What Are The Side Effects Of Decaffeinated Coffee?

Here are some benefits that probably only apply to regular coffee, not decaf:

• improved mood, reaction time, memory, and mental function ( 33, 34, 35 ).
• increased metabolic rate and fat burning ( 36, 37, 38 ).
• enhanced athletic performance ( 39, 40, 41, 42 ).
• reduced risk of mild depression and suicidal thoughts in women ( 43, 44 ).
• much lower risk of liver cirrhosis or end stage liver damage ( 45, 46, 47 ).

Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Decaf Coffee, According To An Expert

• Your teeth might show signs of damage.
• You may have to go to the bathroom—a lot.
• It might be harder to lose weight.
• Your cholesterol may suffer.
• You may develop an iron deficiency.
• You’ll have a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
• You could be ingesting a toxic chemical.

Here is a step-by-step process to make decaf coffee:

• Start with fresh filtered water for boiling purposes.
• As the water is coming to a boil, grind your decaf beans fresh.
• Bring water to a boil and let cool for a minute or two before pouring into the ground coffee.
• A good guideline to follow is 10 grams of coffee per 180 milliliters of water.

Decaffeinated coffee isn’t necessarily “bad” for you-it all depends on what you want from it. If you need a boost of energy and mental stimulation, for example–then decaf isn’t for you. Consider also how your decaf coffee is treated and how the caffeine was removed. Although decaffeination is safe, some companies use different chemicals.

How much caffeine is in decaf coffee?

The caffeine content of decaffeinated coffee is considerably less than the caffeine content found in regular coffee ( 3 ). An eight-ounce mug of brewed decaf has two to 12 milligrams of caffeine compared to 95 to 200 milligrams in regular coffee. Doctors recommend not exceeding more than a combined total of 500 milligrams of caffeine per day, …

In fact, the FDA allows 10 parts per million (ppm) of residual methylene chloride, but the coffee industry tends to use only 1 ppm. Furthermore, any residual solvent is likely to be burned away through the process of roasting the beans and later, brewing them.

Doctors recommend not exceeding more than a combined total of 500 milligrams of caffeine per day, especially if you tend to suffer from headaches or anxiety. Also, consider all caffeine sources, not just coffee—soda has caffeine, as does tea and iced tea, and energy drinks are some of the worst offenders.

Apart from antioxidants, a cup of decaffeinated coffee has 2.4% of the recommended daily intake of magnesium, 4.8% of potassium and 2.5% of niacin. There are certainly some decaffeinated coffee health benefits.

Regular coffee is discouraged for a couple of reasons. First of all, caffeine raises blood pressure and heart rate—two things that aren’t good for pregnant women. Secondly, caffeine can transfer to the fetus, and because it’s underdeveloped, it can’t metabolize caffeine the way its mother can. Decaf coffee presents an alternative because of the minimal amount of caffeine per cup. And the antioxidant and mineral benefits can certainly help as well!

Decaf coffee comes from the same beans as caffeinated coffee—the difference is that these beans are processed in a way that removes about 97% of the caffeine. There are some concerns over the use of a solvent process to decaffeinate coffee beans, but the potential health risks are very low. For the most part, coffee, whether caffeinated …

For the most part, coffee, whether caffeinated or not, is mostly good for you because the beans are loaded with antioxidants—and we know that antioxidants fight off free radicals that cause damage to our cells, which can age us prematurely and potentially cause a whole host of other health issues.

Do coffee beans contain caffeine?

Coffee beans naturally contain caffeine, so removing the stimulant is difficult and often done in unnatural ways. “The beans are soaked in a chemical solvent that leaches out the caffeine,” says Dr. William Li, physician, scientist, president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, and author of Eat To Beat Disease: The New Science …

Perhaps most frighteningly, Dr. Byakodi says, “Methylene chloride is a possible mutagen and is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”. Chemicals aside, even just the process of decaffeination can be problematic.

You’re not getting the same health benefits as regular coffee. Nutritionist Ella Davar, RD, CDN, says it best: the decaffeination process “makes the decaf coffee an ultra-processed food item.”. So, although coffee is fairly natural, its decaffeinated counterpart is the opposite.

Dr. Ceppie Merry, FRCPI, PhD, adds that there is some evidence suggesting that the beans used for decaf coffee do not offer the same cardioprotective effects like the ones used in caffeinated coffee. 5.

Decaf coffee can raise your cholesterol . Shutterstock. Turns out, the decaffeination process and the chemicals used in it aren’t even the beginning of the story. The risks of decaf start even earlier—with the bean selection itself.

Decaf coffee, “is that typically it is made from a bean that has a higher fat content than regular arabica beans, which could pose potential consequences for cholesterol levels and long-term health of the heart as well,” says Dr. Audrey.

Dr. Li points to the fact that decaf coffee does still have some caffeine in it— usually about 5%, although that amount is largely unregulated. “Just remember,” he says, “it is decaffeinated, not no-caffeination.”

Who invented decaf coffee?

The decaffeination process was pioneered by Ludwig Roselius, who originally soaked green, unroasted coffee beans in water to extract caffeine. He then used benzene to more efficiently extract the caffeine. Indeed, water was the original tool to extract caffeine from coffee beans.

Methylene chloride and ethyl acetate are the main chemicals used in the process of extracting caffeine from coffee. They’re harmless, but some of the chemicals previously used in this process might not have been.

Using liquid carbon dioxide, this recently developed method extracts the caffeine from green coffee beans by soaking them in a water and carbon dioxide mixture. The mixture is pressurized to about 1,000 pounds per square inch to extract the caffeine. The liquid is then drained and heated to release the carbon dioxide, leaving the caffeine behind.

That means it takes about four hours to cut the amount of caffeine in your system by half. Drinking too much coffee throughout the day or drinking it close to bedtime can make you lose sleep. On top of that, the sleep you do get tends to be lower in quality.

However, caffeine has health benefits of its own.

Each process starts with green coffee beans, which haven’t been roasted. There’s no difference between regular beans and decaf coffee beans before the extraction process.

Image Credit: AndrijaP/iStock/GettyImages. Coffee is more than a drink. It contains caffeine — a mind-sharpening productivity drug that can lift your spirits and sharpen your focus. However, if you’ve had enough of caffeine and still want the taste of coffee, you can try decaf.

How much caffeine is in decaf coffee?

One serving of decaf coffee contains about 2 to 5 milligrams of caffeine, as opposed to 50 to 75 milligrams in regular coffee ( 2 ). Caffeine is extracted from coffee beans through various methods. These include the use of organic solvents, water, or carbon dioxide ( 3 ). The removal of caffeine and other compounds can also rob this coffee …

The University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Decaffeinated Coffee Increases Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis”. Pancreas, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. “The acute effects of coffee and caffeine on human interdigestive exocrine pancreatic secretion”. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine.

Individuals who consume coffee regularly may often experience headaches, drowsiness, and even fatigue when given decaf coffee ( 14 ). Another possible concern could be the use of methylene chloride in the decaffeination process.

May Cause Acidity. Decaf coffee was found to increase serum gastrin concentrations ( 10 ). Gastrin is the hormone that triggers the release of stomach acid. When this happens in excess, it may lead to symptoms of acidity ( 11 ). However, regular coffee was found to cause more pronounced gastroesophageal reflux.

Two cups of decaffeinated coffee a day could be safe in healthy individuals. But as per the FDA, if you react strongly to caffeine negatively, avoid decaffeinated coffee ( 6 ). Replacing regular coffee with the decaf variant may lower blood pressure, although in a small way ( 7 ). 2. May Aggravate Rheumatoid Arthritis. Shutterstock.

Decaf coffee could be an ideal alternative to regular coffee in some cases. However, do not overdo it as there is another side to the coin. If you are dealing with any serious medical condition, please check with your doctor before you go for decaf coffee (or any source of caffeine).

1. May Cause Heart Complications. Decaffeinated coffee might increase the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol). These effects were not observed in the caffeinated variant ( 4 ). Decaf coffee was found to increase a specific blood fat that is linked to metabolic syndrome.