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The 8% Newsletter

Fireworks, BBQ, and… caffeine?!

Happy (late) Fourth of July 8%ers! You know, the one downside of publishing weekly is we miss these awesome holidays, but hey, better late than never. We do love ourselves a nice celebration of patriotism. A glorious day filled with charred hot dogs, questionable potato salad, and enough pyrotechnics to make even the bravest dog dive under the couch. 

Keep your enemies closer they say. Who knew that included food too? It seems our caffeinated morning savior, weather you’re a coffee or a tea drinker, is secretly plotting against us. Drama aside, we’re looking to inform the uninformed on caffeine. Today we are discussing some of caffeine’s good bits, bad bits, and other bits on how to handle the bad bits. Hope that made sense. So, before you take another sip from your mug, let’s uncover caffeine’s real intentions!

☕️ The Bitter Truth

🦴 Bone Bandit

🛑 Vitamin Blocker

🪨 (Iron)y

 

The Bitter Truth

Vitamin Blocker

Experts say that caffeine not only drains your calcium but also messes with how vitamin D binds to receptors in the intestine, limiting the calcium absorbed. Let us explain.


In a nutshell, vitamin D turns on specific genes in the intestinal cells. These genes produce proteins that help transport calcium from the intestine into the bloodstream. Vitamin D binds to receptors in the cells lining the intestine (called Enterocytes), triggering the production of calcium-transporting proteins. This process makes it easier for calcium to move into the cells, through them, and then out into the blood, increasing the overall amount of calcium absorbed from the diet.


Without sufficient vitamin D (which by the way, more than 40% of Americans are deficient in), you absorb up to 30% less calcium through the intestine than you would if you had enough of the stuff. This is because vitamin D is one of the building blocks for healthy bones, as calcium absorption does not occur without its presence. In a study of over 13,000 individuals, higher caffeine intake (considered above 400mg) was linked to poor vitamin D absorption. 


So this begs the question, how does caffeine interfere your precious Vitamin D? While the science on this is still a work in progress, the general idea is that caffeine decreases the availability of vitamin D receptors on osteoblasts (cells responsible for producing and mineralizing bone). This in turn weakens their ability to form and maintain healthy bones.

It’s no secret most of us enjoy the benefits of caffeine. It’s moments like these, like when your favorite morning drink comes into question, where it seems that everything good comes at a price. At low to moderate doses (up to 400mg a day) comes the good stuff we all enjoy. It perks up your central nervous system, sharpening your focus and alertness during workouts. By tapping into fat stores for extra energy, it helps stave off fatigue and extend your endurance. Plus, caffeine has a knack for enhancing muscle strength and power output, making it a go-to ingredient in your pre-workouts. On top of that, it also boasts some antioxidant properties and other rather beneficial goodies. 

At higher doses, well… it’s a bit more complicated. Let’s discuss:

The Bone Bandit

Here’s the scoop with calcium absorption: 

Once you consume calcium through food, calcium is absorbed in the small intestine through active transport and passive diffusion. The former involves calcium binding proteins (calbindin), helping transport the calcium into the blood stream. The latter happens when there is a higher concentration of calcium in the digestive tract than there is inside the cells of the intestines. From there, the kidneys then play a crucial role in regulating calcium levels by reabsorbing a significant amount back into the bloodstream after it is initially filtered out. Any excess calcium that is not reabsorbed is excreted in the urine.

Turns out, caffeine and calcium have a relationship. Not a very good one mind you. For every cup of coffee (we’ll use coffee for our examples, so while it still pertains to some caffeinated teas, it will vary), you lose 5 mg of calcium through excretion. This effect can last for hours after consumption. Now, for most people this is no big deal and can be offset with some milk. 

However, postmenopausal women take note: consuming more than 300 mg of caffeine daily has been linked to increased bone loss. And guess what– menopause is infamous for cuing osteoporosis. The scary thing about this silent disease, is that it’s usually not detected until you sustain your first fracture and has no clinical manifestations until then. This leads people without symptoms to incorrectly assume that they must not have osteoporosis. So yeah, bone loss on top of bone loss is especially threatening. 

On top of that, NIH says that caffeine reduces renal (kidney) reabsorption of calcium, and possibly by affecting calcium absorption in the intestine. Together, high caffeine intake and menopause set the stage for osteoporosis.

 

Takeaways

  • Caffeine reduces renal absorption of calcium and possibly intentional absorption.

  • Caffeine can lead to calcium loss, which is especially dangerous for postmenopausal women.

  • For most people, this calcium loss is not concerning.

Vitamin Blocker

Experts say that caffeine not only drains your calcium but also messes with how vitamin D binds to receptors in the intestine, limiting the calcium absorbed. Let us explain.

In a nutshell, vitamin D turns on specific genes in the intestinal cells. These genes produce proteins that help transport calcium from the intestine into the bloodstream. Vitamin D binds to receptors in the cells lining the intestine (called Enterocytes), triggering the production of calcium-transporting proteins. This process makes it easier for calcium to move into the cells, through them, and then out into the blood, increasing the overall amount of calcium absorbed from the diet.

Without sufficient vitamin D (which by the way, more than 40% of Americans are deficient in), you absorb up to 30% less calcium through the intestine than you would if you had enough of the stuff. This is because vitamin D is one of the building blocks for healthy bones, as calcium absorption does not occur without its presence. In a study of over 13,000 individuals, higher caffeine intake (considered above 400mg) was linked to poor vitamin D absorption. 

So this begs the question, how does caffeine interfere your precious Vitamin D? While the science on this is still a work in progress, the general idea is that caffeine decreases the availability of vitamin D receptors on osteoblasts (cells responsible for producing and mineralizing bone). This in turn weakens their ability to form and maintain healthy bones.

 

Takeaways

  • Poor calcium absorption is caused by either low vitamin D, or high caffeine intake (over 400mg per day).

  • Caffeine interferes with how vitamin D binds to recetpors in the intestine, preventing calcium absorption in some capacity.

  • Caffeine interferes with vitamin D by decreasing it’s receptors on osteoblasts, cells responsabile for producing bones.

(Iron)y

Caffeine interferes with the body’s absorption of iron, which is necessary for red blood cell production. That being said, this part is more on coffee than on caffeine, as caffeine is only responsible for less than 10% of the iron interference. The polyphenols found in coffee and tea are thought to be major inhibitors of iron absorption.

How does this work? Polyphenols do this by binding to iron and forming complexes that your intestines can't absorb well. Additionally, these polyphenols can block the enzymes that help your body take in iron effectively from your digestive system.

And there’s more– drinking coffee at the same time as an iron source can reduce absorption. So, if you’re feeling tired, it might not just be the lack of sleep—it could be your morning coffee sabotaging your iron levels. Because if you didn’t know, the irony here is that iron is essential for energy production because it helps make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to your body's cells. Without enough iron, your energy levels can drop due to reduced oxygen delivery. So yeah, coffee seems to be the one to give you energy, but it’s really iron. Iron’s myriad of key roles in the body’s such as is essential for the production of ATP, DNA synthesis, and much more, makes high caffeine intake that much more problematic.

Takeaways

  • Caffinated beverages, especially coffee, should ideally be separated from iron-containing foods or supplements by at least one hour.

  • High coffee intake reduces the absorption of iron because polyphenols bind to iron, making complexes you can’t really absorb, and by blocking enzymes that help iron absorption.

  • Polyphenols in coffee are the main culprit for iron malabsorption, not caffeine.

 

Our Thoughts

Aaaaand now you can take a sip out of that mug in your hand– you may have to reheat it though, depending on how fast of a reader you are. So yes, there are risks to caffeine, shocker. Our thoughts: If you aren’t having over 400mg of caffeine daily, don’t worry too much. These dangers are really only for those who have a high caffeine intake (more than 400mg of caffeine a day) or for those who have iron deficiencies and/or are postmenopausal women. That being said, going over the takeaways is a good idea so that you are really aware of what goes on when you sip that mug.

If you are worried about bone health, an all natural and highly effective solution is OmniBlue, as their high magnesium content is especially good for fortifying bones and keeping them healthy. 

Until next time! Stay informed, stay healthy, and maybe think twice before that fourth cup from your morning mug!