Coffee promotes cortisol production and weight gain

Coffee promotes cortisol production and weight gain

Coffee promotes cortisol production and weight gain
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 by: Celeste M. Smucker, MPH, PhD
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(NaturalNews) Conventional wisdom about weight loss suggests coffee may be a good addition to a diet plan since it has minimal calories and no fat. While this seems logical, a more holistic view evaluates coffee from the perspective of its influence on the body's ability to metabolize the other food we eat. Recent studies suggest that despite its low calorie count, coffee may actually promote weight gain as well as type 2 diabetes by stimulating cortisol production and insulin resistance.


Caffeine stimulates cortisol production
One of the roles of cortisol, known as the stress hormone, is to help facilitate the fight or flight mechanism designed to save us from physical threat. When the body is stressed, cortisol's job is to up blood pressure and speed carbohydrate and fat metabolism, increasing the amount of blood sugar in the system to feed muscles and cells so they can function more effectively when stressed. Cortisol also promotes the release of insulin necessary to facilitate movement of glucose into the cells.

This cortisol-induced demand for blood sugar causes us to feel hungry, encouraging us to eat more despite our best intentions. Of course this situation is exacerbated if we drink more coffee when we are also under stress. If our response to the increased cortisol were physical, like running away from a perceived threat or choosing instead to fight, we might burn off the extra fuel. However, in today's world since most stress is mental or emotional and rarely due to actual physical threat, weight gain is a likely result. In addition, faced with consistently elevated insulin levels, our cells will tend to become resistant to its effect making them less able to utilize our now elevated levels of blood sugar. This insulin resistance condition is often followed by a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.


Regular coffee drinking may increase tolerance to cortisol response
While caffeine prompts cortisol production, a 2005 study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that regular coffee drinking increases our tolerance, blunting this effect somewhat. Subjects in this study who were given caffeine after a five-day fast showed cortisol spikes in the morning; an effect which diminished after several days of regular exposure. However, researchers also found that when subjects were exposed to caffeine continuously throughout the day, cortisol levels began to rise again in the afternoon. Further results also showed that study participants prone to high blood pressure reacted more strongly to the caffeine than did others and produced more cortisol.

This means for people who sip coffee throughout the day, there is a good chance their body will respond by eventually producing more cortisol encouraging weight gain and/or the development of type 2 diabetes, especially those who are hypertensive. On the other hand, for those who limit their intake of coffee to one or two cups first thing in the morning their cortisol response may be less serious.


Cortisol promotes fat storage
According to Shawn Talbott, PhD, author of The Cortisol Connection, another one of cortisol's roles is to encourage our bodies to store fat; a process that is helped along by higher levels of insulin. Unfortunately, this particular fat often gets located in the abdominal area causing a condition that may be associated not only with diabetes but also with heart disease, high cholesterol and hypertension.

For all of these reasons, in spite of its minimal calories, drinking coffee may not be a good decision for anyone who's goal is to lose weight.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jcr.2010.0007

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53304

Psychosom Med, 2005 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2257922/

Shawn Talbott, The Cortisol Connection, http://cortisolconnection.com/ch6_2.php


About the author:
Celeste Smucker is a freelance writer who writes about health and health care, real estate, and sales and marketing.
Visit Writing 4 All Reasons:
http://writing4allreasons.com/
She blogs about holistic solutions for health and health care at:
http://lowerhealthcostsnow.com/


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Can Coffee Prevent Alzheimer’s?

Can Coffee Prevent Alzheimer’s?

Can Coffee Prevent Alzheimer’s?
By Craig Wallin

Fifth Cup of Coffee!

Your morning cup of coffee may protect you from a variety of diseases, from Alzheimer’s to diabetes to Parkinson’s. Several studies have suggested that regular consumption of caffeine reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

But there is a catch, it seems. A cup or two are not enough to produce the optimum benefits, according to Dr. Gary Arendash, a leading Alzheimer’s researcher who has been studying the effects of caffeine on the brain. He says 500 milligrams of caffeine – equal to five cups of coffee – seems to be the amount necessary to produce a protective effect. According to Arendash, “I drink five to six cups a day religiously.”

His study used mice that were bred to develop Alzheimer’s. After two months (about 6 human years) of drinking caffeinated water, the mice performed much better on memory and thinking tests compared to the mice given only water. In addition, the caffeinated mice had a 50 percent reduction in beta amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Another large, long-term study, conducted in Finland, found men and women who drank 3-5 cups of coffee per day were 65 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease twenty years later. Other studies indicate people who are regular coffee drinkers are up to 80 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.

Why coffee? In addition to it’s stimulating effects, coffee is also high in antioxidants. Many of us get more daily antioxidants from coffee than from fruits and vegetables! Studies have also shown that coffee cuts the risk of diabetes, as it improves insulin sensitivity.

COFFEE DRINKING TIPS

Drink it black. You’ll get more health benefits from coffee if you skip the additives. Okay, I know some of you can’t imagine anything other than a Grande caramel macchiato, but just try it plain!
Drink it early. Most folks find drinking coffee later in the day can keep them up at night. Find your “cut off point” and skip the coffee after that time to avoid insomnia.
Drink it fresh. To maximize the flavor and prevent oxidation and loss of nutrients, coffee is best when fresh-ground.
Drink it in moderation. Sure, the experts say you’ll get the most benefits from 5 or so cups a day, but listen to your body. You may need to keep your coffee consumption at a lower level to feel your best. Coffee may cause digestive problems, jitters or insomnia in certain people, so cut back if you have any side effects. Doctors also recommend that if you’re pregnant or being treated for some medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, it’s best to avoid or restrict caffeine.

Don’t forget that tea also contains caffeine (A cup of black tea has about half as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and a cup of green tea has about a quarter as much) and other beneficial compounds, and is less likely to produce side effects.


http://www.alzheimerspreventiondigest.com/2011/01/can-coffee-prevent-alzheimers/

 

 

 

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