- Jessica Bradley
- BBC Future
3 hours
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In the race for a healthier diet, coffee may not be the obvious loser, especially since its consumption has been linked to a lower risk of certain diseases, including coronary heart disease and some types of cancer.
But as we’re becoming more aware of the relationship between diet and health, caffeine is increasingly being blamed for anxiety and sleep problems.
As a result, companies have detected a growing interest in decaf among those who love the taste or the ritual of having a hot cup of coffee.
Customers of Decadent Decaf Coffee Co in the UK are opting for decaf for health reasons, says co-founder Laura Smith, and its reputation is improving.
However, in recent years there has been an increase the offer of decafe drinksinothing alternatives to coffee that promise to fill us with energy without making us nervous and whose ingredients include ancient medicinal herbs and so-called “superfoods”.
In some coffee shops, in addition to the traditional lattes, you will find today lattes from beet, turmeric and maca. The ginseng and moringa are other ingredients that are marketed as healthy alternatives to coffee and also give an energy boost.
Many of these ingredients contain plant bioactive compounds that, when consumed, can influence our health. But does switching from decaf coffee to a non-caffeinated drink really increase your energy and improve your health?
The Peruvian Maca
One of the most widespread non-caffeinated alternatives to coffee is macamade from the root of the same name, which is usually added as a powder to milk.
But maca won’t give you an energy boost like coffee, says Michael Heinrich, professor of ethnopharmacology and pharmacognosy at University College London.
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“The bed not a stimulant like coffee,” he says. “It doesn’t increase attention.”
Nor can one expect a latte maca is healthier than coffee, he adds.
In a 2017 article, Heinrich argues that, having been used as a food and medicine by Andean peoples for more than 2,000 years in Peru, local knowledge about the health benefits of maca has “taken out of context to accommodate the demands of a growing market for herbal remedies.
“The health benefits of maca have not been well studied, and not all studies are as strong and reliable as they should be,” he says.
Ginseng, another plant traditionally used as a medicine, has also become a popular ingredient for coffee substitutes.
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Ginseng is a stimulant that can have similar effects to caffeine.
But while Heinrich says this also doesn’t offer an energy boost comparable to coffee, “there’s some research to suggest it might have preventive effects, especially in the case of infectious diseasesand as others affirm, also in the prevention of some types of cancer”.
Similarly, some studies have shown health benefits related to turmeric. But you won’t see any of these benefits from drinking a turmeric latte, says Charlotte Mills, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Reading in the UK.
“You can only digest so much turmeric, so to get the effects that are shown in some of the research, the dose you would need is incredibly high. I’m not sure you’d get it through an alternative to coffee,” she says. .
“We’ve been researching coffee for a long time,” says Gunter Kuhnle, professor of food and nutritional sciences at the University of Reading. “We know how caffeine works. Turmeric is used as a spice and colorant in small amounts, but in large amounts in beverages, we don’t know.”
Kuhnle agrees and says that it is more likely to see side effects if you consume a large enough amount of turmeric.
“There has been no research on the potential toxicity of drinking large amounts of turmeric or other plant bioactives, which is concerning,” he says.
But there is some research to suggest that taking turmeric during pregnancy or lactation, or with specific medications, such as insulin, may carry certain health risks.
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Turmeric’s health benefits are unlikely to be found in the amounts added to a latte, experts say.
And if a latte of turmeric makes you feel more awake, probably due to another property, explains Kirsten Brandt, senior lecturer at the Institute of Population Health Sciences at Newcastle University, UK.
“It’s impossible to say because it hasn’t been adequately researched, but there seems to be little evidence that turmeric gives you an energy boost. It may make you feel good because you hope so; turmeric has a strong Placebo effect because of its strong color and flavor.
the moringa
Another alternative ingredient to coffee is moringaa tree native to India, and which is also mixed in powder form with milk.
“Moringa has a high in protein and fiber, vitamins and mineralsand has a wide range of bioactive phytochemicals, some of which have been linked to helping prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease“, says Wendy Russell, professor of molecular nutrition at the University of Aberdeen, in the United Kingdom.
But it is unlikely that a latte of moringa produce any of these benefits, he adds.
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“Moringa tastes horrible,” says Russell.
“Moringa tastes horrible,” says Russell. “There probably won’t be enough of a drink to be of any benefit to you.”
“I’ve seen its popularity and sales of moringa beverages increase dramatically, but I’m concerned that people are being misled into thinking it’s good for them,” he says.
A standard moringa drink won’t give you a high like coffee, either, adds Russell.
“Caffeine is such an important compound because of the boost it gives you,” he adds.
Much more than caffeine
However, looking for the coffee boost in non-caffeinated alternatives could be a fruitless mission.
Some scientists think that coffee only fixes the withdrawal symptoms of the last one you drank, rather than improving your performance, says Brandt.
Since caffeine alternatives haven’t been proven to increase energy levels, researchers wonder why those who want to give up caffeine don’t just opt for decaf.
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Many of the compounds in turmeric and moringa are polyphenols, which are also found in high amounts in coffee.
Many of the compounds in turmeric and moringa are polyphenols, micronutrients found in plants that are often credited with the benefits of these beverages, says Mills. But also they are found in large quantities in coffee.
“Many of coffee’s health benefits are overlooked, but it’s full of bioactive compounds. It’s so much more than just caffeine.”
Traditionally, non-caffeinated alternatives were drunk because they were cheaper than coffee. For example, people used to add chicory to coffee to make it last longer, says Kuhnle.
“Old cookbooks tend to suggest lots of ways to make coffee last longer, often using homegrown ingredients, because coffee beans were expensive,” he says.
How times change! Now a beet or turmeric latte at a coffee shop is likely to cost you as much as a coffee.
complex topic
But the reason people may turn their backs on coffee entirely may be because of confusion about whether or not it’s good for us, says Mills.
“The one from coffee is a very complex. And that may be making people shop more for more one-dimensional products, like so-called “superfoods.” They are easier to understand.”
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But it turns out there is no simple answer. The lattes Turmeric, maca, and moringa contain too small doses of these ingredients to be beneficial to health, and may even cause side effects that we don’t yet know about.
“A lot more research is needed on these things before we consume them as healthy beverages,” Mills concludes. “If you want a coffee without caffeine, I suggest a decaf coffee.”
Kuhnle agrees, saying the most interesting area of research is focused on caffeine.
It may not be as novel or as brightly colored as beetroot or turmeric, but a good old-fashioned decaf coffee can, for now, to be the safest bet.
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