Decaf Coffee

Coffee is a staple diet for many people and, for most of us, our day does not begin without a cup of steaming hot coffee. However, as people know about the health risks associated with coffee, they are looking for alternatives which can replace their favorite drink. One such alternative to regular coffee is, the decaf or decaffeinated coffee. As the name suggests, decaf coffee is a version of coffee which has very less caffeine content. Due to this, individuals are of the opinion that by drinking decaf coffee they are actually safe from the health problems that are associated with normal coffee. However, there is speculation regarding this belief about decaf coffee and hence, it is very important to know if there are any decaf coffee health benefits, as well as risks, before consuming it.

How is Coffee Decaffeinated?

While making decaf coffee, the coffee beans have to go through various stages. Although decaffeinated coffee process is varied and long, most of the processes focus on retaining the other components which enhance the flavor and taste of coffee. One of the popular ways of decaffeinating coffee is through the 'Swiss Water Process'. Here, the coffee beans are soaked in hot water which take away the caffeine, as well as other coffee solids. When the coffee beans are completely ripped out of caffeine and the other compounds, the coffee beans are taken out, and the water in which they were soaked is passed through a carbon filter. This carbon filter, absorbs the caffeine, but retains the other components in the water. Then, this water is poured into a new batch of coffee beans. As this solution contains only other components of coffee, only the caffeine is taken off from the new beans. Then, the solution is passed through the carbon filter and the process is repeated till the coffee beans are 97% to 99.9% free from caffeine.

Another process which helps in removing caffeine from coffee beans is called the direct method. Here, the chemical ethyl acetate is used to take away the caffeine content in coffee. In this method, the coffee beans are steamed for half an hour. Once this is done, these coffee beans are rinsed with the ethyl acetate solvent for at least ten hours. The solvent absorbs the caffeine during this process and after ten hours, the solvent is drained away. However, even after this, the coffee beans are steamed for ten hours, so that any remaining solvent can be removed from the coffee beans. Although, there are many other methods for removing caffeine from coffee, these two are the most commonly used among them.

Is Decaf Coffee Bad for You?

As we now know about the process of making decaf coffee, the next step is to know whether decaf coffee is good or bad for health. The answer to this question is a little vague. This is because people who opt for decaf coffee are those who are advised to stay away from caffeine and those who want to stay away from the health risks associated with coffee. One of the major advantages of having decaf coffee is that the intake of caffeine is very less and thus, one is saved from the health risks associated with the consumption of regular coffee. Apart from this, it is also said that drinking decaf coffee helps in controlling one's blood pressure as opposed to the regular coffee. However, though decaf coffee caffeine content is less than 5 milligrams in a cup, the caffeine content is not completely minimized. In other words, people who drink 5-6 cups of decaf coffee are actually taking same amount of caffeine as that is taken by people who drink 1-2 cups of normal coffee. In this case, it can be said that drinking decaf coffee is not completely safe. Also, decaf coffee which is made with the direct method may still retain some of the chemicals used in it. As ethyl acetate is a chemical which is naturally found in fruits, manufacturers label this process as a natural one. However, it is not completely true, rather most of the times, a small amount of this chemical remains in the coffee beans. In this case, regular exposure to the chemical can actually cause severe problems like organ damage. You can gain some more information about coffee through the article, is coffee bad for you.

As women are advised against drinking coffee during pregnancy, because it can have negative effects on the fetus, many pregnant women are shifting to decaf coffee. However, another common question that is asked by people, 'is decaf coffee bad for you when pregnant'. The answer to the question is, again, not very clear mainly because not much studies have been done in this regard. However, as too much of decaf coffee does have the same amount of caffeine as a regular cup of coffee, even decaf coffee may not be good for the unborn baby. Nevertheless, as the connection between decaf coffee and pregnancy are not yet known, it would be better to consult your doctor before taking any step.

Decaf Coffee Health Risks

One of the most common decaf coffee side effects is acidity. It has been seen that people who drink decaf coffee are more likely to experience problems like acid reflux, GERD as well as ulcers. The main reason for this is that the decaf coffee is made with Robusta beans. As these coffee beans are high in fat, individuals consuming it are also highly susceptible to find an increase in their cholesterol levels. Research has also seen that drinking decaffeinated coffee increases the person's risk of having a heart attack as well as other heart diseases. Some other health problems associated with decaf coffee include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and glaucoma. Also, as I said earlier, the presence of the ethyl acetate in the coffee beans can increase the risk of organ damage as well as for developing cancer as it is a dangerous chemical. You may like to know more about negative effects of coffee.

Another factor that goes against decaf coffee is that the process of decaffeinating actually takes away the actual flavor of coffee which is a turn off for many people. However, there are still many people who opt for decaf coffee. Nevertheless, looking at the information above, it can be said that be it regular coffee or decaf coffee, anything in excess can be harmful. Hence, even if you are opting for decaffeinated coffee, do not consume too much just because it has less caffeine. On the other hand, if you have been asked to stop having caffeine for health reasons, it is better to avoid regular as well as decaf coffee completely to prevent any kind of complications.