BIOHACK PROTOCOL FOR BRAIN FUNCTION & WARHAMMER 40 & SPORTS

WARHAMMER 40K is CHESS ON STEROIDS

As a biohackers, I am constantly testing out the newest nutrition, sleep or exercise protocols. I need to place myself in various arenas to test out how the newest method or supplements work.

When it comes to physical stress, I need to place my self in difficult environments. You can’t test much out without significant bodily stress, whether that be physical/mental or both. I have ran difficult marathons, played various sports, and trained with various different focuses such as; HIIT/POWER/STRENGTH/YOGA/FATLOSS/BODY BUILDING.

I generally like to enter events or competitions, as this provides an added dimension of pressure to the arena. These “arenas” as I call them, allow me to test out the efficacy of my sleep or nutrition protocols.

WARHAMMER AND BRAIN FUNCTION

My brother in law introduced me to the most complicated game I have ever played. At first I didn’t really realize what I was getting into, but over the course of 3 years, we continued to play the game on rare occasions, every 1-3 months (1 match takes 3-4 hours, and I don’t have the time for that). The game itself is a table top strategy game that goes head to head against your opponent on a large table surface with terrain, imagine a more real life chess game.

A friendly match that too place at the beginning of June 2023, my Necron force vs my friends Imperial Guard force.

Competitively, the game runs on a timer, similar to chess, so you don’t have time to waste. Your army has many specific and intricate rules that you have to remember by heart, and each individual model has a complex set of specific rules that you also have to memorize.

To play the game well at a competitive level, you also have to know all the other 40 some odd faction rules, as well as each individual model rule for each faction, so you can effective implement a board strategy and win the match.

The game is a dice based game, so each unit or model as a number of attacks that must be rolled for with a specific number of dice, and you must be able to quickly compute your statistical odds of ensure the attacks are effective against your chosen unit of attack. This is an important dimension of the game.

BRAIN FUNCTION

This game, warhammer 40k, started off as a COVID hobby , along with my fish tank, but has now transitioned to my mental biohacking arena. Once I really understood the full dimension of the competitive game, I realized that the mental focus, strategy, logic and mental computation required, all under the stress of competition and time, allowed me to test my strategies for cognition out.

My wife and youngest son joined in on my last friendly match. I’ve convinced my wife to play with me so I have a readily available opponent to destroy. (She beat me in our first match…)

My recently TESTED mindhack protocol

1. Ensure adequate REM sleep

REM is a deep stage of sleep, and is often the stage that is sacrificed by poor quality of sleep. Generally you need about 7.5 hours of quality sleep to obtain a sufficient amount of REM sleep (>1.5 hrs). When it comes to cognition, REM sleep is the most important aspect of sleep optimization. The other stages can also effect cognition, but the way sleep architecture works is that REM is the last stage, and you only get REM at after you get every other stage, so if you have sufficient REM, by default you have sufficient amounts of stages 1,2&3. REM is often effected by sleep apnea, alchohol, cannabis, restless leg syndome, or bruxism [1]

Lack of REM sleep results in 1) reduced concentration 2) reduced functional memory 3) fatigue [1,2]

All of these things are critical for optimal warhammer 40k success, but this also applies to anything else in life, such as sports, school, work, exercise, raising children etc.

So, if you have an important school test, sporting event, work presentation or warhammer match, make sure you get a good sleep.

2. Ensure adequate HYDRATION

The first step of any day should be to rehydrate immediately upon waking. I generally recommend my clients to drink 1-2 cups of room temp water upon waking, and then have another 1-2 cups in the form of coffee/tea or smoothie with or after breakfast.

Hydration doesn’t improve cognition, but dehydration definitely impairs it. Science shows that dehydration can significant impair memory and focus, as well as mood and physical performance [3]

3. Light balanced breakfast

You always have to pair your breakfast with the goal of the day. If you are doing heavy powerlifting first thing in the morning, you need more calories and carbs to fuel that workout. However, if your day is starting with more mentally focused tasks with little physical demand, such as work or school, too much calories or carbohydrates can make you feel sleepy and reduce your concentration and focus [4,5].

My favorite morning breakfast for cognitition is a cocoa powder smoothie:

2.5 cups cold water

1 frozen banana

3 tbsp. organic cocoa powder

1 tbsp. chia seeds

5g collagen

Cocoa powder in itself is a cognitive enhancer, here is an excerpt from a recent review on cocoa and cognition; “Findings from individual studies confirm that acute and chronic cocoa intake have a positive effect on several cognitive outcomes. After acute consumption, these beneficial effects seem to be accompanied with an increase in cerebral blood flow or cerebral blood oxygenation. After chronic intake of cocoa flavanols in young adults, a better cognitive performance was found together with increased levels of neurotrophins”[6]

4. The use of nootropic supplements, medicinal mushrooms

There are many many many forms of cognitive enhancing supplements. I have experimented with many, and plan to test them all so I have develop fine tuned protocols. The most commonly talked about nootropics today are the medicinal mushrooms. Medicinal mushrooms are not commonly used in cuisine, they are often too expensive, hard to grow and don’t taste great, yet they seem to have significant positive health effects. The science on these mushrooms is still in its infancy, but the positive health effects in rodent and human studies show promise [7]. Just to be clear, these mushrooms are non psycho active mushrooms, they are not “shrooms” containing psylocibin. Although psylocibin is an interesting topic with lots of research happening, you definitely don’t want to take those before an exam or work presentation.

The medicinal mushrooms that have been found to positively effect cognition are 1) Cordyceps 2) Lionsman 3) Reishi [7]. These mushrooms seem to have longer term dosing effects, meaning that you don’t really benefit from acute use as much as you do from taking a consistent dose for weeks at a time. In my case I have been taking a 500 mg dose of Cordyceps, I took them with my cocoa smoothie for breakfast. So far I have used both Cordyceps and Lions mane and low dose for extended periods of time, and I do confirm positive effects such as; increased focused, memory recall, mental stamina, energy, positive mood.

Dried Cordycep mushrooms, picture from Google images.

5. The use of acute FOCUS booster supplements

Along with my shrooms and cocoa smoothie, I took 750 mg of L-tyrosine. Tyrosine is a amino acid (protein unit) that is commonly found in high protein foods such as meat, legumes, and dairy. Tyrosine is used by the body to create catecholamine hormones that directly impact brain function, such as dopamine, epinephrine and nor-epinephrine [8]. The use of Tyrosine has been shown to improve cognition and concentration under higher mental loads. Personally, I have experimented with L-tyrosine before at a higher dose of 1500mg and found it made me too anxious and actually reduced my ability to focus. I tried it again at half the dose, 750 mg, and it hit the sweet spot. I felt like my mental stamina was at its peak.

Chemical strucuture of the amino acid L-Tyrosine. I used the brand NOW.

6. Cold shower

Last but not least, I finish my regular morning shower with a quick bout of cold. I turn my water temp down to the lowest, embrace the cold, breath heavy and enjoy the suck. Even though the science isn’t conclusive on cold exposure and cognition [9], I do personally feel a benefit. I feel fresh, energize, and more confident.

Me after a cold shower, happy to see my abs coming back after a bulking protocol transition to slow rate fat loss. (I am down 5 lbs. in 4 weeks.)

Overall, my performance during that Warhammer friendly match was great. I felt energized I won the match 50 - 20. More importantly, I didn’t make any significant errors due to lack of focus or forgetfulness. I felt like my concentration was high and consistent over the 4 hour bout. I plan to continue to tweak this protocol, so I can better understand the pros and cons of various supplements and methods.

I hope you enjoyed!

1. Blumberg, M. S., Lesku, J. A., Libourel, P. A., Schmidt, M. H., & Rattenborg, N. C. (2020). What is REM sleep?. Current Biology, 30(1), R38–R49.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31910377/

2. Peever, J., & Fuller, P. M. (2017). The biology of REM sleep. Current Biology, 27(22), R1237-R1248.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29161567/

3. Harris R. Lieberman (2007) Hydration and Cognition: A Critical Review and Recommendations for Future Research, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 26:sup5, 555S-561S, DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2007.10719658

4. Peuhkuri, K., Sihvola, N., & Korpela, R. (2012). Diet promotes sleep duration and quality. Nutrition Research, 32(5), 309–319.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22652369

5. Murphy, K. R., Deshpande, S. A., Yurgel, M. E., Quinn, J. P., Weissbach, J. L., Keene, A. C., Dawson-Scully, K., Huber, R., Tomchik, S. M., & Ja, W. W. (2016). Postprandial sleep mechanics in Drosophila. eLife, 5, e19334.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27873574/

6. Martín MA, Goya L, de Pascual-Teresa S. Effect of Cocoa and Cocoa Products on Cognitive Performance in Young Adults. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 30;12(12):3691.

10.3390/nu12123691

7. Amelie Nkodo, A Systematic Review of in-vivo Studies on Dietary Mushroom Supplementation for Cognitive Impairment (P14-021-19), Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 3, Issue Supplement_1, June 2019, nzz052.P14–021–19,

https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzz052.P14-021-19

8. Adrian Hase, Sophie E. Jung, Marije aan het Rot, Behavioral and cognitive effects of tyrosine intake in healthy human adults, Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, Volume 133,2015, Pages 1-6,ISSN 0091-3057,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2015.03.008

9. Douglas M. Jones, Stephen P. Bailey, Bart Roelands, Michael J. Buono, Romain Meeusen, Cold acclimation and cognitive performance: A review Published:November 14, 2017 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2017.11.004

Spirulina: A true superfood?

What kind of food merits the ‘superfood’ title?

According to Merriam-Websters dictionary, a superfood is nutrient-rich and beneficial for health. Couldn’t one argue that this covers most fruits and vegetables or ‘raw’ foods?

I remember when kale was first referred to as a superfood.  Kale recipes and smoothies began to pop up everywhere.

Did people believe they would turn into the Hulk? Or that Popeye ate kale instead?

After meeting Patrick and joining Phytonutrition, I encountered a potentially true superfood.

Blue-green Microalgae

Spirulina is a blue-green microalgae with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune boosting potential. Humans have consumed Spirulina since the Aztecs, and it is still regularly consumed by some present-day African tribes.

The microalga grows in subtropical lakes and oceans and can be cultivated in various controlled conditions. It is harvested, dried, and ground into powder or pressed into tablets.

Tasting a bit earthy with savory notes of seaweed, it combines well with a fruit smoothie to offset some sweetness.

With lots of potential benefits, an established history, and convenient cultivation, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is supporting the production of Spirulina to stimulate the economy of developing countries and simultaneously combat malnutrition.

I’m sure you’re thinking that ‘superfood’ kale has some catching up to do, but wait until you hear spirulina’s nutrient content.

Nutritional Content

Spirulina is packed with:

-          Protein

-          Calcium

-          Phosphorus

-          Magnesium

-          Iodine

-          Iron

-          Zinc

-          Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12

-          Beta-carotene (some of which is transformed into vitamin A)

The high-quality protein is similar to that of soybean and meat and accounts for up to 70% of spirulina’s dry weight, with levels of essential amino acids in proportions recommended by the FAO.

As for vitamins, the high vitamin B12 content would be great for vegetarians or vegans, but it does not seem to be utilized by the body in the same way as animal sourced vitamin B12. The high beta-carotene content provides antioxidant and anticancer properties.

The levels of calcium and phosphorus are comparable to that of milk and may provide Spirulina with bone preservation properties. It is also a relatively good source of potassium.

When compared to kale, raw spirulina has almost double the amount of iron, and dried spirulina (supplement form) has close to 20 times more iron than raw kale. Whether it be spinach or kale, Popeye may have been eating the wrong superfood!

Spirulina is also considered a good source of some healthy fats, especially gamma-linolenic acid, which helps your body mediate its inflammatory and immune responses.

In Yoda’s words: The nutrient force is strong in this one!

Junk Food + Spirulina = Healthy Diet?

According to the FAO, about 5 grams of Spirulina could match the nutrients obtained from eating just over a serving (100g) of bright-colored fruits and vegetables. This is great, but eating a diet of junk food supplemented with Spirulina would likely lead to problems.  

Before consuming 20g of Spirulina to cover your daily five fruit and vegetable servings, keep moderation in mind. While the great density of nutrients is what contributes to the microalgae’s health promoting potential, excess amounts could lead to problems or replace the space in your diet for other necessary nutrients.

Educate yourself on any new food you come across – be aware of any risks or concerns as well as benefits and applications of a food – then judge for yourself whether something constitutes a superfood (or if the term should even exist)!

To Sum It Up

Spirulina is a microalgae, previously used as human food and currently marketed as a supplement, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune boosting potential.

While the microalga packs a punch, with a nutrient density superior to many foods, boasting up to 70% protein as well as a good combination of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, consumers should educate themselves and determine whether spirulina fits into their diet.

Do you think Spirulina should be labeled as a superfood? Is spirulina what gives Yoda his green glow and mobility with old age? Let us know in the comments below!

-          Lucas Roldos

Disclaimer: The information provided is meant to spread knowledge and induce interest for educational purposes. It is based on limited research. We try to pull the overall message of the literature, but further research may be necessary.  What is done with the information or suggestions is solely the consumers decision. The information provided is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition. References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any website or other sources.

References provided within the text as hyperlinks.

Traditional Diets and Gut Bacteria: A tale of Two Microbes (Part 2)

To recap where we left off from Part 1 of this article; 

Hunter-gatherer societies have unique gut bacteria—known as the gut microbiota—that are likely protective against obesity and all the negative health consequences that come with being overweight. This is due in part to the large quantity of prebiotics that these traditional societies consume in their diet. What differs between our gut bacteria and theirs, and why might it be such a big deal? 

THE GUT BACTERIA SPECIES: PREVOTELLA & BACTERIOIDES

For the past year, I’ve been researching the gut microbiota variations between Western peoples and seven different hunter-gatherer and traditional societies: the Yonomami people of Venezuela[1], the Sausi and Asoro of Papua New Guinea [2], the Matses and Tunapuco from Peru [3], the Mossi of Burkina Faso4, and the Hadza of Tanzania[5]. All of them differ quite significantly from each other (and from us) in terms of their gut microbiota ecosystem. But one unifying thread that connect these geographically separate, traditional societies from Western ones is that not only do they have much higher diversity in bacterial species, but they have much higher levels of a species called Prevotella, whereas we have more of the species Bacterioides.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR LEVELS OF PREVOTELLA?

It is thought that Prevotella thrives best when its host consumes high levels of fibrous, prebiotic-containing plant-based foods, whereas Bacteroides can resist and thrive when there’s more animal fats and processed foods being ingested (as is the case in modern diets). When fiber and prebiotics enter the colon, both Prevotella and Bacteroides can ferment these into products called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Where the two microbes differ, however, is that Prevotella makes two to three times more of the SCFA propionate than Bacteroides does. 

HIGHER LEVELS OF PROPIONATE COULD PREVENT WEIGHT GAIN

A recent clinical trial in humans have demonstrated that propionate has potent anti-obesity effects, mainly by tricking the brain into thinking it’s less hungry than it would be ordinarily; results from the study showed that participants who had received propionate supplementation consumed 14% fewer calories overall in their diet compared to participants who received a placebo. Taken over a lifetime, such a 14% reduction could prevent the weight-gain that comes with ageing.

THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE, BUT UNDERSTANDING THE MICROBIOTA CAN HELP

So as this global pandemic of obesity, diabetes, and high blood-pressure continues to worsen, novel therapies targeting the gut microbiota will become crucial. Expanded research and development into human-to-human microbiota transplantation and over-the-counter synbiotics (supplements which contain both prebiotics and live bacteria) have the potential to alleviate this pandemic. This will require the need for super donors who have optimal gut microbiota profiles—traditional, hunter-gatherer societies harboring Prevotella could become invaluable for providing such super donors. For this reason, the scientific community really needs to expedite gut microbiota research before traditional cultures and their dietary habits are completely wiped out by the advance of the modernized world.

- Tyler Feeney- 
M.Sci (c) in Dietetics

References

Clemente, J. C., Pehrsson, E. C., Blaser, M. J., Sandhu, K., Gao, Z., Wang, B., . . . Dominguez-Bello, M. G. (2015). The microbiome of uncontacted Amerindians. Science Advances, 1(3), 1-12.
Martínez, I., Stegen, J. C., Maldonado-Gómez, M. X., Eren, A. M., Siba, P. M., Greenhill, A. R., & Walter, J. (2015). The gut microbiota of rural Papua New Guineans: composition, diversity patterns, and ecological processes. Cell Reports, 11(4), 527-538.
Obregon-Tito, A. J., Tito, R. Y., Metcalf, J., Sankaranarayanan, K., Clemente, J. C., Ursell, L. K., Zech, X. Z., ... Lewis, C. M. (2015). Subsistence strategies in traditional societies distinguish gut microbiomes. Nature Communications, 1-6.
De Filippo, C., Cavalieri, D., Di Paola, M., Ramazzotti, M., Poullet, J. B., Massart, S., . . . Lionetti, P. (2010). Impact of diet in shaping gut microbiota revealed by a comparative study in children from Europe and rural Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(33), 14691-14696.
Schnorr, S. L., Candela, M., Rampelli, S., Centanni, M., Consolandi, C., Basaglia, G., . . . Severgnini, M. (2014). Gut microbiome of the Hadza hunter-gatherers. Nature Communications, 1-5.
 

Veganism: Will the switch Help my Health

 Every body is getting on the vegan train... 

With the recent popularity of Netflix’s documentary “What the Health”, I felt like now would be a good time to address the role of veganism in combatting one of the most pernicious diseases affecting North Americans today: diabetes. Many of you out there with diabetes might have the following questions: Will a diet without meat or animal products help me live longer? Will it help prevent heart disease and other complications? Is a vegan or vegetarian diet really the best diet for me and my health? My answer as a nutrition expert and ex-vegetarian is, it depends.

WHAT ARE YOUR MOTIVATIONS?

Are you interested in pursuing a vegan diet mainly because you are concerned for the welfare of animals? Kudos! I have respect for those willing to reshape their lives for ethical reasons. While it is outside the scope of this article to go into depth over the philosophical arguments for veganism, from a nutritional point of view there is solid evidence supporting vegan and vegetarian diets for those with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. In fact, Diabetes Canada[1] (the largest advocacy group of its kind in the country) recognizes vegan/vegetarian diets as being effective for reducing body weight[2], lowering fasting blood glucose levels[2], lowering LDL cholesterol[3] (known as the “bad” cholesterol), increasing HDL cholesterol[4] (the “good” cholesterol), reducing the amount of medications needed1, and most tellingly, reducing hemoglobin A1c levels[3]—a measure for overall blood glucose exposure. These benefits along with proper monitoring from your doctor, regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week), and if required, medications (such as Glucophage, insulin, and/or others), can act in concert to prevent complications, such as heart-attack, kidney failure, nerve or eye damage, and amputations—leading to a happier, longer life.

THE BAD NEWS?

So that’s the good news. The bad news? Vegan and vegetarian diets are difficult to maintain long-term, especially if you are used to the taste of meat. I was a vegetarian for over five years, and one day I decided I really missed the taste of fish. During my dietetics program, I learned that there are a few important nutrients that plant foods cannot provide. Plus, I was really tired of eating imitation tofu-turkey for Thanksgiving! So I became a pescatarian semi-vegetarian for a while (in other words, a fish-eater). One year later, one thing led to another…and now I’m back to being a full-blown regular omnivore.

ADVICE FROM EXPERIENCE...

My story is far from unique, because due to the highly restrictive (and isolating) nature of vegan and vegetarian diets, it is a very difficult diet to sustain. A survey by the Humane Research Council found that about 84% of vegans and vegetarians will eventually abandon this dietary pattern[5]. An equal number of respondents who were current vegans/vegetarians gave either “health” or “animal-welfare” as their primary motivations for taking on that diet. What’s interesting, however, is that when ex-vegans and ex-vegetarians were asked why they were ever vegan or vegetarian in the first place, only 27% gave “animal-welfare” as a primary motivation while over 57% had pursued it for “health” reasons. What this study tells us is that if you are mainly driven by the health-benefits of veganism or vegetarianism, then it is more likely you will at some point go back to being an omnivore (such is the case with me, your humble author).

ALTERNATIVES TO VEGANISM 

But luckily, I have more good news. An alternative to vegan and vegetarian diets is the Mediterranean diet, which Diabetes Canada recognizes as providing all the same health benefits as a vegan or vegetarian diet[1]. Plus, it’s been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, a risk factor for obesity, heart disease, and many other ailments. If you’re unclear of what the Mediterranean diet is, I recommend searching for “Mediterranean diet food pyramid” online, but the gist of it is to limit red meat, have most of your animal products come from fish and poultry, have your main cooking oil be olive oil, and focus heavily on fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, and whole-grain products. Basically, you will want to try and get as much fiber (over 25 grams per day) as you can, since it forms a gel in your gut and slows the rate sugars enter your blood. In fact, if you change only one thing based off my article today, adding more pulses (chickpeas, lentils, or beans) to your current diet (1 serving; half a cup per day on average) can help better control your blood glucose levels[6], reduce your chances of hypoglycemia[6] (which can be an unpleasant, frightening, and potentially dangerous experience), and aid in weight loss[7]. So, whether you choose to be vegan or not, just know that there is no right or wrong choice when it comes to your health. In the end, it comes down to our mothers’ advice: “Eat your fruits and vegetables (and pulses)!”

- Tyler Feeney-

M.Sci (c) in Dietetics

References

1. Dworatzek, P.D., Arcudi, K., Gougeon, R., Husein, N., & Sievenpiper, J.L. (2013). Canadian Diabetes Association 2013 clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes in Canada: Nutrition therapy. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 37(suppl 1), S45-S55.

2. Barnard, N. D., Cohen, J., Jenkins, D. J., Turner-McGrievy, G., Gloede, L., Green, A., & Ferdowsian, H. (2009). A low-fat vegan diet and a conventional diabetes diet in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled, 74-wk clinical trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 89(5), 1588S-1596S.

3. Kahleova, H., Matoulek, M., Malinska, H., Oliyarnik, O., Kazdova, L., Neskudla, T., ... & Pelikanova, T. (2011). Vegetarian diet improves insulin resistance and oxidative stress markers more than conventional diet in subjects with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 28(5), 549-559.

4. Ajala, O., English, P., & Pinkney, J. (2013). Systematic review and meta-analysis of different dietary approaches to the management of type 2 diabetes. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 97(3), 505-516.

5. Asher, K., Green, C., Gutbrod, H., Jewell, M., Hale, G., & Bastian, B. (2014). Study of Current and Former Vegetarians and Vegans: Initial Findings.

6. Giacco, R., Parillo, M., Rivellese, A. A., Lasorella, G., Giacco, A., D'episcopo, L., & Riccardi, G. (2000). Long-term dietary treatment with increased amounts of fiber-rich low-glycemic index natural foods improves blood glucose control and reduces the number of hypoglycemic events in type 1 diabetic patients. Diabetes Care, 23(10), 1461-1466.

7. Kim, S. J., de Souza, R. J., Choo, V. L., Ha, V., Cozma, A. I., Chiavaroli, L., ... & Leiter, L. A. (2016). Effects of dietary pulse consumption on body weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 103(5), 1213-1223.

Coffee Reduces Risk of Death?

Coffee has always been quite the controversial drink.

Some of you may remember the myth about coffee sapping the calcium out of you.

While the caffeine in coffee can slightly decrease calcium absorption efficiency, if the daily recommended calcium intake of 2-3 servings of milk or alternatives (or 1000mg of calcium) is met, there should be no problem [2, 4].

If you’re still concerned, adding as little as 1-2 tablespoons of milk to your coffee should compensate [7].

You might encounter a four-time-per-day double-shot expresso drinking workaholic or someone who won’t even try tiramisu because they fear osteoporosis, the degenerative bone disease. Personally, I’m not a fan of tiramisu, but I do enjoy a cup or two of Joe: not only for the boost in can-do attitude but also because it may support long-term health.

Joe and Longevity

 “Coffee drinking was associated with reduced risk for death from various causes” according to data from 10 European countries [6].

While this sounds like a bold statement, we must keep in mind it is an association and not causation. This means that coffee drinking on its own does not cause a reduced risk for death of various causes; It is one lifestyle habit, of many, that is more prevalent in people who have a decreased risk of death for various causes.

However, when looking at coffee drinkers and their health as a general trend, there seems to be more than just a jitter to the juice.

There is probable evidence for decreased risk of the following chronic conditions in coffee drinkers (about 4 cups/day) [5]:

-       Some cancers (breast, colorectal, colon, endometrial, and prostate cancer)

-       Cardiovascular disease

-       Metabolic-related conditions (type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome)

-       Neurological conditions (Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression)

What’s in the dirt?

While coffee is 99% water, about one cup of this ‘dirty water’ has the potassium content of ¼ of a banana [11] and is rich in antioxidants.

In fact, just 2 cups of coffee per day accounted for about 66% of the total antioxidant intake of a weekly Norwegian diet, when fruits and berries only accounted for about 11% [10]. This may not be surprising if you are aware of the statistics behind global fruit and vegetable intake.

Beans and a cup of Joe.

Chlorogenic acids are the main antioxidants, which have the bonus of increasing insulin sensitivity and slowing glucose circulation after a meal (great for diabetics), but various other coffee components have demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity [5].

Coffee may even alter your gut microbiota in favor of anti-obese and anti-inflammatory species [5].

And of course, the primary reason coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world: Caffeine. Being a very powerful stimulant, caffeine keeps people awake and can improve strength and endurance during exercise, but it may not work the same for everyone [8].

Genetics and Caffeine Metabolism

CYP1A2 is a drug processing gene that accounts for 95% of caffeine processing in your body [1].

Depending on your genetic variant of CYP1A2, your caffeine metabolism can be faster or slower. This might explain why some people can have coffee all day and fall asleep fine, while others can have trouble sleeping if they have a cup after 2 pm.

With the slower CYP1A2 variant, less is more. The caffeine from one coffee might circulate through your body further than it would in someone without the slow variant, increasing the intensity and/or duration of the stimulants’ influence on your fatigue level and athletic performance [12].

That’s great for athletes with the slow variant, as it increases strength and endurance, but there are two sides to this coin.

Individuals with the slower CYP1A2 variant may have an increased risk of stroke [1] or hypertension [9] possibly due to caffeine’s capacity to prevent your stress hormone, cortisol, from dropping [3].

The genetic aspect is relatively new, but it has potential to tailor nutrition advice to an individual level through Nutrigenomix.

To Sum It Up

There seems to be no definitive negative long-term health influence of coffee, but there may be some positives. Coffee intake of about four cups/day has been associated with reduced risk of death from various causes.

Coffee can serve as a great source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the diet, but the caffeine content could increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions depending on an individuals’ genetic variant of caffeine metabolism.

- Lucas Roldos

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Lucas Roldos

is currently completing his MSc in Human Nutrition at McGill University, where he received his BSc in Nutrition Science with a sports concentration and a minor in Neuroscience. His research examines motivation for healthy behavior.

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Disclaimer: The information provided is meant to spread knowledge and induce interest for educational purposes. It is based on limited research. We try to pull the overall message of the literature, but further research may be necessary.  What is done with the information or suggestions is solely the consumer's decision. The information provided is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition. References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute the endorsement of any website or other sources.

Reference:

[1] Cornelis, MC. et al. Coffee, CYP1A2 genotype, and risk of myocardial infarction. Journal of the American Medical Association. (2006). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16522833

[2] Dieticians of Canada. Food Sources of Calcium. (2016) https://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-A-Z/Calcium/Food-Sources-of-Calcium.aspx

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