Coffee is America’s favorite drug with around 180 million of us starting most days with a caffeine jolt to get going. Some people enjoy their coffee and apparently have no health issues with drinking it. There are however some potential negative effects of coffee, particularly at certain times and when it becomes so addictive that you find it difficult to go a day without it.
In small, occasional cups there is possibly a case to be made for some benefits to coffee. If it’s fresh, high-quality and ideally organic (regular coffee is one of the most pesticide-intensive crops in the world) then a raft of studies have shown that it can improve alertness and long term it may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, gallstones, kidney stones and liver cirrhosis for heavy drinkers.
Conversely, in the longer term it has been associated with an increased risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
Good-quality ground coffee is a source of antioxidants like chlorogenic acid that may help with weight loss and Green coffee bean extract, particularly high in this antioxidant, are the latest popular supplement for body fat reduction.
Many of us though are having far beyond small or occasional cups, and instant coffee, or even worse, that murky stuff that comes out of the office coffee machine, is far from good-quality.
The following video answers the question: Is Coffee Bad For you?
7 Side Effects of Drinking Coffee
1. Coffee and Hydrochloric Acid
Drinking coffee on an empty stomach, such as first thing in the morning, stimulates hydrochloric acid production. This can be a problem because HCl should only be produced to digest meals. If your body has to make HCl more often in response to regular cups of coffee, it may have difficulty producing enough to deal with a large meal.
Protein digestion in particular is affected by a lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and protein based foods can pass into the small intestine before being properly broken down. Undigested protein is associated in a variety of health problems, from bloating and gas to IBS, diverticulitis and even colon cancer.
In fact, the knock on effect of not digesting your food properly due to low hydrochloric acid in the stomach could be implicated in dozens of other health issues. Some experts go so far as to say almost all disease begins in the gut. Given this, you can see why it’s important to limit anything that interferes with its proper functioning.
2. Ulcers, IBS and Acidity
Many of the compounds in coffee like caffeine and the various acids found in coffee beans can irritate your stomach and the lining of your small intestine. It’s known to be a problem for those suffering from ulcers, gastritis, IBS and Crohn’s disease and doctors generally advise patients with these conditions to avoid coffee completely.
The question is, could excessive coffee consumption contribute to these health issues in the first place?
Ulcers are believed to be caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. However, the acidic effect coffee has on the stomach may contribute to providing the weakened stomach lining necessary for H. pylori to take hold initially.
Drinking coffee can also irritate the lining of the small intestine, potentially leading to abdominal spasms, cramps and elimination problems, often alternating between constipation and diarrhea. This condition is known as irritable bowel syndrome and more and more people are being diagnosed with it in recent years.
3. Heartburn Problems
Acid reflux and heartburn can be caused by coffee due to the way it relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter. This small muscle should remain tightly closed once you’ve eaten to prevent the contents of your stomach from coming back into the esophagus and burning its delicate lining with hydrochloric acid.
Caffeine is known to relax the esophageal sphincter so Coke and high caffeine ‘energy drinks’ can also contribute to heartburn, but coffee is particularly problematic for this.
Even decaf regularly causes heartburn problems for some people and researchers think other compounds in coffee can also contribute to acid reflux problems.
4. Coffee as a Laxative
Drinking coffee can stimulate peristalsis, the process in the digestive tract that makes us head for the bathroom. Some people use it deliberately as a laxative, but there’s a problem with this.
By stimulating peristalsis, coffee also appears to promote increased gastric emptying, whereby the stomach’s contents are quickly passed into the small intestines, often before the digesting food has been properly broken down.
In this partially digested state, it makes it much more difficult for nutrients to be absorbed from your food. It also increases the chances of irritation and inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract.
Once again, decaffeinated coffee has also been shown to have laxative and gastric emptying properties so it seems caffeine alone is not to blame.
5. Mineral Absorption, Your Kidneys and Coffee
Heavy coffee drinkers may have difficulty getting enough minerals in their diet, even if they eat mineral rich foods or take supplements. This is due to the way coffee affects iron absorption in your stomach and particularly your kidneys ability to retain calcium, zinc, magnesium and other important minerals.
While all of these minerals are vital for good health, from a digestive standpoint, any interference with magnesium absorption is particularly worrying as it is necessary to maintain bowel regularity and so many of us are already deficient in it.
If you are concerned that you might not be getting enough magnesium (and apparently around 70% of other people in the USA are in a similar position, whether they know it or not) then transdermal magnesium oil can be more effective than oral supplements, which usually have poor absorption rates.
6. Acrylamide in Coffee
Acrylamide is a potentially carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substance that forms when coffee beans are roasted at high temperatures. The darker the roast, the higher the levels of acrylamide are likely to be. In fact, coffee has been shown to be one of the major sources of this dangerous chemical in American diets.
7. Coffee, Stress and Tension
Drinking lots of coffee will promote the release of the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine. These chemicals increase your body’s heart rate, blood pressure and tension levels – the old ‘fight or flight’ response.
We often say we need to drink coffee to give us energy. But for many of us, has it gone further than just energy and turned into a kind of jittery tension that is always on and makes it difficult to relax? Maybe it pushes you to get through the paperwork, but longer-term the health implications of this kind of ongoing stress are significant.
Turning on the stress hormones with a cup of coffee when you’re eating also interferes with the digestive process. When you’re in ‘fight or flight’ mode, your body will divert its resources to being ready for a potential threat and digestion suffers as a result.
Finally, the caffeine in coffee is known to interfere with GABA metabolism. Gamma-aminobutyric acid is a neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood and stress levels. It should also have a calming effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
Your mood and your digestive system are surprisingly interrelated. Unfortunately, when you drink a lot of coffee the high levels of caffeine in it can negatively affect both of them.
Conclusion
Many people are very protective of their coffee and probably won’t like to hear all of these health problems associated with it. But if you’ve made it reading this far, perhaps you have a feeling that there could be some value in cutting down a bit or even replacing it altogether.
If you are experiencing any of the digestive problems above, or just feel coffee has you too on edge but don’t know how to quit it, coming up next is a plan to replace the negative side effects of coffee with a new kind of drink that tastes similar but is actually healthy, as well as a simple way to reduce caffeine withdrawal problems when you make the switch.
If you still plan to continue drinking coffee, try some of these tips to make it healthier.
Do you think you might drink a bit too much coffee, but that it’s become such a habit you find it hard to stop? Have you tried giving up coffee before, whether successfully or not? I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts on how coffee affects you personally and your experiences with trying to give it up.
I take 1litre of coffee everyday but i am having a problem of ulcers and itz getting worse if i skip a day without it/try to reduce, i experiance headaches.wat can i do get rid of this problems.
Hi Nhamo,
Try the suggestions in https://healthambition.com/coffee-substitute-caffeine-withdrawal/ here. There’s a good similar tasting replacement for coffee there and ways to reduce caffeine withdrawal symptoms.
Hi,
I have tried to quit coffee many times and always failed, this time I’m more determined and stay motivated by reading these sort of publications to really ingrain in my brain how bad it is for you. I do experience heavy headaches every day that has not disappeared in 3 weeks. I have managed to quit cigarettes, alcohol and sugar but coffee is the worst! It only proves how addictive it really is..
Hi Cecilia and thanks for your comments.
I found the caffeine withdrawal headaches can be greatly minimized with Ashwagandha tinctures to support your adrenal glands (that coffee has probably been overstimulating for far too long). This page has a plan for quitting coffee that I used with a similar tasting replacement that is actually good for you – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/ It can also be helpful to make sure you’re getting lots of magnesium in your diet as coffee is known to deplete this mineral and low levels may also lead to headaches.
Hope this helps.
You don’t actually have to quit drinking coffee altogether to avoid the negative side effects of it. I personally had to stop drinking it because of the way it would cause my stomach to get upset, but then I came across a coffee company called Organo Gold. I was skeptical about it until I actually tried it. It’s not acidic, and it’s infused with a health component called Ganoderma, which is a mushroom that benefits you health-wise from heart heath to losing weight, clearing up skin, etc. It also helps to balance out the caffeine so you don’t get a crash. It’s also been in use in Asia for thousands of years. I STRONGLY suggest trying this coffee as a healthier alternative for people who love coffee and want to improve their health at the same time. They also make hot chocolate, green tea, red tea, black tea as well.
Hi Crystal,
Haven’t seen that one before. The extra ingredients to help with acidity are interesting but some people will still have problems with caffeine’s taxing of their adrenals. I personally like the options recommended in https://healthambition.com/coffee-substitute-caffeine-withdrawal/
I’ve been averaging four cups of coffee per day. recently I found that I can’t put my mind to work and my circadian rhythm is messed up. trying hard to get off coffee. any tips?
Hi Akintola,
The exact way I gave up coffee without withdrawal headaches is here – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
Hope this helps.
I’m on my fourth day without coffee. I’m giving it up due to digestive problems. I switched to tea because it has less caffeine and will eventually switch to caffeine free. I was feeling tired and crabby the first three days, but I feel better today. Digestive problems have already improved.
Hi Lisa and thanks for writing in. It’s great to see you’re getting through caffeine withdrawal. It’s definitely worth it and you’re over the worst of it. I found the tips in here really helpful when I gave up coffee – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
Hope this helps.
is coffee having and good or bad effect for
manhood??
Hi there and thanks for your question. Too much coffee is known to cause low libido so there’s another negative effect of coffee and caffeine.
Hi Jim: Thanks for the important information that you are sharing with the world about something that is a complete an utter addiction here in Canada. In London, ON where I am from, you can actually get caught up in a traffic jam at particular times of the day due to people going through the “tim horton’s” drive through. I stopped drinking Tim’s about 6 yrs ago…and have been off caffeine for the most part over the last 20 yrs. However, I continued to drink decaf coffee…and then got onto a flavoured with a hazelnut vanilla because I had started to dislke the taste of “coffee” in and of itself. I did not know the extent to which coffee caused me grief…particularly in having to urinate beyond what any person could call normal. I had been to doctors/urologists etc and tried a number of solutions including a medication in June 2013. At the end of the day, what I ended up doing was completely giving up coffee (not at the recommendation of any doctor – in fact they never questioned my coffee drinking habit -which was only 2 cups/day in the mornings). I did not replace it with tea or alternative coffee…I just drink more water. What amazed me more than anything else, was my ability to “hold” my urine (which I had not been able to do for years) and not have to go 2-3 times per hour all day long!!! I cannot believe that coffee could have been such a culprit but in my case it’s true. As well, I find my tummy “aches” that I would get routinely and did not even recognize anymore – are gone! I believe coffee was a toxic chemical for me and I choose not to put it in my body anymore. Thanks so much for the article and the opportunity to speak about these things…as most people do not want to hear…especially if they have their own addiction to the substance. Take care
Hi Charlene and thanks for your comments.
I too believe that a lot of people are having health problems with coffee and they aren’t aware that it is the culprit. Having written about this topic on several websites I’ve found people are very protective of America’s favorite drug and often don’t want to hear that it can be such an issue.
It’s great to hear you were able to give up coffee successfully. The method I used, which includes a similar tasting, but actually healthy and alkalizing drink, is in this article – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
Best Regards and I hope your health continues to improve even more now that you’ve beaten the caffeine addiction.
Am Tonny and i have a tendency of dozing in classroom, can coffee help me from that problem? Thx
Fantastic information, Jim. Wish I had read it forty years ago, but found it post-addiction. My husband and I were clearly addicts, a fact we recognized many moons ago. Headaches (or the mere suggestion of them) kept us from pursuing feeble attempts to quit, over the years. What truly sparked near success was giving up Half ‘n’ Half. We realized it made even a bad cup of coffee “good” and deduced that it was the cream we were enjoying, not the java. This fact was proven further when we went to fat-free milk.
Little by little and without issue, we eliminated all afternoon caffeine and got down to two morning cups. Now, we admittedly enjoy just the remaining first cup. It is a great thing to lose; I no longer fall asleep at night anxious for morning and a cuppa Joe. In fact, sleep issues have undoubtedly improved. Yippee.
After reading your content, I’m seriously considering sending the remaining cup into oblivion where it can join salt and sugar.
Regards.
Hello there and thank you for your positive comments. I think you and your husband have done very well to cut right down on what can be a very addictive substance. The slow reduction method like this can work really well if you can stay focused on a gradual withdrawal.
If you’d like to try two weeks caffeine free here’s exactly how I quit coffee without caffeine withdrawal headaches and with a similar tasting drink that I actually now prefer – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
Hope this helps and all the best for your continuing better health.
Jim
Thanks for a great article, very thoughtfully written. I don’t think people often realize how coffee is affecting them. I think we’d all be a bit less impatient and irritable if we greatly reduced or got off coffee. I stopped after 35 years and notice a much higher tolerance or better coping with stress. My energy doesn’t spike and drop like it use to either. Thanks again!
Hi Alice and thanks for your comments.
I totally agree with you. Once coffee has the fight or flight response switched on patience and calm actions can be very difficult. Some people do seem to handle it well but others don’t yet may be unaware of the problems it’s causing them or too addicted to think they can stop.
Personally, I found giving it up quite easy and I wrote about how to do it here – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
It’s great you’ve had these benefits from giving up coffee. Hopefully more people will give coffee-free a try.
Drinking coffee cause any hair loss problems??
Hi Reenu,
Stress is a known factor in hair loss and coffee can increase this so yes this is possible. Low magnesium is also linked to hair loss as well. There’s more on how to increase magnesium here – https://healthambition.com/magnesium-oil-benefits-better-health/
Hope this helps.
Hi Jim Dillan,
Seen all data about the negativity of coffee, but i am taking only one cup of black coffee since 1987 and feeling freshness and start my work full devotion and alertness, is it OK ??
Hi Saeed,
Some people do seem to handle coffee much better than others. I think the test is whether the alertness has moved into tension and anxiety and whether you are having digestive issues. There are other possible negative effects but these are the most likely.
You may personally tolerate it well, which is great, but some people do have problems with coffee and for them it’s well worth looking into how to quit it without withdrawal symptoms – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
Years ago I used to drink a lot of instant coffee and found that I was exhausted by the afternoon and even on a hot day I could not keep warm. I have recently found that I can enjoy a cup of fresh coffee without going through the afternoon slump or feeling cold even on a hot day. However, even though I have only been drinking one or two cups of fresh coffee per day I have started to get headaches, stress and joint pains. I working in a hospital and have noticed that my diastolic blood pressure has gone from 70’s to 80’s. The benefits I have had are that I feel much more alert but I am cutting right back to the occasional cup (about three cups per week) as I definitely feel it is having a negative effect on my health in a very short space of time. I won’t have any trouble cutting down on it as I do not drink that much but it has also caused me to have sleepless nights if I drink two cups of coffee later on in the day.
Hi Mo and thanks for your comments. It’s interesting that you were able to monitor your blood pressure and notice the difference. Trouble sleeping is also a common side effect of caffeine. I think limiting coffee consumption to the occasional times when you really need to stay awake is much better than amping up your adrenals daily out of routine.
Hi Jim
Great article indeed. Is coffee withdrawal the same as alcohol withdrawal? How would you advice one who want to give up alcohol?
Hi Paul,
I think the article on replacing soda would actually be a closer match – https://healthambition.com/7-steps-to-replace-diet-soda/ Essentially, finding a replacement beverage without the alcohol but similar in taste and using the steps contained there. I may look at doing an article on this in the future but I imagine it would be a very long one.
I’ve also read reports that the Paleo diet and limiting carbohydrate consumption in general tends to reduce alcohol cravings –
http://redwoodcity-woodside.patch.com/groups/herby-bells-blog/p/bp–paleo-lifestyle-and-addiction-recovery-recovering438d3a2d34
Hope this helps
Paul, I used to drink but then I found Ningxia Red and I would rather have that any day of the week (or night!). Its an antioxidant superfood drink and I feel SO much better on it that I don’t even want a glass of wine any more.
Giving up alcohol can be dangerous. It is best to do under doctor’s supervision. Siezures can occur, as well as some other uncomfortable symptoms. Now, if you are attempting, Kudzu can help with the cravings. Take Thiamine (B1) suppliments. This helps with the brian damage. Eat a healthy diet, nutrition is paramount. Hydrate….drink lots of water. This helps with getting the poison out. Alcohol tends to turn to acetaldehyde and formaldehyde in the liver. That is what causes the nausea and aches. Good luck and get help with a 12 step program.
Hi, I’m 19 years old and I drink black coffee once a day. I’ve heard health benefits from it and I’ve heard side effects. Would sticking to a cup a day reduce the negative effects and still give you the health benefits needed? I heard people drink 4 to 6 cups a day, as I am not that extreme and have still managed a week without it, I’m hoping if it would still affect me. No biased answers please, I would appreciate a informative detailed opinion. Thank you 🙂
Hi Andrei,
There’s a potential case to be made for the antioxidant content of a small amount of high quality organic coffee. On balance, for all the reasons detailed in the article I think there are much better options.
I too started at one cup occasionally but it wasn’t long before I was ‘needing’ several times a day so I came up with a plan to get over the addiction – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
I’m sure you can find many other detailed opinions to the opposite online, but these two articles are mine. I’d also question in light of recent research whether the whole premise of drinking coffee to stay alert holds that much water in the long term – http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/jun/02/drinking-coffee-alert-caffeine
Hi. whether coffe is damaging for you or not is not easy to say, but one thing we do know is that drinking coffee purely for the health benefits is “no point” There are other substitutes that you can drink that will give you far more antioxidants than coffee. Check out chaga on google. It is a fairly new discovered herb that probably is the richest in antioxidants found in nature up until this day. And the best thing about it is that you can do some quick research and just walk into the woods and collect it for free as it is growing on trees in northern europe.
Hi,
Am drinking 1 large Mug of Cold Coffee almost daily . When the clock ticks 6pm in the evening i have tendency to run out of my office and end up to my nearest coffee store . Get my mug and then feel ok .
I havent observed any side effect except the sleep thing which is mostly depends if i had a tiring day i will sleep inspite of the coffee content . Is one Mug of Cold Coffee okay or should i do it less or give it up completely . I have no digestive issues as such . Still would like to have your thoughts on my consumption habbit.
Hi Vaibhav,
Perhaps the fact that you have to run to get your coffee might be worth considering. I’d suggest considering this plan to try 2 weeks without it and see how much better you feel – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
All the best.
can I use that first picture for a webpage im making on this topic?
usually I take one cup coffee In the morning just after the breakfast and i have started to take it from previous month(before this i just take milk) .Is it harmful for my body to take coffee once in a day?But actually i have got some positive result,i have loose 5 kg weight.
Hi there,
Everyone has to consider their own situation. The article lists 7 reasons to consider giving up coffee and if you’d like to try this in the future here’s what I found worked – https://healthambition.com/substitute-coffee-caffeine-withdrawal/
All the best.
Hi Im 16 yrs. old and I have started drinking coffee since I was 13. In the past 10 months I have become more addicted and have craved it a lot more significantly. Im like really in love with it and addicted to it, and I noticed it does give me IBS sometimes and makes my heart rate increase, as-well as making me more hyperactive. In the past 2 weeks I have had it more regular, at least once a day, sometimes I might have 3 cups. This is getting really out of hand and I am looking for some healthier alternatives, please.
Thanks.
I am very much interested in this topic. I started drinking black coffee (regularly) since i left alcohol two months back and i drink 8 to 10 cups ( strong, without sugar ) a day. I have no health problems except gastric and i sleep well. But i think it will affect me in the long run but i cant seem to stop it and i feel that coffee is good for me, that it wont do me any harm….!! I know that my explanation is vague but i know that you got the gist of it. Any advice ???
This is my plan for my life, perhaps it will help you. BTW, I am 30.
Most things in Moderation are beneficial. The secret lies in having a variety of things…so that one food’s negative effects can offset other foods.
I drink coffee , maybe 2 cups a week, no sugar, no milk.
Alcohol – same 2 times a week..extremely limited quantity.
Cycling- 20 KM a day OR Walking 5 Km a Day – 5 days a week.
and none of this is a rule…..sometimes I have a little bit more coffee or sometimes I dotn excercise, but over a period of time, it balances out. What keeps me doing this is the fact that – I have one life to live, and the extent to which I can enjoy my life is dependent on my health.
I will increase my coffee intake as I grow older….because, coffee has benefits in old age – Prevents alzheimers for starters….but at the same, If I start late, then there wont be any time for the negative effects to show up.
Fun fact. Did you know – Brad Pitt is older than Charlie Sheen?
Regards
30 Yr Male.
I wish I can find something can help me to prevent coffee affecting my appetite 🙁 whenever I drink only 1 cup after breakfast for like three days I start losing appetite step by step util I reach a level in a way even if am starving still can’t eat because my appetite doesn’t want to! Am skinny girl and not eating well and have three meals daily annoying me a lot so I forced my self not to drink it and just enjoy smell of it with others cups </3
I might have it like once or twice during whole week so I prevent losing appetite,
BTW my coffee not kind of dark coffee I used to have it with milk, mocha or Turkish with it's very small cup but still can harm me if I let myself into daily bases!
I’m a male, and a few years ago I started enjoying a couple cups of brewed coffee before breakfast, and I’ve gone from average or above weight to skinny. I think it might be related to elimination prior to food being completely used by the body. It’s pretty cool to not have to worry about eating any amount of whatever I want, but I do need to put about ten or fifteen pounds back on. I’m going to stop coffee for a few weeks and see what happens. But I’ve been skinny and I’ve been over-weight–I’ll take skinny any day!
nothing mentioned about dependency and dehydration… those are really my 2 biggest problems right now from drinking too much coffee… feeling super tired and sleepy when i cant have my cup of joe is definitely a bad thing.
Yeah I’m never quitting, I love coffee too much and the taste alone cannot be replaced. Plus I feel 2 cups a day won’t kill me
Hi,
I used to drink 4-5 cups of coffee everyday since 8 months. Now I am feeling that i am addicted. If I do not drink feels weak and headache. Is that side effect of coffee? Do i need to quiet it?
Hi i take almost two litres of coffee. Not only do i drink but i also eat the coffee bits that i feel so gud about it.i have to order coffee all the way from uganda because i love the roughly ground bits amd even eat them after drinking.coffee is very expensive thou. But it takes me staright to sleep when am so exhausted. It refreshes me and also it relaxes me and takes me to sleep.some pipo tell me they take coffee to keep them a wake but not me. I wonder wats my fate with it although the coffee has helped me to cut down my weight and also helps for regular bowel movements.
Most articles coffee only contains positive and negative effects. In my article, I formulate detailed ways to distinguish how the positive effects of coffee and how the negative effects of coffee.
Coffee is the energy surged . Coffee caffeine beneficial to the body as the brain and nerve stimulant and improve performance and concentration. Then the reaction of the body to feel warm and light / relaxed. But caffeine has added additional scent (essence) will be cafestol. Cafestol is a chemical compound that can increase cholesterol levels in the body. So we have to wisely choose caffeinated coffee good for the body. How to differentiate coffee bean / coffee powder (without essence) conducted oral / mouth without brewed. Take a little coffee entered the mouth, the result still feel the taste of coffee, savory bitterness, not swallowed rough. For smokers smoke so lightly. Conversely coffee bean / coffee powder mixed with artificial scent (essence), the result is very bitter, not feel the taste of coffee, swallowed rough. For smokers do not benefit. The conclusion by knowing the guidelines of natural coffee drink in the stomach will feel safe and secure for blood pressure, do not make trouble sleeping, not addicted, emotionally stable.
I drink only Certified Organic Coffee !! Avoid Drinking with my meals !! as yes , i have experienced stomock Bloat !! was looking for Comformation of Coffee side affects !! thanking you sincerily .
upper intestinal cramps caused by coffee stopped drinking cramps gone
Hi could you tell me, does de-caf coffee have any of these side-effects? I gave up caffeinated and have 1 de-caf coffee a day, but it still feels like it has diuretic properites, just curious. I’m considering going back to green tea but what are your thoughts on the best out there?
Hi guys! i have been drinking coffee for about 3 years 1-2 cups a day – and honestly up until a few days ago i have had no CLUE why i have had so many stomach problems, including consistent bloating. I have done my research, been doctors, done all the required tests etc etc. Everything was quite normal. I have even monitored my diet (i eat quite healthy as i can not stand take away food) very thoroughly, eliminated certain foods, experimented etc etc. I have been attending uni for 5 years straight and thought my stomach problems were due to stress from exams and completing a thesis report. However, this was not the case as i monitored this quite closely. The only other food and/or drink i consumed everyday of my life for 3 years was coffee! i have been off coffee for 4 days straight now, and i will continue to monitor my bloating and related problems …i can keep you all updated if you like about my results. Or if anyone would like to know exactly more specific details you can email me on victoriia-z@hotmail.com 🙂
Just thought i would share my story in-case anyone is experiencing similar concerns!
Hi guys! i have been drinking coffee for about 3 years 1-2 cups a day – and honestly up until a few days ago i have had no CLUE why i have had so many stomach problems, including consistent bloating. I have done my research, been doctors, done all the required tests etc etc. Everything was quite normal. I have even monitored my diet (i eat quite healthy as i can not stand take away food) very thoroughly, eliminated certain foods, experimented etc etc. I have been attending uni for 5 years straight and thought my stomach problems were due to stress from exams and completing a thesis report. However, this was not the case as i monitored this quite closely. The only other food and/or drink i consumed everyday of my life for 3 years was coffee! i have been off coffee for 4 days straight now, and i will continue to monitor my bloating and related problems …i can keep you all updated if you like about my results. Or if anyone would like to know exactly more specific details you can email me on victoriia-z@hotmail.com 🙂
Just thought i would share my story in-case anyone is experiencing similar concerns!!
Thanks Vic !
that’s what I hate about the programming profession. You need coffe or the like, sometimes lots of it.
Guess which sucker started on coffee again after a perfectly fine 20 years off?? – I used to work in IT and drank the obligatory 8-12 cups a day of the slime provided in office coffee machines (so strictly speaking, not coffee!!) and then heard that coffee was provided by companies for free as it made you happy doing boring repetitive tasks. – I managed to get off it with very little effort (I was also trying to give up sugar in hot drinks at the time) and discovered my job wasn’t actually a boring repetitive task!!….. – anyway, 20 years off without missing it one jot and feeling fine. then a friend inroduced me to the finest Peruvian rainforest Ashaninka coffee and that was it, I was hooked – started on the coffee but was still battling sugar / carbs / etc. and then discovered the bulletproof coffee diet.
Worked a treat – high fat/protein diet, no sugar and very low carb – manhandles (which have been a lifetime accompaniment) just dropped off…. Unfortunately I’ve also been suffering with various ailments which have never troubled me before and must admit, I have been rather hammering the coffee. The bulletproof coffee diet limits coffee consumption to no later than 2pm – I ignored that useful piece of advice and have it as my drink of choice throughout the day. I am noting sleep anomalies (although having no problem actually sleeping – dropping off at a moments notice, not a good thing), digestive issues of one sort and another. Time to investigate coffees negative effects. Came across your site – many thanks for the info. therein – and have resolved not to order any more coffee. I’ve just had 2 days off it and felt awful – very lethargic etc, although I am in the middle of a head cold / sinus infection thing that has been going on since mid-november (again, very unusual for me).
I feel like a heroin addict who kicked the habit, spent years off it, then wandered, blindfold, straight back onto it with open arms – damn!!!
(’tis nice coffee though 😉 )
My wife has been drinking up to 20 cups of black coffee per day for at least 30 years and is now suffering with digestive problems which I am sure are related but she of course denies. Ive even known her get up in the middle of he night for a coffee !!
Doctors tomorrow and Im sure he will recommend a change of habit and intake
HI Jim, your comments are true. The consequences derived from EXCESS of coffee consumption represent a danger for our health, but a moderate intake of coffe can bring us benefits. I’m not agree with the afirmation that conventional coffee crop is highly intensive in the use of pesticides. Returning to the relation between coffee and health we can apply a principle which can be used not only in the specific case of coffee: “there is only a sin: THE EXCESS”
Could caffeine withdrawal cause hairloss?
I have tried to give up coffee before and was not successful. After reading your article, it is understandable to reduce dosage or even consider an alternative beverage. Now I even believe to replace it for good because I went from a one or two cup drinker to a three to four cup drinker. I have noticed the difference between drinking it and not drinking. The benefits are apparent and amazing.
hi, thanks for the info about coffee, i just want to ask.. i am addicted to coffee.. i have my head ache if i cant drink a cup of coffee every morning.. i am worried of my health.. how can i stop?
hi!!!! now i am 26 ,i am interested at coffee relate matters because i used to drink coffee for more than 20 years . i started coffee when i was child . i got satisfaction in drinking coffee than every drinking. more my compus life was much coffee dependent .now i am struggling to stop drinking but i am unable to stop
I cant stop shıttıng HELP!!!
Coffee makes my digestion goes wrong, and i get a blown up bloated stomach, for me its pure evil and I quite
nothing mentioned about dependency and dehydration… those are really my 2 biggest problems right now from drinking too much coffee… feeling super tired and sleepy when i cant have my cup of joe is definitely a bad thing.
Hi Jim, thanks very much for your article. I was looking for some good evidence to back up my belief that drinking coffee was causing me to not digest my food properly. I would eat a large meal, drink a coffee and go straight to the toilet to empty my bowels. Then a short time after I would be hungry again, as if I hadnt even eaten the meal. Thanks a lot for backing up my thought with some informative research. Im going to stop drinking coffee. Its not something I need or even enjoy that much and now theres enough reason to stop thanks to your article 🙂
I really like drinking coffee like 3-4 cups of dark roast daily,I develoed ulcers.have to alter to soft regular roast,its working for me.
Hello. I think this post will never expire right ? Well, I am still a college student and doing my internship now. I always love to drink coffee since it makes me wide awake whole day. I started drinking coffee since I started my internship (Dec 2014). I drink at least 2 cups a day at first and then I drink 2 50g sachets of coffee in one 500 ml bottle (because I am drinking it cold). Since then, I observe that I cannot go to sleep until 12MN and I always feel my heartbeats fast. I palpitate almost everyday (I have history). But I really feel that coffee releases my stress. Now, I sometimes feel dizzy after I drink that dose of coffee .. But I can’t help. It helps me not to stress out. Do you have any advise ?
Lies! Vicious, evil lies!
Okay, so I drink coffee erryday, but one day I decided to drink 5x more than I usually have. Next thing I know I’m in jail for stabbing an orphan. My friend who is a burger king manager bailed me out so now I want to know what exactly happens from drinking too much coffee?
I only drink coffee on a daily basis, never more frequently for all the reasons described in this excellently written article.
this is a cute post. but i don’t think i’ll stop my caffeine addiction until I’ve weighed out all the conclusions. I drink on average around 10-15 cups per day and I love my coffee. You’re right in the article about the muscle pain stuff though. Everybody says it’s bad because I’m only 20 years old. On the contrary there are things a lot worse than coffee. And the high feels so damn good!
i’m french and can’t find the same articles in french; I have a question: by what can we replace coffee-tea-coca-chocolate? it seems all rostad or conserved food is bad and cancerigen (even chicoree, vanila…); my stomack has stopped being able to bear anything boiled (milk is bas for beast cancer) and I wonder if it is good or nefast to drink too hot…
I can just give a testimony; I’ve suffered from stomack ache all my life; lived on carrots when baby; I got hurt psychologically when in mother’s womb and the situation goes on; mother drank coffee and tea a lot; wonder also if mercure in dentalcare has aggravated things; father had been in pension so he never let us eat green vegetable soups!(but gave me alcohol!) I noticed myself each time my mother drank coffee, she became nasty and wicked (more than usual!); I was very nervous all my childhood because we were brought up drinking only tea (not green one); I suffered very much each month and was not able to have my son properly at his birth because my kidneys were blocked; at 29 a doctor gave me a medecine too strong (for the ears)and that gave me burning reflux and vomitting; after that, I took a job where we drank very bad coffee and that was the end with me; my stomack ached so I couldn’t work; chewing chlorophile mint hollywood gum helped me a lot, but I now have diarrhea and flatulences even when not eating anything;; I did go through echography and coloscopy and fibroscopy but the result was null though the symptoms are still the same; i have a bad haleine; does someone know how to get cured from helicobacter pyrosis, from ulcer? from stomack joining up the oesophagus?16 years ago I was given medicine which made me become very fat whereas I was too thin from lacking food to live, but this has changed my psychological interest for food and made me pant like a dog in front of it and has brought disorder in my life; I have been very much stressed and contradicted; these years I took only coffee when I had flue or headaches; what can we put in burning water instead of coffee, honeybush?
I used to be a coffee addict. I can’t live without coffee in a day. But after experiencing heart palpitations and having gall stones as well as kidney stones that was the time I gave up drinking coffee. I started drinking water in the morning since they said I would get many benefits from it by doing so. It wasn’t easy for me since I am not used to drink a lot of water in a day. At first I started from drinking half glass of water and increased it gradually. At present I am still having that routine.
I love coffee. Korea has an environment for coffee consumption. What kind of coffee beans good for your health?
I use to drink way too much coffee. Basically a cup a day equal to a Starbucks tall. In the past I tried both cold turkey and gradually cutting down on coffee , neither worked. Recently I’ve had to lower my blood pressure and I tried a different system to quit. I gradually reduced both my frequency and size of coffee I drank while simultaneously occasionally replacing regular with decaff. It worked now I can only drink decaff at most once a week. If I drink more frequently or caffeine I get acid reflux, higher bp, jittery ( like up all night) , and after the caffeine high leaved very fatigued.
i just wanna know coffee is causing pimples means harmful for skin
Or you can skip the obscenely expensive Magnesium oil and just take an MgSO4 bath – that’s Epsom Salt, ~$1/Qt. Your skin will actually absorb THAT far better than if the Magnesium were compounded in oil. You’re welcome.
I find this article informative on the after-effects of coffee in the long term, but I also feel that it is directed towards coffee drinkers who are cautious about their own health, while keeping up with their usual black coffee or la mocha routine on a regular basis. It seems to me that the article concludes at discussing downsides of coffee rather than in taking a neutral stance for both coffee advocates and wary coffee drinkers. This said, the article could have taken rather a two-sided approach (or sound more neutral, if you will) where critiques on the “all for coffee” side can also rate this a thumbs up. This wasn’t just informative but it did not put enough consideration into taking a balanced stance on both sides of the coffee lover and the ambivalent coffee drinker.
OK, so I drink espresso regular, yet one day I chose to drink 5ex more than I generally have. Before I know it I’m in prison for cutting a vagrant. My companion who is a burger lord chief safeguarded me out so now I need to know what precisely happens from drinking an excess of espresso?
No other “food” is recommended to be consumed as regularly and frequently as coffee is consumed. No one ever could imagine adding say “fish” to their diet, but then having several helpings per day, every day of the week.
We now see the sugar industry charged with paying to make their product look good, and others to look bad.
All in all, I am VERY suspect of the coffee industry and the alleged benefits . Logic suggests ar best, that moderation when it comes to consumption of a drug, is the only way to go.
You’d get mercury poisoning if you ate fish that much.
But fish is food and coffee is pesticide. If coffee were introduced today, it would be banned.
Well that’s a new one.
Coffee is not pesticide. It just has a lot of pesticides added to it. Buy organic, no worries.
Caffein is actually a pesticide. It is produced by the plant to protect itself from insects.
Thank you for the good message God bless you.
The withdrawal symptoms associated with coffee are what brought me to this article. Coffee can be a real danger when you stop, it disrupts the natural order of your life with the headaches.
If you slowly stop, you won’t experience that.
Coffee industry has lobbyist pushing their products. This thing is addictive!!! Longest I could go without coffee was 3 days due to severe headache, nausea and some body aches.
I’m glad I don’t drink coffee . Disgusting .
I had no clue about the Acrylamide! Makes sense now because of the extreme heat and chemicals used in the process. Quitting coffee is on my to do list, but I am finding it to be a real challenge. I have gone down to one cup in the morning but I can’t seem to eliminate that one cup. So frustrating! I will try the morning lemon water beverage you recommend.
One good diverticulitis attack will cure you, so you can either drink it until you get it, or you can quit early and enjoy the benefits of good health. Take it from a veteran.
I had to Google diverticulitis. I had no clue what that was, and I it is something I definitely don’t want! I had recently switched to Luzianne Chicory Coffee because It is supposed to be easier on the stomach and better for you but that I don’t know for sure anymore.
Could I know the authors name for citation?
yes, i agree with what you have said in your article and it truly happened to me since i started a heavy drink of it. At first, i felt so good, but later on, i felt bad on my stomach maybe because of ulcer, etc.
However, i was addicted with coffee, I’m doing my best to minimize drinking and hoping i would.
Hey Jim, thanks for sharing this information! I’m a daily coffee drinker. Personally, I don’t deal with the kind of negative symptoms that are listed here, but I believe that’s an outcome of years of experience. I agree about the acidity and stress and even the dehydration, but all that comes with excessiveness. There’s always gotta be moderation and I’m pretty satisfied with my results. The health benefits I’ve been reading up on are pretty convincing for me and I feel much better with my regular intake. I’ll give you that it is addictive… but I enjoy my coffee very much and the benefits outweigh the risks for me as long as we’re smart about it.
very educative. Am fun of coffee but not adictictive all the same