After my first telephone appointment with a rheumatologist she suggested that I should reduce caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee. Does anyone have any thoughts about this?
Prior to my diagnosis I would drink 2 mugs of coffee a day and four mugs of tea. I’ve reduced this to one of coffee and two, sometimes three, of tea. I do like tea (preferably a good quality loose tea brewed in a teapot!) and it keeps me going when feeling miserable about my current levels of pain and lack of mobility.
Should I go the whole hog and buy decaffeinated tea and coffee? In my experience these do not have the flavour of caffeinated so I’m a bit reluctant to make the move (and I won’t be able to share the same pot of tea or coffee with family and friends!)
My thoughts are cynical. I think you might be better off to consult someone qualified/experienced in nutrition. Or at the least, do some of your own research re: the PROVEN effects of caffeine. It’s the same feeling I get when people push a vegan lifestyle - I suspect this is an unproven agenda rather than actual medical knowledge.
Research appears inconsistent. This article suggests high caffeine intake may be harmful but low to moderate has no effect or may even be beneficial in some circumstances.
Having read that with great interest - thank you - I would be wary of studies conducted on laboratory rats and mice creating conclusions on humans, who lead different lives with different food intakes. Rodents don’t go through menopause either.
Interesting article. Probably the case that if you have a balanced diet and moderate consumption of things like caffeinated drinks, balanced with an eye on calcium intake, it’s okay. I’m not going to cut decaffeinated drinks out completely for the moment, but still intend to continue looking out for well-researched advice and will certainly raise with the rheumatologist. I’ll let you all know what she says.
Important to check who is paying for the research of course. E.g. I can’t trust the dairy milk board saying that milk is good for you . All research should be third party tested. When in doubt I delete the food 100% from my diet for 3 weeks to give my body a chance to release toxins that might accompany that food, then possibly take it again but in (more) moderation. One problem is that each one of us has a unique body and metabolism, so it’s really hard to know what is good or bad for us, though there are general principles. Lawrence
Calcium loss: Caffeine slightly increases the amount of calcium lost in urine and can minorly affect absorption.
The calcium balance: According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, this minor loss is easily offset if you consume enough daily calcium.
High doses: Consuming very high amounts of caffeine (around 800 mg or roughly 8 cups of coffee daily) can accelerate bone mineral loss, particularly in older adults or people with pre-existing risk factors. [1, 2, 3]
Tips for Bone Health
Watch your limits: Keep daily caffeine under 400 mg, which is about four cups of brewed coffee.
Add milk: Pouring milk into your tea or coffee helps offset any minor calcium loss.
Get enough calcium: Ensure you meet your daily nutritional needs through diet or supplements.
I am mindful of how much I drink of coffee and tea but dont obsess over it. The thing I worry about is fizzy drinks in particular Cola. It’s the phosphoric acid i understand that is bad.
Have a look round the internet there is a lot of info. For interest I have tea in the morning then a decaf coffee at 11:00 ish then after lunch i stop caffeine but that is for sleep reasons.
. All research should be third party tested. When in doubt I delete the food 100% from my diet for 3 weeks to give my body a chance to release toxins that might accompany that food, then possibly take it again but in (more) moderation. One problem is that each one of us has a unique body and metabolism, so it’s really hard to know what is good or bad for us, though there are general principles. Lawrence