conflicting ON GROUNDS

How a coffee a day can simultaneously keep the doctor away and lead to an untimely demise Sabrina Maddeaux

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely on drugs. It’s okay. I am, too. In fact, I’m getting my fix right now. Over 80 per cent of the adult population shares my craving for this psychoactive substance and many rely on it to function properly. It’s not soon- to- be- legalized marijuana or a resurgence of ’ 60s darling LSD, it’s much more innocuous – and yet, wildly more controversial – than either one. It’s the caffeine from your morning cup o’ joe.

The debate over coffee’s legality, morality and medicinal properties dates back centuries. In 1511, Mecca outlawed coffee on the basis of it being an intoxicant and therefore banned by Islamic law. However, the ban didn’t last long and by the turn of the century, coffee was such an important ritual in Turkey that “a lack of sufficient coffee provided grounds for a woman to seek a divorce.”

In the 1600s, coffee became a popular cure for alcoholism in England, but was also blamed for impotence. The Women’s Petition Against Coffee in 1674 stated, “We find of late a very sensible Decay of that true Old English Vigour. Never did Men wear greater Breeches, or carry less in them.”

In the 1800s, advertisements for grain-based beverages warned consumers that coffee was as bad as cocaine and could cause blindness. The early 1900s were consumed with fears that coffee could stunt your growth or cause heart attacks. The turn of the 21st century, however, was kind to coffee as research started to find benefits.

To some scientists, coffee is akin to the Holy Grail. It’s packed with vitamins ranging from Bs 1,2,3 and 5 to minerals such as magnesium. It’s an antioxidant powerhouse. The average person who consumes a Western diet gets more antioxidants from coffee consumption than from fruits and vegetables combined. The shortterm benefits are obvious to most: a surge in energy, focus, alertness, mood and overall cognitive function. It can transform Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids into Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Just ask any hungover 30- something with a career-defining presentation in an hour. There’s also been much hoopla surrounding coffee’s long-term benefits, which can range from a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to a lowered risk for a plethora of cancers. The American Diabetes Association says coffee can help lower the risk for developing type 2 diabetes, while a 2011 Harvard study claims coffee drinkers have a 20 per cent lower risk of depression. A 2012 study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported people who drank coffee had a significantly lower risk of dying than those who didn’t. Even the all-mighty World Health Organization’’s dietary recommendations for 2015–2020 states three to five cups of coffee is associated with health benefits.

But before you get all hopped up on frappuccinos and immortality, there’s been an equal deluge of modern-day anti-coffee reports. In particular, there’s been a lot of hand wringing surrounding drinking coffee during pregnancy. Washington- based consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) argues that consuming any coffee during pregnancy can lead to low birth weights, miscarriage and even childhood leukemia.

A 2010 meta- analysis of 5,347 lung cancer cases and 104,911 noncases concluded there’s a significant positive association between highest coffee intake and risk of lung cancer risk. A 2010 study by researchers at Maastricht University in The Netherlands linked coffee consumption with a 20 per cent increase in risk for urinary tract cancer. Other studies espoused more ominous conclusions, including the claim that coffee makes people dumber and that those who drink their coffee black are more likely to be psychopaths. Then, of course, there’s the fact that too much caffeine can lead to anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, digestive issues and high blood pressure. And, as many of us know, it’s addictive.

In 2014, the internet exploded with the most controversial coffee story in years. Silicon Valley investor/entrepreneur/ bro Dave Asprey introduced the world to Bulletproof Coffee, which he stopped just short of comparing to fairy dust. The stuff was said to be magical. As the tale goes, Asprey was grossly overweight until he “biohacked” his way into fitness and health. He produced Bulletproof coffee ( a mix of grass- fed butter, MCT oil and coffee brewed with specially treated beans), claiming that replacing your breakfast with a cup of this special potion turns your body into a fat- burning machine, promotes healthy weight loss and eliminates hunger pains. It also allegedly promotes mental focus and brain power – the stuff Silicon Valley legends are made of. He said traditional coffee was “performancerobbing.” He sells 12 oz. bags of his “upgraded” coffee for $18.95 USD.

Despite many people’s cult-like dedication to Bulletproof, several of Asprey’s claims were swiftly debunked by nutritionists, scientists and journalists. There were virtually no peer- reviewed studies to back up weight loss claims and replacing a nutritious meal with empty calories is potentially detrimental to one’s health. While there are no scientific studies on whether Bulletproof Coffee is safe, the internet contains many anecdotal reports from customers and doctors about raised cholesterol after adding it to one’s diet.

But Asprey’s coffee concoction has so far lived up to its name, succeeding in spite of it all. He initially took in $9 million in Series A funding. Then, in the spring of 2017, Asprey convinced investors to put $ 19 million more into the company, bringing total funding up to $28 million. He continues to open retail stores across America. It turns out people really want to believe in the magic of coffee.

The fraught history of coffee from Mecca to Silicon Valley perhaps tells us more about human nature and our relationship to science than it actually does about coffee. From century to century and, now, Facebook post to Facebook post, coffee has been touted as life- saving, a harbinger of death and everything in between. In 2016, John Oliver addressed the issue on Last Week Tonight, saying, “Coffee today is like God in the Old Testament. It will either save you or kill you depending on how much you believe in its magic powers ... After a certain point, all that ridiculous information can make you wonder, is science bullshit?”

Science, actually, isn’t full of it. But the way researchers and the media report on it often is. Scientists face pressure to constantly publish exciting new results, meanwhile journalists strive to lure readers with highly-clickable headlines. In the lab, this leads to the widespread practice of phacking, which purposely seeks out results that seem more statistically significant than they actually are. The recent exposure of p- hacking has rocked the scientific community and cast doubt on countless previously trusted studies. The media’s rush to publish often results in sensational headlines championing results that are far from conclusive or totally misleading.

These practices are enabled by our ever- growing obsession with “superfoods,” whether they be pomegranate seeds or shots of espresso. While superfoods come and go, and are often discredited, we’re drawn to them because of our culture’s emphasis on selfimprovement. Consuming them makes us feel like we’re becoming better people with minimal effort involved. North Americans are also increasingly skeptical of the pharmaceutical industry, looking for health in food and drink rather than in a pill. Adding to this phenomenon is a general decline in organized religion that seems to have people seeking spirituality through wellness and self- care. The faith people once held in God now makes them fervent disciples of health trends and feel- good blanket cure- alls such as Bulletproof. As a result, communion can now be found at your local coffee shop. It’s little coincidence a forward-thinking Calgary church opened a café under its roof this November.

So, what’s the answer to the eternal question of whether coffee is good or bad? The evidence suggests it can be both, depending on your individual genes, lifestyle and risk factors. In many cases, we still don’t really know. If we’re to take away a life lesson from the mountains of coffee research available to us, it’s that despite our supposedly advanced state, we’re still susceptible to false idols and snake oil salesmen. Our need to believe in something and identify with a tribe too often trumps scientific standards and rationality.

It may not ultimately matter much when it comes to coffee, but those tendencies extend far beyond our coffee makers – into the economics, politics and beyond. The best a coffee drinker can do: just beware of what you’re drinking – literally and figuratively.

A QUARTER OF COFFEE DRINKERS CONSIDER THEMSELVES ADDICTS, BUT ONLY 10 PER CENT ACTUALLY WANT TO CUT BACK, SAYS A GALLUP POLL. MEANWHILE, 70 PER CENT OF SMOKERS SAY THEY ARE ADDICTED TO CIGARETTES, AND THE SAME AMOUNT SAY THEY’D LIKE TO QUIT. SCIENCE ISN’T FULL OF IT. BUT THE WAY RESEARCHERS AND THE MEDIA REPORT ON IT OFTEN IS.