Is Coffee Good for me? – Influence of Coffee on Hormones

Those glorious brown beans of coffee are always loved for their health benefits and stimulant nature. But do we know how coffee affects our hormones? How this addictive beverage influences our system? Or is this drink is potentially detrimental for our health? Or is coffee right for you.

Why you love coffee?

Coffee is not some ordinary beverage. Some coffee lovers consider it as the sixth food group and they just can’t live without it. And they keep chugging mugs of coffee for achieving constant mental alertness. They are always down for getting a cup of coffee. Anytime, anyplace, any day, anywhere they can’t say no to their superfood.

• It keeps you active and focused
• Boost your physical performance
• Brightens your mood
• Improves cognitive function

Influence on hormones:

Coffee makes us feel alert, functional and energized by masking the ability to feel tired. Yes! It doesn’t give you “energy’’. Adenosine is a hormone that plays a significant role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle of our body and its normal level are non-negotiable for good health. Its secretion slows down the activity of neuron and promotes sleep. It is depressant for the central nervous system. So caffeine interferes with adenosine metabolism and disrupts its function making us feel active, alert and kill that exhaustion.

Adenosine tells you to stop down and take rest but caffeine masks this signal. That’s definitely not a good thing!

If taken in higher quantity, caffeine can activate your stress hormones. Caffeine function is highly dependent on your genetic makeup and dosage. A small amount may relax your smooth muscles and large dosage may induce anxiety.

Caffeine has the detrimental effect on your thyroid hormone. Coffee increases cortisol level which in return down-regulates thyroid function.

High cortisol level inhibits the conversion of thyroid into its active form causing symptoms of hypothyroidism like depression and hair loss.

It reduces your stress response over time. Not only caffeine but the acids present in the coffee can potentially damage your neuroendocrine-immune system.

Caffeine can also alter our estrogen levels. High consumption of caffeine during menopause can worsen the symptoms of menopause.

Caffeine sensitivity:

If you are caffeine sensitive, drinking bed coffee is certainly not a good choice to start your day.

Some people are genetically slow metabolizers of coffee. These people are at higher risk of hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, and heart disease. If you feel jittery after coffee consumption, or feel anxiety, high heart rate or any problematic symptoms then you are probably a slow metabolizer. And u should not rely much on coffee.