people could have.

Speaker 1:

Now, when we talk about coffee, we also need to talk about what we add to it. Certain studies have shown that adding cow's milk to your coffee can actually bind to the polyphenols, especially the chlorogenic acids, and potentially reduce their absorption. That may blunt the antioxidant activity that makes coffee healthy. And plant milks like oats, soy or almond? They don't seem to have that negative effect. Now, that being said, if your goal is to maximize antioxidant potential, drink black coffee. But if your goal is to enjoy your cup of coffee, there's no harm in adding plant milks or plant creamers to it.

Speaker 1:

Just be mindful that added sugar and added fats will increase the calorie density of your coffee and you simply want to make sure that you account for this in your overall calorie balance. So now, if you're drinking coffee for the polyphenols but you're adding a lot of fat and you're adding a lot of added sugar, well, just kind of keep in mind that these things could increase fatty liver and potentially neutralize or annihilate any benefits that you're seeking. So if you ask what I do, well, I really enjoy a cup of dark roast coffee and I very often enjoy it with almond milk or soy milk. Um, but now, and just because I've I've done a lot of research on it, I may be switching to lighter or medium roast. I'm sure I'm going to get used to it, I'm not fussy and I have no problem with making the switch. But I'm just happy to learn that coffee can absolutely be a part of a healthy lifestyle when you consume it in moderation, when you primarily consume filtered coffee and without you adding excessive sugar or saturated fat to it.

Speaker 1:

If you're sensitive to caffeine, do not hesitate trying decaf If you're worried about it increasing your LDL cholesterol.

Speaker 1:

Choose filtered coffee and maybe choose plant-based creamers or drink it black if you want to maximize the health benefits of your coffee. But make sure to listen to your body. Some people are slow metabolizers. Typically, coffee's half-life, or caffeine's half-life, is about 6 to 8 hours, and that means that it takes 6 to 8 hours to reduce the concentration or the amount by half. So if you drink a full cup of coffee at suppertime that contains 100 milligrams of caffeine, that means that at 8 pm before going to bed, you probably still have half of that cup flowing in your body. That 50 milligrams of caffeine may be impacting your sleep negatively. So just make sure to consume it earlier throughout the day, because most studies show that people who consume coffee later in the day seem to not have these health benefits that we see for those who drink it in the morning, and that's probably because sleep is your superpower. So anything that will impact sleep negatively will be offsetting any potential benefits from the actual compounds you get in coffee.

Speaker 1:

The most important thing is that coffee in moderation is probably anywhere underneath 400 milligrams, which is probably anywhere underneath four cups, which is probably anywhere underneath four cups. But if you consume coffee in a jug with 50 grams of sugar and a lot of creamer, that is most likely undoing any of the benefits that you had to begin with Right on. I hope this deep dive in coffee science has been useful for you. Listen to your body. Drink coffee in moderation. If you have side effects from drinking coffee, still consider decaf. It will still have health benefits.

Speaker 1:

But coffee is not a miracle beverage. It is the overall pattern of how you live your life how you eat, how you sleep, how you move, how you meditate, how you manage stress, how you manage social connections and how you avoid risky substances. So drinking coffee once in a while is beneficial for you, but it won't undo an unhealthy lifestyle right on. Thanks so much for listening. I hope you've learned a lot about coffee. This is beneficial for you, but it won't undo an unhealthy lifestyle Right on. Thanks so much for listening. I hope you've learned a lot about coffee. Share it with your friends. We'll see you at the next episode. Peace, hey everyone. Go check out my website plantbaseddoctorjulescom to find free downloadable resources, and remember that you can find me on Facebook and Instagram at Dr Jules Cormier, and on YouTube at Client-Based Dr Jules.

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