A new study reveals that – contrary to popular belief – decaffeinated coffee provides most of the benefits scientists now say you get from regular Java. But it also revealed that your coffee ‘hit’ may be fuelled by the power of suggestion…
Researchers in Ireland wanted to see whether decaffeinated coffee offered the same health benefits regular Joe has recently been shown to provide. And they were surprised to discover that it does. But it was the emotional effects on study participants which the team found most interesting…
A ‘blind’ test…
The study divided a subject pool of regular coffee drinkers into two groups. Both were asked to go off coffee for two weeks. Then the researchers gave one half regular coffee and the other half decaf for another two weeks. None of the participants know which version they were drinking.
At the end of the second two weeks, the researchers asked participants how they felt. Both groups reported reductions in stress, depression and impulsivity. I was surprised to hear that, because I thought only the regular coffee drinkers would report ‘relief’ symptoms, like addicts back on their drug of choice.
At the same time, both groups received gut microbiome benefits, according to lab tests.
The takeaway
Decaffeinating coffee does not remove or denature the polyphenols or other beneficial organic com-pounds in coffee.
But the real discovery was that coffee drinkers seem to expect a Java jolt when they drink their bev of choice. And just drinking a cup of coffee, with its familiar flavour and aroma, can be sufficient to trig-ger the same relief from stress, depression and impulsivity that caffeine provides.
My take
That revelation suggests there’s a significant ‘expectation’ factor’ in a coffee drinker’s habituation profile. But it also suggests that coffee drinkers may be able to segue to decaf without suffering ‘withdrawal’ symptoms.
My questions to you…
Are you interested in cutting your caffeine intake?
Would you switch to decaf based on the findings of the new study?
Or do you think that knowing you were drinking decaf would derail the ‘expectation’ effect researchers observed in the blind ‘taste test’?
Muse on that!
~ Maggie J.