Why it might be time to give up caffeine: From eye-twitches to insomnia and anxiety, what it REALLY does to you – and the truth about decaf

The US Brewers Cup Championship is the ultimate event for coffee nerds, complete with 37 pages of rules that govern everything from liquid volume to alkalinity. The judges are purists who may pale in comparison to the idea of ​​Nescafé, but this year’s prize went to a brewer who – brace yourself – served decaffeinated coffee.

Historically, decaffeinated coffee has not been celebrated. For some it is tasteless, for others pointless. Yet the beans used by winning barista Weihong Zhang were unapologetically buzz-free and refined enough for any connoisseur: they had notes of eucalyptus and strawberry.

The brew’s triumph signaled a larger trend: decaf is hot. The global market is expected to grow from £15.3 billion in 2022 to £22.5 billion by the end of the decade.

Technological advances appear to be behind the boom. A brief explanation: coffee beans are seeds found in the ‘cherries’ of coffee trees. The green seeds are sent to roasters who turn them into the brown ‘beans’ we know. In the case of decaffeinated, they are first treated to remove the caffeine.

Cheaper decaffeinated drinks often do this with methylene chloride, which has become controversial because it is carcinogenic. Some critics argue that it should be banned; Defenders say there are such small amounts in a caffeine-free drink that any threat is negligible. Yet consumers increasingly prefer that their decaf flat white is made ‘naturally’: with water, carbon dioxide or ethyl acetate from sugar cane.

More attention is also paid to crops. “Producers took bad beans that they couldn’t sell anywhere else and said, ‘OK, we’ll use them for decaf,’” says Howard Gill, head roaster at London sustainable coffee brand Grind. “Today, farms are consciously growing beans with a flavor profile, size and consistency that make them ideal for decaffeination.”

Additionally, two in five coffee drinkers want to reduce their caffeine intake, according to market intelligence firm Mintel. “At Grind, sales of decaffeinated coffee are growing rapidly,” says Gill. So should you switch? Let’s separate fact from fiction.

‘Caffeine is bad for you’

It depends on. “People often say, ‘I’m trying to be good and drink less coffee,’ but drinking coffee isn’t a problem for those who tolerate caffeine,” says Dr. Federica Amati, chief nutritionist at health science company Zoe and author of Every Body Should Do This need to know (Michael Joseph, £22) ‘We are all different in the way we metabolize it, and some people are genetically more sensitive to negative effects. You have to respond to your body.’

Many people drink three to five cups of coffee a day without any problems, while others experience anxiety, insomnia, increased heart rate and even eye twitching. A few experience these symptoms after just one cup. This can evolve throughout life.

Perimenopause causes some women to experience anxiety and sleep disturbances, even without caffeine. “At this point, you may notice that the cup of coffee you used to enjoy in the morning now makes you more anxious,” says Amati.

Psychiatrist Dr. Alex Curmi was concerned about his caffeine habit of two to six shots of espresso a day: “When the second cup of the day was gone, I felt a deep-seated sense of anxiety.” He decided to give it up for six weeks and documented the experiment in an episode of The Thinking Mind Podcast.

He found the withdrawal symptoms manageable and felt calmer. ‘For the first few days I noticed a decline in my performance – I’d say I was at 80 percent – ​​but I also felt a sense of relaxation.’

After six weeks, he reintroduced caffeine: “The first coffee I had after that break felt crazy. I felt like with that intense burst of energy I could learn a language and write a book,” he says. Curmi now believes that one cup a day is enough to enjoy the benefits.

There is evidence that more than 200 mg of caffeine per day (two mugs of instant coffee) during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and can limit a baby’s growth. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome may find that caffeine irritates their intestines. Other conditions may respond well to the stimulant effect: some people with Parkinson’s disease report that caffeine helps them move more freely, and some with ADHD find that it helps them concentrate.

‘Decaf is bad for you‘

Not true. The health benefits of coffee are significant, with or without caffeine.

“They include improved cognitive function and a reduction in the risk of heart disease, colon cancer and death from any disease,” says Amati. ‘Coffee is high in polyphenols and fibre, and together they act as a brilliant prebiotic mix for the gut microbiome.’

Back to menopause: it is very important to take care of your intestines during this time. “Some of the bacteria in the microbiome are sensitive to estrogen and begin to die during menopause,” says Amati. “So if caffeine bothers you, instead of giving up coffee, you can switch to decaf.” You still get the polyphenols and fiber.”

Most coffees – even decaffeinated and instant varieties – do not contain extraneous additives, but ready-made sachets marketed as ‘cappuccino’, for example, may contain emulsifiers. “And try to avoid sugary coffee,” Amati adds, “as this will cancel out some of the positive results.”

‘Decaf tastes less’

No. Experts swear this is no longer the case. “Roasters are paying a lot more attention to decaf now,” says Gill. ‘Traditionally, because the beans were not of good quality, they were roasted super dark – the equivalent of serving a well-done steak – to drown out the negative flavors. Now coffee roasters are making decaffeinated coffee a lot lighter to emphasize its good qualities.’

‘I need caffeine to wake up’

Maybe. “Research shows that a low to moderate dose of caffeine – up to three cups per day – gives us more alertness, energy and concentration,” says Amati. “And if you drink caffeine before you exercise, you tend to exercise more effectively.”

However, some heavy coffee drinkers report withdrawal symptoms early in the morning, such as dizziness or headaches; There is also evidence that as your body gets used to caffeine, you lose some of the cheerfulness you once enjoyed.

“If you drink a lot of coffee, there will indeed be receptor changes in your brain,” says Amati. ‘But that does not mean that it no longer has any influence on alertness.’ “Most drugs are a deal with the devil because you get a little more upfront and pay for it later in a deficit, and that includes caffeine,” says Curmi. “I like some extra energy in the morning, and if that means I have a slump afterwards, I’m willing to pay that price.”

‘Decaf is not caffeine-free’

Correct. But it contains very little. If a cup of regular coffee contains between 80 mg and 100 mg of caffeine, a decaffeinated cup contains between 2 mg and 15 mg. In Great Britain we follow European legislation, which states that green decaffeinated beans may contain no more than 0.1 percent caffeine, and decaffeinated instant no more than 0.3 percent.

‘I would lose my morning ritual’

Not so. Decaffeinated coffee comes in the same forms as caffeinated coffee and still smells great when you make your morning cup. Erin Reed, marketing director at decaffeination company Swiss Water, says the process is even more meaningful. “We always say that decaffeinated drinkers are the real coffee lovers,” she says, “because they don’t care about the functional caffeine, they care about the taste and the experience.”