The Kinship Between Coffee and Inflammation

Inflammation comes in different degrees. The most common is low-grade inflammation. This chronic form affects those with arthritis and joint pain for instance. The other chronic form is systemic inflammation, as it affects the immune system in such a way–by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and the chronic activation of the innate immune system–that can lead to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver, and auto-immune disease.

There is something in your diet that you may consuming to negate the inflammation, and that is coffee.

Coffee contains bioactive chemicals such as caffeine, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, cafestol, and kahweol that has medicinal potential and demonstrated in models that these substances work harmoniously to reduce or modulate inflammation and neuropathic pain. Data from clinical trials has also shown coffee to have protective affects against Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Some studies have found that decaf coffee may have similar advantages to normal coffee. When comparing decaf coffee to its caffeinated counterpart, there may only be a smaller reduction in the inflammatory markers with the caffeine included. Time will tell as research develops.

This raises the question on caffeine consumption itself. Can too much caffeine have an opposite affect. While there isn’t much data on excess caffeine actually causing inflammation, excess caffeine could instigate other obstacles. Over-caffeinating can negatively impact the adrenal glands making it difficult to reduce symptoms of stress because the adrenals are over-stimulated. This can result in stress hormones to release when there is no reason for them to when you’re trying to relax. Too much caffeine can also affect persons with symptoms of ADD, ADHD, and OCD.

The maximum amount of caffeinated coffee a person should drink while remaining in the safe zone is 400 milligrams per day. That is equivalent to approximately four cups per day, and the serving size as eight ounces. Which means if you are drinking in a container larger than eight ounces, factor that in to your daily consumption.

To better put in perspective how much caffeine you could be consuming in a day, one cup of eight ounce coffee is approximately 100 milligrams of caffeine. An eight ounce cup of black tea is 50 milligrams while green tea is 30 milligrams. Sodas can range anywhere between 30 to 55 milligrams of caffeine per twelve ounces. Energy drinks are approximately 80 milligrams per eight ounces. If you consume a variation between coffee and tea during the day, keep a close eye on the number of servings and serving sizes being consumed so you stay within the 400 milligram daily threshold for optimal health. If someone simply cannot function properly without copious amounts of caffeine, adrenal fatigue or adrenal exhaustion may be at play and needs to be addressed.

There may be a link between caffeine use to decrease both cardiovascular disease and systemic inflammation. Research at the Standford University School of Medicine did a multi-year study and found that there could be a fundamental inflammatory mechanism in caffeine that could help reduce heart disease and inflammation. Research at the Iowa Women’s Health Study found in 2006 where postmenopausal women who drank coffee had a lower risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory disorders. A 2010 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that drinking coffee decreased inflammation and increased high-density lipoproteins (i.e. HDL “good” cholesterol).

While the caffeine is a nice pick-me-up, coffee is full of polyphenols, a group of natural compounds found in plants that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These polyphenols reduce inflammation, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, while stabilizing free radicals. Coffee also contains a natural compound called chlorogenic acid that helps the body process sugars and fats. Lighter roasted coffee beans may contain higher amounts of antioxidants than darker roasts. Also, hot-brewed coffee is higher in antioxidants than cold-brewed. While cold-brewed may be higher in caffeine, stick to hot-brewed if possible. For those that do not prefer to drink coffee black, there are healthy options such as coconut creamer as your creamer source; and monk fruit, stevia, or sugar alcohols, like erythritol, as your sweeteners in place of sugar.

by John Connor, CNC

The Curcumin Connection: Turmeric and Inflammation

Chances are you’ve heard of turmeric and curcumin. Sometimes these two are treated as synonymous to one another, other times people may refer to them as two separate composites. Let’s connect the curcumin to its original source, turmeric, and see how this extraordinary natural anti-inflammatory has proven itself time after time.

Turmeric is a spice from India that has been used in Ayurvedic (natural) medicine for millennia. Curcumin, however, is a potent component of turmeric. To use an analogy, think of a nut and a shell. The shell is turmeric, and the nut is the curcumin. It is the curcumin inside the turmeric that is wanted. Consuming turmeric in its essence nets a lesser portion of curcumin, approximately 8-10 percent. Curcumin that has been extracted from the turmeric root could provide even greater benefits.

There are other components in turmeric that produce a higher effectiveness of inflammation reduction. Blending curcumin with its own turmeric essential oil could result in an even more potent substance at fighting disease when compared to the anti-inflammatory prescription drugs, plus curcumin comes without the side effects.

Curcumin works so well with a varying range of diseases because of its powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Not just arthritic inflammation in joints and connective tissue, but the many cases that are inflammatory-based: cancer, heart disease, asthma, IBS, diabetes, psoriasis, and cirrhosis, just to name a few. If we can reduce the inflammation and allow the body to repair itself as needed, that can give a new dawn to how a person feels, how they respond to stress, not to mention improved health markers.

Nearly all chronic diseases have a common denominator: unchecked, destructive inflammation. Usually synthetic drugs work at reducing a single inflammation pathway, not so with curcumin, which can help diminish multiple inflammation targets. Curcumin can help down-regulate COX-2, the enzyme linked to most inflammation. It can inhibit LOX-5, another pro-inflammatory enzyme. Curcumin can work through so many pathways that inflammation travels throughout the body. It can also act as a powerful antioxidant to reduce free radicals in the body that can lead to cell damage.

A fairly common response to turmeric is that it needs to be taken with black pepper. Not so with curcumin since it has already been extracted from turmeric. It is ready to get right to work. There is a downside to taking black pepper with certain supplements or medications. Black pepper’s job is to allow or speed up the permeation in the gut expediting nutrient absorption. If you were to take a pill that has a time release mechanism, meaning you want it to stay in the body much longer, black pepper negates that.

Inflammation is a normal process that the body undergoes as needed. It is a response to an area that requires some form of rehabilitation (i.e. healing) due to damage being done to a large tissue area, all the way down to a cellular level. Curcumin is one of the most researched natural compounds that could play a key role in reversing some of the more common diseases and ailments.

by John Connor, CNC