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I live in a country (Costa Rica) which exports quality coffee - some of the best in the world- some of it organic. I live about five minutes from the largest and most popular Costa Rican producer of gourmet organic coffee beans, Cafe Britt. This last year my family spent an afternoon visiting their facilities - joining one of the many tours they host. We had a great time.
On The Cafe Britt coffee tour
I have a love, not quite hate, relationship with coffee. While I love the flavor and aroma of gourmet coffee, I don’t do well with the caffeine part of the equation. When I was younger my body tolerated caffeine a lot better, but now I rarely consume much of anything containing it, so when I do have a cup of joe, man I feel it!
Lets be honest, caffeine is a stimulant - a drug if you will. How many of us started drinking coffee for the taste alone? I didn’t like the taste at all when I first tried it (until I added all that cream and sugar 
), but eventually the attractiveness, aura, sophistication, media manipulation… I don’t recall exactly my motivations, but I was drawn in, and added another product to my increasing arsenal of caffeine and sugar fixes during my college years.
You’re probably wondering where I am going with this…
Well, I mention the above because I know many of us are looking for alternatives, ways to avoid chemicals and substances we know to be hazardous to our health, yet we have a hard time functioning throughout our busy days without them.
The Adrenal Glands and Adrenal Fatigue
The adrenal glands are two small glands, each about the size of a large grape. They are situated on top of the kidneys. Their purpose is to help the body to cope with stress and help it to survive.
Adrenaline is manufactured in the interior of the adrenal gland, called the adrenal medulla. Cortisol, one of several chemicals from the adrenal gland, is made in the exterior portion of the gland, called the adrenal cortex. Cortisol helps you handle longer-term stress situations.
“In the heightened nervous state of adrenal burnout, the body overproduces adrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones. Constant stress and poor nutrition can weaken the adrenal glands. Eventually, this causes the adrenal glands, the front line in the stress reaction, to show wear and tear and become depleted. This frequently leads to impairment in the thyroid gland, which can cause a further decline in energy level and mood and is one of the reasons why many people have thyroid glands that don’t work well.” - Adrenal Fatigue & Stress - Valerie Balandra ARNP, BC
“Those with adrenal fatigue often report symptoms such as dizziness and weakness, as the blood sugar level drops below a comfortable level for the body to function normally. To overcome this, the quick fix solution is to take food that is high in refined sugar such as donut or sweets, or drinks that is stimulatory to get the adrenal to put out more cortisol, such as coffee or cola drinks. This gives the person a boost of energy. However, this hypoglycemic symptom relief only lasts for about 1-2 hours. Inevitably, it is followed by a crash to an even lower blood level. Those suffering from adrenal fatigue are constantly on a roller coaster ride in terms of their blood sugar level throughout the day. The sugar level tends to increase after each quick fix, but drops after a few hours. By the end of the day, the body is totally exhausted.” - DrLam.com
Coffee/Sodas over stimulate your adrenals and they deplete important B vitamins.
Coffee does not give you energy; coffee gives you the illusion of energy. Coffee actually drains the body of energy and makes you more tired, because of vitamin and adrenal depletion. Check out the following chart to see how the use of caffeine for supposed energy is added to “energy drinks.” TruBoost, at the top is the only product to be free of any caffeine.
Click on the chart for a better view of energy drink comparison.
From Life Force International’s web site information on TruBoost:
“The Sensoril in TruBoost is clinically proven to boost energy at the cellular level and enhance mental clarity and focus.* Both Tulsi and Ashwagandha are known as adaptogenic herbs, which increase the body’s ability to resist and recover from fatigue and stress. Sensoril works in tandem with Tulsi to provide a vitalizing lift without stressing the adrenal glands.”
Ok, now given a choice - choosing the option that will allow your body to do the “boosting” naturally, vs. allowing a stimulant such as caffeine to do it for you while wreaking havoc on your adrenals - what do you think will be most beneficial to your health in the long term? I don’t think there is any doubt about that now.
From the Red Bull website:
“Caffeine is known for its beneficial effects on mental and physical functions. It has been shown to improve e.g. reaction speed, alertness and concentration. Caffeine also stimulates fat-burning during endurance activities and thereby helps to use fat stores in the body which results in a more efficient supply of energy.”
That doesn’t quite tell you enough information - typical of peddlers of these products to spin things towards their bias… their product. How do they define “beneficial effects”? Yeah, right… I’m really going to down Red Bull for my health.
More to come next post.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog.
March 14th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Caffeine has it’s health benefits but too much of anything is bad for you.