Coffee, Cortisol, Belly Fat

[olafmagee]

I have read recently that drinking coffee elevates cortisol levels in the body - thereby triggering the fight or flight response which has the side effects of increased appetite, fat deposits in the stomach area, and other negatives.

On the other hand, you can find information that touts the beneficial effects of coffee as a performance enahncing substance that actually helps break down fat.

Can anybody knowledgeable on this subject please shed some light on this? The science behind your info would nice as well.

[JC480]

www.pubmed.gov

This is a good resource you may want to bookmark.

Anyway...to answer your question, read this study.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/33/5/989

[JOHN GARGANI]

coffee has more positives than negatives BUT with the caveat that it IS addictive and somehow, you must learn to control it and not IT control you....

othewise, you get caught in a spiral of ups and downs and need refills every 2 hours or so.....

if "real" coffee is limited to once or twice a day, it's effect is much greater.....


I usually have some half-caf in the AM, and then go caffeine free most of the day, until about 1/2 hour or hour before training......

if you do that, you get a much more pronounce effect, and you are only having maybe a cup and a half of reg coffee a day, which is nothing......

[BazzaW]

I have just given it up (1st July) how sick is that I know the date, after being a 6-7 mug a day as strong as you can give it to me coffee adict. The withdrawals were 3 days of headaches. My co -workers take great joy in coming past me with steaming hot mugs that smell like heaven. But I have to say that I have found my body less subject to euphoric highs and lows during the day....more of a steady metabolic rate.

[MarkG]

Studies show adding cinnamon (the real stuff, not the type at Safeway) to coffee helps prevent the insulin spikes and crashes. It works for me.

I get ground Ceylon cinnamon from the NET, and also add it with raw organic honey to my whey shake in the a.m.

[GaijinPunch]

coffee has more positives than negatives BUT with the caveat that it IS addictive and somehow,

You should read some of Alan Carr's stuff. One of the main points is facing what addicition is, and that there are very few drugs in the world that are physically addictive. Heroin obviously would be the main one. The big myth is that nicotine is physically addictive. If it were, any given smoker wouldnt' make it through a full night's sleep.

Anyways, the point was, a lot of that is in your head...even with coffee. I still drink quite a bit though.

[JOHN GARGANI]

Studies show adding cinnamon (the real stuff, not the type at Safeway) to coffee helps prevent the insulin spikes and crashes. It works for me.

I get ground Ceylon cinnamon from the NET, and also add it with raw organic honey to my whey shake in the a.m.

whoa...wait a minute, insulin spikes? how much sugar were you putting in your coffee??

without sugar, Coffee cause spikes of the CNS, not of insulin......

[tonester]

My main problem with coffee or any stimulant is the affect it has on my adrenal system. As for the pluses of coffee I can get all that from various fruits and vegetables.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5122295_ef...al-glands.html

One is simply creating a false fight or flight response many times a day. Can't be good long term.

I threw out some nutrition baggage 4 years ago so I'm not 100% sure if it was any one thing, but I feel a shiite load better now with more energy than I did before when I was using stimulants everyday. I've replaced the fake energy with my own. The two biggies were coffee and alcohol.

My doctor has a computer screen on his desk facing me that mirrors his. He has this neat programme that creates graphs with all my blood work and test results. He has been using this for about 6 years (I get checked every 6 months because I'm Canadian ) and the improvement in all areas is astonishing. But in particular and most importantly for my energy levels, my hormonal balance.

Just thought I'd share my personal experience.

[JC480]

I get checked every 6 months because I'm American I call my doctor and can get a same day appointment if I want one...because I'm not a Canadian

My bloodwork is perfect...better than perfect.

I drink 2-3 cups of coffee everyday. I love coffee. When I'm 100 years old, I'll make my great great great grandchildren bring me flavored coffee everytime they visit me and my 20 y/o wife.

[Tofino]

I get checked every 6 months because I'm American I call my doctor and can get a same day appointment if I want one...because I'm not a Canadian

My bloodwork is perfect...better than perfect.

I drink 2-3 cups of coffee everyday. I love coffee. When I'm 100 years old, I'll make my great great great grandchildren bring me flavored coffee everytime they visit me and my 20 y/o wife.

This is excellent, and I'm happy about your awesome bloodwork -- my last one in June was similar.

However, there is only one "flavored coffee". That is coffee-flavored coffee.

[skinny buckeye]

My main problem with coffee or any stimulant is the affect it has on my adrenal system. As for the pluses of coffee I can get all that from various fruits and vegetables.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5122295_ef...al-glands.html

One is simply creating a false fight or flight response many times a day. Can't be good long term.

I threw out some nutrition baggage 4 years ago so I'm not 100% sure if it was any one thing, but I feel a shiite load better now with more energy than I did before when I was using stimulants everyday. I've replaced the fake energy with my own. The two biggies were coffee and alcohol.

My doctor has a computer screen on his desk facing me that mirrors his. He has this neat programme that creates graphs with all my blood work and test results. He has been using this for about 6 years (I get checked every 6 months because I'm Canadian ) and the improvement in all areas is astonishing. But in particular and most importantly for my energy levels, my hormonal balance.

Just thought I'd share my personal experience.

interesting. thats cool that your dr is tracking data points. Just out of curiosity, which data points improved and by how much? did total test improve at all?

[J.Ho]

I get checked every 6 months because I'm American I call my doctor and can get a same day appointment if I want one...because I'm not a Canadian

My bloodwork is perfect...better than perfect.

I drink 2-3 cups of coffee everyday. I love coffee. When I'm 100 years old, I'll make my great great great grandchildren bring me flavored coffee everytime they visit me and my 20 y/o wife.

oh snap!

I love coffee too. I have cut back from 4-6 cups a day to 1 cup a day since the beginning of this year. Still love it but drink a lot more water than coffee nowadays.

I prefer french press coffee... aahh yeah, with Kona beans.

[Fanie117]

Okey, here is the deal. I love coffee! And I think I like it too much. I drink every coffee with two sugars and milk. So I can have about 8 to 24 coffees a day. Realy it is so much I dont count. When Im bored I make coffee. I have a big belly. Will I see a differance if I quit drinking coffee and have tea without sugar and milk instead. For me that is the next best option cause I like tea. But will I loose weight??? And If I quit with my coffee habit, how long? The other thing is if I drink tea I get hungry. And my digestion works faster, does that mean tea ups my metabolism?

[drudixon]

You should read some of Alan Carr's stuff. One of the main points is facing what addicition is, and that there are very few drugs in the world that are physically addictive. Heroin obviously would be the main one. The big myth is that nicotine is physically addictive. If it were, any given smoker wouldnt' make it through a full night's sleep.

Anyways, the point was, a lot of that is in your head...even with coffee. I still drink quite a bit though.

clearly youve never smoked. Also, by your logic, anyone with a physical addiction would never sleep, which isn't true.

[HairyScandinavian]

Okey, here is the deal. I love coffee! And I think I like it too much. I drink every coffee with two sugars and milk. So I can have about 8 to 24 coffees a day. Realy it is so much I dont count. When Im bored I make coffee. I have a big belly. Will I see a differance if I quit drinking coffee and have tea without sugar and milk instead. For me that is the next best option cause I like tea. But will I loose weight??? And If I quit with my coffee habit, how long? The other thing is if I drink tea I get hungry. And my digestion works faster, does that mean tea ups my metabolism?

This thread is almost 3 years old, but props for using the Search function.

Way too much coffee, but why not try Splenda in the coffee instead of sugar for starters and then just reduce the amount of it that you drink? I have a coffee every morning at work, no creamer (yuk) and 3 Splenda packets, but always have a full glass of water along with the coffee.

[m314]

clearly youve never smoked. Also, by your logic, anyone with a physical addiction would never sleep, which isn't true.

Sleeping is actually a big part of physical withdrawal from stimulants. Amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephedrine, caffeine (to a lesser extent), etc. I'm probably drinking a little too much coffee and diet soda these days. If I take a weekend with no caffeine, all I feel like doing is sleeping and laying around in bed.

[Zoosh]

I've tried injecting ground up beans directly into my jugular but the grounds get stuck in the syringe. At least I'm cutting down on the # of cups.

[EB68]

Well since the thread is already resurected, I drink one black coffee per day in the AM. I can skip it for a few days and feel no different.

[Looton]

Dr Pericone, dailyperricone dot com/2010/03/cortisol-the-death-hormone/

"Excessive amounts of cortisol can destroy the immune system, shrink the brain and other vital organs, decrease muscle mass, and cause thinning of the skin which results in prominent blood vessels. ...

■Get good adequate sleep-six to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.
■Minimize stress-whenever possible, avoid stress-inducing situations.
■Cut out coffee! Coffee contains a number of organic acids that affect blood sugar and cortisol levels. This is not due to the caffeine. For example, you can drink a cup of decaffeinated coffee at 8am and your cortisol levels will still be measurable at 10pm-the same as if you had drunk regular coffee."

[Whiskeyjack]

This is excellent, and I'm happy about your awesome bloodwork -- my last one in June was similar.

However, there is only one "flavored coffee". That is coffee-flavored coffee.

<------knows both Surrey and Tofino BC quite well.

[michail71]

Coffee also contains dihydrogen monoxide, which can cause cerebral edema and water retention in large quantities.

[2nd_chance]

I have read recently that drinking coffee elevates cortisol levels in the body - thereby triggering the fight or flight response which has the side effects of increased appetite, fat deposits in the stomach area, and other negatives.

On the other hand, you can find information that touts the beneficial effects of coffee as a performance enahncing substance that actually helps break down fat.

Can anybody knowledgeable on this subject please shed some light on this? The science behind your info would nice as well.

Worrying about this will have .00000001% effect on your fitness goals.

[nlsecor]

Okey, here is the deal. I love coffee! And I think I like it too much. I drink every coffee with two sugars and milk. So I can have about 8 to 24 coffees a day. Realy it is so much I dont count. When Im bored I make coffee. I have a big belly. Will I see a differance if I quit drinking coffee and have tea without sugar and milk instead. For me that is the next best option cause I like tea. But will I loose weight??? And If I quit with my coffee habit, how long? The other thing is if I drink tea I get hungry. And my digestion works faster, does that mean tea ups my metabolism?

Bro. I am a coffee addict, and even I am shocked if your numbers are correct. I am not as concerned about the coffee as I am about the sugar. I would consider using a measured teaspoon or tablespoon, and counting how many calories you are adding per day that have zero nutritional benefit. For each 3500 calories or so that is a pound of fat you are adding. So, if you were able to cut your sugar in half or by 75%, you could calculate the calories saved and get an estimate of how much it would contribute to weight loss. Consider getting some 200mg caffeine pills from prolabs or similar, and take 1 or a half regularly to supplement your coffee drinking. While a lot of caffeine is problematic, caffeine and suger is more problematic, and is sending you straight down the path of diabetes and other problems.

[Looton]

Coffee also contains dihydrogen monoxide, which can cause cerebral edema and water retention in large quantities.

There's also Green Coffee - even as a sup. Starbucks also started with it. Here's what wiki had on it;

"Green coffee refers to coffee produced from coffee beans that have not been roasted. If ground and brewed, green coffee beans have very little taste, although they are utilized in some forms of traditional Arabic coffee.

Dr. Joe Vinson presented results of research in March 2012 whereby he performed a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study which found a significant correlation between consumption of green coffee and weight loss.[1] Vinson thinks that the weight loss may be due to chlorogenic acid, which is thought to reduce the absorption of glucose and lower the hyperglycemic peak. The study was small, utilizing only 16 people and published in a low impact journal, and has not yet been replicated.[2][3]

In a 2006 study, Shimoda et al [4] found that Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) blocks fat absorption and stimulates the fat burning metabolism in mice.
"

[BritInRo]

Whilst i am always open to scientific based studies/proof etc, things like coffee increasing cortisol or whatever are way down my list of things to worry about.

One thing for sure is i know i have 100% control over my diet and routine and that's always going to give the greatest bang for your buck, and even with the best will in the world there is no way i can get in the same zip code percentage-wise for control of things like cortisol/insulin etc etc.

I admit an academic interest in these things though.

[JolietKev]

Worrying about this will have .00000001% effect on your fitness goals.

I agree with this. Will not matter one bit.

[Legbuh]

I put 1/2 tsp instant coffee in my morning protein shake... yum... That's it for the day though. Its really only for the flavor as I'm way to sensitive to stims. Stick with water the rest of the day.

[alex2363]

So whats the consensus here...good or bad? or both?