Is coffee messing with your hormones

Is coffee messing with your hormones

June 7, 2018 @ 2:42 am

by Angie

in Cleansing, Hormones, Nutrition, Recipes, Women Health

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Is coffee healthy or not? Drink it. Avoid it.

Why all the confusion?

Oh boy! Before I tackle this subject, I must admit I love coffee! It is a long love affair. I’m also proud to admit that I quit coffee; well I just have it once a week on Sunday. I have to say that I did everything to balance my hormones, but I was in denial about coffee because I loved it so much. It was more about my morning routine than anything else though, but still, I just couldn’t surrender to the fight about quitting coffee.

I was estrogen dominant and had high cortisol and had been struggling with anxiety all my life. My life was becoming unbearable at some point, so I decided to take one last step I haven’t taken – a break from coffee just to see what was going to happen. As soon as I quit coffee, my anxiety reduced gone by 50%. I was living in a denial that coffee does not affect my anxiety and hormones even though I knew otherwise.

Interestingly enough like anything else for me quitting coffee wasn’t that difficult, but I know that for many people it can be almost impossible. I want to encourage you to give it a try, and see how you feel.

We are such a caffeinated nation, and we all would say “but there are many benefits of coffee, why should I quit,” “coffee is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols,” but you also can find all of those in fruits and vegetables. You will tell me that a lot of studies show that drinking coffee prevents diabetes, cancer, depression and more. You say that you love your routine and how you feel after a cup of Joe, that you enjoy the buzz you get, the mental clarity and energetic boost. I will still tell you to try to take a break and see how you feel?

Everyone reacts to coffee differently.

Some people feel good for the first couple of hours ( dopamine spike), but after a while, their mental awareness and energy will start dropping rapidly. Some people feel uplifted for hours; some people can’t sleep after they drink coffee and some get jittery, nervous and anxious. That was me! Coffee made me dehydrated, smelly, moody and angry. My partner said that I’m a different person after I quit! My PMS was getting worse again because of estrogen-to-progesterone balance was off. There is science behind why different people react differently to it. It’s a matter of your genetics and how much coffee you’re used to drinking.

Let’s take a look at caffeine metabolism, its effects on the mind and body, its effects on hormones, and whether coffee drinkers have higher or lower risks of disease.

Caffeine metabolism

Different people metabolize caffeine at a different speed. How fast you metabolize caffeine will impact how you’re affected by it. In fact, caffeine metabolism can be up to 40x faster in some people than others.

About half of people are “slow” metabolizers of caffeine. We get jittery, we can get heart palpitations, and we can feel “wired” for up to 9 hours after having a coffee. The other half of people are “fast” metabolizers of caffeine. They get energy and increased alertness and are back to normal a few hours later.

This is part of the reason those headlines contradict each other so much – because we’re all different!

If you’re struggling with your period, fibroids, cysts of any kind in the breast or ovary, endometriosis, infertility, low sex drive, moodiness, low energy, and weight issues – coffee is making all of these problems much worse.

If you are women who struggle with estrogen dominance and low libido, evidence suggests that drinking coffee may make it worse.

Caffeine and estrogen share the same cytochrome system (CYP1A2) during liver detoxification. Each chemical which needs to be detoxified needs to through the liver detoxification system. Estrogen is one of them. The longer the line for detox is the longer estrogen will stay in your body, and caffeine is standing in the way.

Excessive coffee consumption makes estrogen dominance worse and your liver will have to deal with caffeine first, and estrogen can’t get eliminated at that proper time of the month… making cramping, PMS, Fibrocystic breasts and number of menstrual-related symptoms worse.

One study found that more than 100 mg of caffeine daily (a standard cup of coffee contains 95-200 mg) will increase circulating estrogen levels to some degree, but up to 500 mg daily (around 4-5 cups) will increase circulating estrogen levels by 70%!

Another study found that drinking caffeinated beverages and coffee alters the level of estrogen. This study also found that it is impacted by race. It appears that Asian women have a tough time with metabolizing coffee and it raises their estrogen levels.

Caffeine has an impact on testosterone.

For women, testosterone is essential for maintaining libido, metabolism and building muscles and bones. The more caffeine women consumed, the lower your bioavailable testosterone levels will be. Caffeine increases Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), which will bind testosterone and prevent it from doing you any good.

Caffeine impacts the conversion of T4 to T3 hormones.

People who suffer from a thyroid condition and take hormone replacement pill need to take it at least one hour before they drink their coffee because caffeine impacts the absorption of levothyroxine – which is the synthetic thyroid hormone.

Caffeine is the contributor to estrogen dominance, and studies have been shown that estrogen dominance inhibits T4 to T3 conversion.

Coffee exhausts the adrenals.

The adrenals function is to release hormones that trigger the fight-or-flight response when we’re confronted with different stressors, and they make the body ready for action.

Coffee stimulates the adrenal glands, and every time you drink coffee, it activates the body’s fight-or-flight response. The problem is that instead of releasing adrenaline so the body can react to a true stressor, the adrenals are releasing this hormone in response to your coffee consumption.

Over time your adrenal glands can become burned out from overuse, which can lead to adrenal fatigue. Every time you reach for the cup of Joe you artificially spike your cortisol levels. Cortisol put a huge stress on your body which can lead to many health issues and one of them is weight gain, lower muscle mass, and reduced metabolism.

Caffeine dehydrates the body.

Dehydration leads to dehydrated skin, premature wrinkling and decrease in collagen and elastin production. We need to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to maintain healthy and beautiful skin.

Coffee is a cross-reactive with gluten.

People with gluten sensitivities may also experience cross-reactivity with other foods, including grains, corn, coffee, and casein because of the similarity of the protein structures. People can have a very similar reaction to coffee as they do to gluten. You can check if you have that problem when you take the allergy test Cyrex Labs (Array 4).

Coffee can contribute to and even cause osteoporosis.

Coffee is acidic and changes our body pH to even lower, level. A low pH (which means a more acidic body) can contribute to osteoporosis.

Some studies have confirmed that habitual coffee drinking among postmenopausal women was the leading cause of osteoporosis.

Coffee depletes you form minerals.

Coffee depletes magnesium and other minerals and nutrients that are important for balanced hormones, such as B vitamins.

Coffee can cause insomnia and poor sleep.

This study showed that 400mg of “caffeine is taken 7 hours before bedtime has important disruptive [sleep] effects.”

This depends on the person and his or her ability to metabolize caffeine. My partner whenever he drank coffee suffered from insomnia even if he had it early in the morning. Some people can drink caffeine in the afternoon, and it doesn’t affect them the same way. They can still experience restful sleep. Lack of good sleep suppresses your healthy hormone production.

Coffee increases blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and creates sugar cravings.

Caffeine raises the blood sugar levels. When the blood sugar spikes cause cortisol spikes, which exhaust the adrenals and create inflammation in our body along with deregulating the immune system.

You drink coffee in the morning, your blood sugar spikes, then the blood sugar come down dramatically that you feel like you need another pick me up a fix. So what are you going to grab? A food high in carbs because you need more sugar in your system to function.

Ladies, caffeine is not our hormone friend! It disrupts your endocrine function, spikes your cortisol, depletes you from minerals.

Don’t worry.

Healthy Alternatives to Coffee

Drink herbal tea.

They are an excellent replacement for coffee.

My favorite is nettle tea, which is cleansing, and it curbs the appetite, so it is perfect for weight loss. It is rich in minerals, which will help you replenish mineral balance in your body. Nettle tea is also restorative to the kidneys and bladder.

Dandelion tea.

I like to drink the Techchino dandelion and hickory root tea in the morning with coconut milk. Those herbs support the functioning of liver detoxification pathways.

Matcha green tea.

It is rich in nutrients, fiber antioxidants, and chlorophyll. Just remember it still contains some caffeine, and for some people with anxiety can cause problems.

Tulsi tea (also known as Holy Basil).

Tulsi is rich in antioxidants and will help prevent oxidation damage. Tulsi is an adaptogenic herb – it helps to reduce the stressors that may be compromising your physical and mental well-being.

Recipe for nettle tea infusion.

Steep 1 ½ cup of dried nettle, ¼ cup of lemon balm, ¼ cup of dried hibiscus in 2 liters of hot water for at least 8 hours. Strain the herbs and warm them up. You are welcome to add some honey or maple syrup if you want it. You can also add any spice you want along with lemon or lime juice.

Here is the recipe for Dandelion and chicory root latte

1 ½ cup full-fat coconut milk

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon Maca powder

1 teaspoon ground Chaga mushrooms

½ tablespoon ground dandelion root

½ tablespoon chickory root powder

1 date or stevia

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cinnamon

dash of cardamom

pinch of black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

You can also add some collagen powder too. Heat the water and steep the dandelion root and chicory root in a tea bag for 10 minutes. Heat the coconut milk and put it in a high-speed blender. Add the steeped tea and remaining ingredients and blend.

In Health.

Angie