Is Coffee a Vice -or Healthy Practice?

Right now I’m fascinated with coffee.  Even though I did my medical training in Seattle and studied night and day at coffee shops (when I smell coffee, I think of cadavers…), I didn't start drinking it until a few years ago when I was doing some work in Ecuador.  Now, I enjoy grinding up some good roasted beans in the morning and making a double espresso.  Still don’t like that conventional Americanized coffee-water stuff that’s pre-ground…   

Conventional alternative thought tends to throw coffee in the “evil stimulant” file and dogmatically screech for its complete elimination from the diet.  I’m starting to develop other ideas and apparently, I’m not alone !

I’m interested in coffee, and other beverages that have stimulant properties.  My theory is that as one ages, these plants were used to stimulate physiological processes like digestion and liver detoxification.  They can also be a significant source of nutrients –for instance, a 2-ounce espresso may have up to 4 mg of niacin! 

In the next set of mini-articles I’m going to explore some of the compounds, and talk about therapeutic effects –especially related to liver phase I/phase II detox and digestion…

Here a link and some references related to coffee and caffeine: 

Coffee Overview (click to download pdf)

1. J Adrian and R Frangne, “Synthesis and availability of niacin in roasted coffee,” Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 289 (1991): 49-59.
2. Almeida IM Alves RC and Alves RC, Almeida IM, Casal S, Oliveira MB., “[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf9039205 Isoflavones in coffee: influence of species, roast degree, and brewing method.],” J Agric Food Chem 58, no. 5 (2010): 3002–3007.
3. R. Bressani and D. A Navarrete, “NIACIN CONTENT OF COFFEE IN CENTRAL AMERICAa,” Journal of Food Science 24, no. 4 (1959): 344–351.
4. S Casal et al., “Discriminate analysis of roasted coffee varieties for trigonelline, nicotinic acid, and caffeine content,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 48, no. 8 (August 2000): 3420-3424.
5. R. J. Clarke and R. Macrae, Coffee: Physiology (Springer, 1988).
6. Maria Daglia, Maria Teresa Cuzzoni, and Cesare Dacarro, “Antibacterial activity of coffee,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 42, no. 10 (October 1, 1994): 2270-2272.
7. Richard G. Davis, “Increased bitter taste detection thresholds in Yucatan inhabitants related to coffee as a dietary source of niacin,” Chemical Senses 3, no. 4 (December 1, 1978): 423 -429.
8. J. V Higdon and B. Frei, “Coffee and health: a review of recent human research,” Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 46, no. 2 (2006): 101–123.