Coffee, tea, energy drinks, diet cola, pre–work outs… zing or zzzz? BY DIANA ARUNDELL – UNIVERSITY QUALIFIED NATUROPATH & NUTRITIONIST
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affeinated beverages can do more than give a little kick of energy and have far–reaching effects on your health and well being than you may realise. The main surprise may be that these stimulating drinks can contribute to the fatigue you are trying to escape. Caffeinated beverages may also be contributing to the following: a reduced absorption of nutrients (minerals such as iron, zinc and calcium in particular), increased anxiety, disturbed sleep, an increase in hot flushes and sweats. Caffeinated beverages can suppress the appetite and whilst this may sound appealing to people wanting to lose weight, it can have the opposite effect in the long run. Many people are very rushed in the morning and rather than fuelling the body with a nutrient dense breakfast, many just have a coffee and fly out the door. The caffeine provides a well–received kick of energy and suppresses the appetite so then there is no real interest in breakfast. A little later in the morning or closer to lunch time, the caffeine wears off and lethargic low blood sugar levels ensue. Due to the suppressed appetite, people don’t feel like really eating so they have another coffee which again kicks up the energy and further suppresses the appetite. Later when this caffeine hit wears off, extra
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fatigue can be felt as a huge afternoon slump. This is exacerbated as there has been minimal if any, real metabolic fuel supplied to the body and the only energy supplied was an artificial, temporary energy which has worn off and suppressed the desire for proper nutritional intake. The afternoon energy slump can lead to bingeing on sweet or high carbohydrate/low nutritious food as the cells and brain are now starving so food that will increase blood sugar quickly is craved. Maybe a decent dinner is consumed but one good meal a day isn’t enough to provide essential nutrients for cellular health, metabolic function and good energy levels. Then the cycle of feeling fatigued and needing caffeine begins again. The above scenario of drinking
caffeinated beverages such as coffee and energy drinks can lead to further fatigue due to a legitimate lack of nutrients for the cells to produce good energy. Lack of nutrients can be a result of simply not enough nutrients consumed due to the suppression of appetite, as well as caffeine’s interference with the absorption of minerals. For example, if an iron supplement is to be better absorbed, it needs to be taken at least 2 hours away from caffeine. Coffee and tea consumed around meal times can also impact nutrient absorption due to caffeine and tannin content respectively. Fatigue can be further exacerbated if good quality sleep is affected by caffeine in the body – even if an individual doesn’t feel a ‘hit’ from drinking tea or coffee, it can physiologically still affect
