Is Caffeine Bad for You? (Here’s the TRUTH)

Yuri, why is caffeine bad for you?

That’s a question I get asked all the time when I tell my clients to give up their morning coffee or caffeinated tea.

To me, it’s a complete no-brainer yet for so many people that are addicted (yes, addicted) to caffeine it often feels as though they’re giving up the one thing that makes them happy.

And yes, you WILL find plenty of research that shows that caffeine may help prevent colon cancer (perhaps because it purges food out of your gut due to spasmodic intestinal contractions)…

Or that it improves brain function (heightened alertness, etc…). Well, in the latter case, so does cocaine.

Caffeine is a Drug

The first thing you need to remember about caffeine is that it’s a DRUG. In fact, it’s the world most popular psychoactive drug!

It’s a stimulant which primes your central nervous system (CNS) into action – also known as  the “fight or flight” stress response.

Why does it make you feel so good (at least temporarily)?

There are several known mechanisms but here are two of the most prominent:

1. It stimulates the adrenal glands to pump out adrenaline and cortisol (the same response that happens when you’re feeling stressed or faced with a threat).
2. It temporarily blocks the action of adenosine on its receptor which prevents the onset of drowsiness that adenosine normally induces.

I’ll discuss the long-term detriments of the first mechanism in just a second, but first let me show you why caffeine is really no different than alcohol or any other drug addiction (ok, perhaps not as deadly in terms of eventual health outcomes).

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (or DSM-IV) that is a the bible of psychological disorders and addictions highlights the following criteria as symptoms of “substance dependence”:

• You have developed a tolerance for the substance (This means you need more in order to get the same effect).*
• You continue to use it despite obvious evidence that it is causing harm.*
• You experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking the substance.*
• You find it difficult to cut down on the amount you are using.*
• Lack of control over the amount you consume.
• Loss of interest in other activities that you once enjoyed.
• Devoting increasing amounts of time to using the substance.

If an individual experiences three or more of the above symptoms within a 12-month period, it indicates they have become dependent on this particular “drug”.

Now, I’ve highlighted 4 items above (in asterisk) which are classic symptoms in those who drink coffee or caffeine.

Do you feel irritable or cranky when you don’t get your “fix?

Do you go into withdrawal (headaches, etc…) when you don’t drink coffee or caffeine?

Do you need more coffee than you originally did (when you first started drinking it) to feel its “awakening” effects?

Will you continue to drink it in spite of what you’re about to learn in this post (and elsewhere)?

If so, then you’re addicted to caffeine.

The sad part is that, more often than not, when you give up caffeine and follow healthier, more sustainable eating (or drinking) habits, you end up feeling 100x better than when you drank the coffee.

[Related: How to Create Healthy Eating Habits That Actually Stick (The CPR Method)]

It’s as if you’ve finally seen the “light” and really know how good you can feel without relying on a short-term stimulant that wears your body down over time.

Caffeine Is to Energy Like Credit Cards Are to Financial Health

Most people are heavily indebted and that’s because they’re borrowing money from tomorrow (ie. credit card) to pay for stuff they want today.

Drinking caffeine works in much the same way…

You’re borrowing energy from later to use right now. Unfortunately, later, you end up crashing and seeking another “hit” to feel alive again. 

Caffeine Can Eventually Lead to Adrenal Exhaustion

As I mentioned earlier, excessive stimulation and stress cause your adrenals to release adrenaline and cortisol—two catabolic hormones, which break down your energy reserves for immediate use. Remember, your body thinks it’s in a state where it needs to fight or flee—so it needs that readily available energy.

When chronically elevated in your bloodstream, cortisol is a detrimental hormone, leading to quick glycogen (stored carbohydrates) depletion, a rise in blood sugar, and eventually weight gain (especially abdominal weight gain). And even when it’s less present (adrenal fatigue), epinephrine picks up the slack, yielding the same problems.

[Related: 3 Ways Stress Causes Weight Gain]

Adrenaline (epinephrine) has similar energy-depleting effects. Initially, however, it gives you that feeling often described as a “natural high” or “caffeine rush,” because it temporarily increases your heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and carbohydrate breakdown into blood sugar.

Within a few minutes, you feel alive and ready to take on the world. But that quick surge in energy is soon followed by a debilitating crash in which your body does its best to recover from the stressful situation, whether it’s your morning coffee or a near fender bender on your way to work.

Having these two hormones chronically circulating in your blood is not a desirable situation, but this only occurs up until the threshold where your adrenal glands can no longer keep up. Once you reach that point, say hello to “adrenal fatigue” in which case there is less and less hormonal output and you’re unable to cope with even minor stresses on a daily basis.

Here’s how it plays out:

So don’t forget…

What Goes Up, Must Come…

…down, especially when stimulants are involved. The initial feeling of mental alertness and energy that a hot cup of coffee brings on is almost always followed by a dreadful crash as your blood sugar plummets and your adrenals do their best to recover from another bout of acute stress.

For most people, the “solution” is another cup of coffee, or maybe a caffeinated soda or an energy drink. It too is followed by another crash. By the end of the day, you’ve been up and down on this seesaw.

If this process repeats itself day in and day out, it’s only a matter of time before your body breaks down. There’s no amount of coffee that can perk you up from that. Caffeine simply masks what’s really going on inside your body and temporarily gives you a false sense of feeling alert and productive.

It’s a Band-Aid solution that will never give you the lasting energy we crave.

Caffeine Sends Your Blood Sugar on a Nasty Roller Coaster Ride

Based on what we’ve covered so far, you should understand the following:

• Caffeine stimulates your adrenal glands to pump out adrenaline and cortisol.
• These 2 “stress” hormones run around your body and break down stored energy into blood sugar for immediate use (remember, your body thinks it’s “fighting or fleeing” so it needs readily available energy).
• Naturally, the more you breakdown stored energy into blood sugar, you will suffer with high and low blood sugar fluctuations, which leaves you feeling like you’re in a coma at its lowest points.
• The more you elevate your blood sugar, the more insulin is released to remove excess sugar from the blood and bring things back under control.
• The more insulin you have circulating in your blood, the more cortisol is released, and the more inflammation is created inside your body. Eventually, you can develop reactive hypoglycemia (very poor regulation of blood sugar) and eventually insulin resistance (or type 2 diabetes).

This video gives you more insight into this chain of events: