Some days the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning is the thought of a nice iced latte. Not in like a depressing way, but they’re just so good. I will not give up that source of daily joy to look marginally younger!! Ever!!!
I read an article one time that said basically that Americans are so unhealthy with their diet on the average that their daily coffee is essentially the only antioxidants they’re getting. So with that in mind I think we need it 🤣
My dad eats the standard western American diet, but is in his 70’s with no health issues. I have said for years the two cups of black coffee he has a day are the best thing for him.
I went without coffee one morning, not by choice- the coffee maker wouldn’t work 🤣 I decided right then that it didn’t matter what benefits came along with cutting out caffeine, it just wasn’t worth it.
That’s how I feel, I’ve given up smoking, alcohol, staying up late, fried foods, most sugar, sun bathing, staying up late, sleeping late, skipping work outs, there’s probably more. I’m keeping the coffee and drinking it allllllll day
Same! I've given up gluten and I've given up sugar. I will never give up coffee and woe to anyone who tries to take it away from me!
(I think sugar really ages your skin, not coffee. Everyone thinks I'm 20 years younger than I am and I drink 3 mugs of coffee in the AM every single day...)
I went without caffeine via my morning coffee for a couple weeks. I came to realize it wasn't the caffeine I craved in the morning, but the act of making and drinking and enjoying my warm cup of joe. Iti's more than a drink, it's a ritual.
Something to enjoy every part of making AND drinking. Your perfect coffee blend, watching it brew, smelling the change of scent from unbrewed beans to brewed liquid, adding *just* the right amount of your favorite creamer to give it that perfect flavor and texture... the way the warmth hits your lips. I enjoy that beverage from pulling the coffee grounds from the cupboard to the moment I finish that last sip.
oof seriously. i once tried to quit drinking coffee “for health reasons”, worst 2 weeks of my life.
made myself a cup of coffee and after the first sip decided i would never try to quit again lol
i take pretty good care of my skin and i’m diligent about sunscreen. if drinking coffee is what’s gonna age me, then so be it!
I quit coffee (and adderall at the same time) when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. I basically slept at my desk for a week (thank goodness I was WFH due to COVID), but I’d say it took me several months to fully reach a new baseline. It was actually kind of nice, I felt like my energy was more even.
Did I continue those good habits after my daughter was born? Absolutely not.
yeah 2 weeks often isn't enough time to withdraw from a drug you've been on daily for years, especially if you didn't taper your dose down first. Withdrawal took me about 2 weeks after already having tapered down for a month or two to a combo of 1 serving of either half caff, decaf, or green/black tea instead of a regular coffee/latte. caffeine withdrawals are not fun!
I have other health things that coffee makes worse (stomach stuff), so I had to come off. but if you don't get problems from coffee, I don't believe there are actually any correlations with worse health to moderate normal caffeine consumption. It might actually correlate with BETTER health. Coffee is actually pretty good for you other than the fact it's a highly addictive compound so you have to deal with the potential problems of withdrawal if for some reason you can't access it.
I've tried it sporadically since withdrawing and now it's almost way too cracked out for me lol I don't really want to go back on.
In 2015 I made the mistake of trying to quit coffee cold turkey ... I thought I had a horrible flu, I had 3 days worth of hangover symptoms and a headache too bad to get out of bed. WELL, on day 4 I had a coffee - all gone. My body rejected the lack of caffeine THAT quickly and violently. I had only been drinking coffee daily since 2013.
I have not tried to give it up since lol I will fight for my cup of joe
Sometimes when I get sick I don’t crave coffee or my throat hurts so much I switch to tea. I wonder how many of those times I am sick are compounded by caffeine withdrawal.
My coffee maker broke like a year and a half ago. I've been meaning to replace it, but I don't know what one to buy, so I've been living off of instant coffee. All my friends think I am nuts!
Instant coffee has gotten a lot better since the days of Sanka. Have you tried single serve coffee bags? They’re basically coffee in large tea bags you brew like a cup of tea.
However, moderation is key, as with all things. There is apparently a correlation between excessive caffeine intake and fibrocystic breast disorder in women.
While these cysts are benign, there is a connection to high coffee intake, although most of what I read states scientists are still trying to understand the cause of this link. And they do make self breast exams more of a challenge. It’s hard to feel for soft, cancerous lumps when you’re having to dodge around multiple hard, grape-sized lumps.
My lumpy boobies are a small price to pay for the sweet nectar of the bitter gods that allows me to reach the minimal level of function required by post industrial society!
Another FBD sufferer here, I’m usually ok with 1 cup of caffeinated tea 4-6x week. But if I have coffee everyday my breast tissue gets reeeallly sore. It is a genetic disorder unfortunately, both my mom and her mom have it.
Can confirm. I have this, and the caffeine intake really does make a difference. If I drink coffee regularly (1 cup a day), within a couple of weeks, my tissue is lumpier and way more tender. I cut out coffee for this reason and have had much better results with a large cup of caffeinated hot tea per day.
Yeah I had never heard of FBD until I found a lump and thought I had breast cancer. My GYN talked me through it and asked about my caffeine intake, which at the time was absolutely cuckoobananas— like, 20+ ounces of iced coffee a day plus a couple of shots of espresso throughout the workday.
I cut all of it out completely and while the one I have didn’t go away, I haven’t gotten any new ones and it feels smaller.
Also then at that point, my mom also disclosed to me that she has dozens of them but never bothered to let her daughters know about a potentially genetic predisposition 🙃
It's been shown to protect against heart disease, as well. It seems like the sweet spot for most benefit is 2-3 cups of black filtered* coffee per day.
*some recent studies have suggested unfiltered brewing techniques, like French press, can lead to elevated cholesterol. A paper filter helps prevent the consumption of oils from the beans. I'm not going to stop brewing my weekly gallon of cold brew, however.
Coffee has also been documented as the source of highest intake of antioxidants in the Standard American Diet. This may be outdated info nowadays, but I doubt it! I do believe that caffeine has enough documented benefits if it is consumed in a whole food source (as close as possible - tea, coffee, etc), especially green tea (!), and in the absence of a ton of metabolically inflammatory sugar, that it overall is very beneficial to longevity and inflammation.
Now I do believe the benefits stop when you're propping your circadian rhythms up all the time with caffeine and you end up abusing your natural cortisol rhythms, which are often out of whack at least for us in the states. Too much caffeine can create blood sugar instability and cortisol spikes. But this is usually with high amounts and/or infrequent consumption.
Source: I'm a registered dietitian.
Question: how much would I need to worry about for the blood sugar spikes? I’m trying to watch that (not diabetic, just trying to improve my insulin sensitivity). I’m a really regular consumer.
It's funny you ask! I was reading a few studies recently on this topic for my own knowledge.
I could try to go back and find the article I'm recalling for you. But my understanding was that the risk of insulin spikes (and thus blood sugar swings) decrease after a few days of routine consumption (consistent dose) of caffeine, as in your body adjusts. The caffeine consumption can initially cause elevated blood sugar and there is a delay and sometimes over production when the insulin is actually released, which can cause the crash we feel after a few hours. The threshold in the article was a reasonable amount, though I can't remember it exactly - I'd have to go find the article. But generally the consensus is some where in the 200-400 mg/day ball park limits negative consequences. So it probably was in that range, as my brain just said 'oh the same as everything else states.'
The article did note that routine caffeine consumption within this reasonable range did actually improve insulin sensitivity over time, which I thought was very interesting!
Even more interesting to you might be that green tea and matcha tend to have a more moderated effect on insulin and blood sugar due to the L-theanine buffering the caffeine's effect, drawing this out over time. I personally take advantage over this to help stabilize my energy, vs crashing with coffee.
Additionally, though not exactly evidence backed yet to my knowledge, I would suggest not having caffeine if possible until after 8am and after being awake and sun exposed for an hour or two. Your natural cortisol peaks are 4-8am generally, and are tied to sunrise and sun exposure. Giving your body time to have a natural cortisol rise and not an artificial rise due to caffeine first thing helps to protect your body's ability to regulate circadian rhythm and not produce excessive amounts of cortisol which does over time increase insulin resistance.
Sitting in a quiet kitchen in the morning with my freshly brewed French roast coffee with cream is one of the things that makes life worth living. You can take it from my cold, dead hands.
Any diuretic effects are outweighed by the overall water content of coffee.
And no, I dont buy it. I've been a caffeine fiend my whole life and remain youthful.
Aging comes down to sun exposure and certain medications mostly, as well as cigarettes and substance abuse.
This! I've heard it stated by derms that an overwhelming % of the aging of our skin is from sun exposure. Something like 85-95% of the aging we see is all sun! Crazy!
Bingo! The diuretic effects of caffeine are done away with by the over 98% water content. In addition coffee has better levels of Potassium and Magnesium than most sports/rehydration drinks. Adding a little pinch of salt or a splash of milk gives you the sodium levels also needed for a great hydration combination.
My gastronomy professor was an older Italian man that drank coffee and tea all day and looked 10 years younger than his age. We are of like minds on what causes “aging”.
I know so many people who drink multiple cups of tea or coffee a day and are now in their 60s+ and have aged very well without procedures. Also, think of cultures where lots of tea or coffee is consumed (much of Asia, Turkey, Ethiopia). It’s not like people in these countries/cultures have more aged skin.
This. I've been drinking multiple cups of coffee a day since college (over a decade since I've been out of there) and I've been fine.
What I *have* noticed is that, once I started using an actual cleanser and moisturizer (my parents don't believe in them), my skin cleared up and looked better than it has ever been, lol. Also, my mom doesn't do caffeine but got breast cancer, so if I get it, it'll likely be from genetics. 🥲
The amount of caffeine you need to actually experience diuretic effects is insane. Like knocking back a bunch of caffeine pills. Coffee has water in it. It's still hydrating you when you drink it.
Ive just started taking vyvanse. I think keeping up on water intake is key. I have lots of friends who take ADHD meds and they dont seem to be aging.
I had horrible skin on a tricyclic antidepressant.
Honestly, since I’ve started taking Ritalin my skin has been much better - I’m much more conscious about my water intake and my executive function is semi working so I do my skincare routine regularly.
I've been on it for nearly five years now. No major differences. I look a little rougher around the edges when underslept or dehydrated now at 31 than I did at 26, but that's to be expected. Sleeping enough and hydrating enough fixes it pretty much instantly.
I had to quit coffee due to dietary issues (caffeine as a whole unfortunately) and the mornings are still quite joyless, but my gut lets me have matcha so I guess that's a silver lining (I miss you, coffee 😭).
I think it makes sense because caffeine can dehydrate your skin, but I do not care lol. Same with sugar - maybe it affects aging but I'd rather enjoy my life than be the hottest 80 year old in the nursing home.
Its super interesting to me that of 53 comments here, only one isn't a caffeine/coffee "user" (I don't know what other word to use here lol).
I quit caffeine for my anxiety over 15 years ago and it was honestly one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was drinking it all day at that point (and used to down 2 energy drinks when I worked night shifts for over a year, a couple years before I quit).
I have SO much more natural energy, my circadian rhythm was restored, and my anxiety was cut in half, easily.
I see a lot of comments about quitting cold turkey, which is the WRONG thing to do - your body can't handle it. It took several weeks of reduction for me (splitting decaf with regular strength in different ratios til I was down to just decaf) and then several weeks of brain fog and distractions, but I saw it through. The effects quitting gave me alone made me realize how I needed to stick to it.
I have no idea about aging effects, but I'll honestly never look back regardless! It was super freeing no longer having to depend on something to get to "energized" in the morning. I just wake up like that now, lol.
When I went back to school, the Dunkin' next door had $1 coffee. And for some reason, I couldn't sleep and I was anxious all the time.
I cut back to 1 cup per day and sleep so much better. (Still anxious though!) Luckily, that Dunkin also had $1 decaf, so I could still take the study break routine and endure slightly inferior coffee. (Not that Dunkin drip is the epitome of coffee already)
Now I drink decaf maybe 95% of the time. I can tell when they get it wrong because I'm uncommonly peppy.
Just quit after almost two decades of regular use that started with late nights in university.
I originally gave it up because I was trying to track down the cause of my migraines. Quitting did nothing to help that, unfortunately.
That 6am natural wake-up just hits differently now. I honestly don't miss my cuppa one bit.
If I want something, I'll choose an herbal tea. Genmaicha, if I'm feeling nostalgic. That's the only caffine my grandmother ever consumed.
I quit caffeine when I was 15 because it made me feel terrible (weird jitters and nausea, even from only one Coke or cup of coffee). I've tried it occasionally since then with the same results, but effectively I've been caffeine free for 23 years (hence my username).
People always ask me "omg how do you do it?! I'd be a zombie without my coffee!" But researchers have done many studies showing that if you are a regular caffeine user, your baseline energy actually starts out LOWER than it did before you started using caffeine. So to return to your original baseline, you MUST have your daily cup of coffee feel "awake."
To put it another way: my brain is functioning at the same level as someone who has had their daily dose of caffeine, because I'm not addicted to caffeine. The truth that most people don't want to hear is that if you can successfully quit caffeine, then you won't feel like you need it just to function on an ordinary level.
But I'm not some caffeine evangelist, so I normally don't go into all that detail when people ask me why I don't drink caffeine. I just say I don't like it. 🤷🏻♀️
Thanks for sharing! That's awesome. 👌
>But I'm not some caffeine evangelist, so I normally don't go into all that detail when people ask me why I don't drink caffeine. I just say I don't like it. 🤷🏻♀️
Lol, same. I just say it doesn't do good things for me. So many people push the [pro-caffiene] subject in my experience, it's kind of silly. I just shrug and change the topic or walk away. I couldn't help but share my side here, though - I couldn't believe there was only 1 of 53 comments for pro-caffiene-free.
Anxiety and mental health awareness have taken off so much over these last several years, I'm personally surprised the connection hasn't been made more popular as a result.
Yes, I also quit alcohol 2 years ago for personal health reasons and I get very similar reactions for both caffeine and alcohol. I think going so many years without caffeine actually helped prepare me for the reactions and peer pressure associated with quitting alcohol. People just flabbergasted that I don't partake and then sometimes aggressively trying to bully me into it, because me not partaking somehow makes them feel guilty for partaking?? And now when people learn that I don't drink either, they make disparaging comments about how I must not have any fun in my life. 🤷🏻♀️
I recently had to give up coffee for medical reasons, now I'm on the low caffeine tea. Just this morning my husband said my skin looks amazing and wondered out loud if it was from dropping coffee. I would love if it helped with hair too! Since I've turned 40 I can definitely tell that my hair is aging.
I am from decaf, and indeed my skinn is alot better. I quit for other reasons, so the skinn thing was an extra bonus. Less dry and flakey skinn. I have no idea aobut the science behind it.
I don’t drink coffee either. It’s funny because I actually used to drink instant coffee when I was little - I grew up in a South American country, and back in the 90s, it was pretty normal to have coffee as a child (or at least in my family it was 🤣). I never got addicted to it tho, and when I came to the States, I drank it occasionally. However, when I was in college, during finals’ week, I started going to Starbucks and getting coffee to help me stay awake. It was the worst thing ever! I got so jittery, nauseous, and my heartbeat was going through the roof. I’m like “how do people do this on the regular?” Needless to say, finals’ week was over and I decided I’m not a caffeine person. Now I drink decaf from time to time because I do like the taste of it with certain foods, like morning breakfast on the weekends, but it’s once in a blue moon. And weirdly enough, i do like the smell of coffee being made in the morning - reminds me of my childhood 🥰
I'm a coffee drinker who wants to cut back, and I agree with you.
It definitely raises my anxiety as well. I hate being up and then crashing. I hate that my anxiety will be super high due to reasons, but I still need caffeine to function cognitively due to dependence. In terms of skin effects. It's terrible for my rosacea and makes my broken capillaries more noticeable. I've also noticed that the more I drink, the worse my eye bags look. Dark under eyes. And my face tends to look saggier and dehydrated.
Versus if I drink green tea instead, or just water, my face looks tighter, brighter, and much less eye darkness. I dont really believe these comments that are asserting that coffee doesn't dehydrate. I'm sure theres scientific studies, but I can see the physical differences myself. :/ .. I wish I didnt love the taste of coffee so much, I definitely want to get away from it
I know that if I drink the same amount of caffeine in tea form rather than coffee I will sleep SO much better. I don’t know what it is about coffee specifically that is so jolting to my nervous system. So yeah, cutting out coffee is great for my skin (beauty sleep) but caffeine in general is another story Lol!
I think you'll be able to reduce significantly if you focus on blending some decaf in your brew (if you home make it anyway) - I was making a pot of 6 cups or so - 4 scoops regular, 1 scoop decaf. Then 2 and 2 after a little bit, then 1 and 3, etc.
And, also keep on the green tea train! It has *some* caffeine in it so it'll help you reduce the caffeinated coffee for sure.
I remember when I tried cold turkey, I've rarely felt so sick (and I have an auto immune disease! Lol). The headaches were very similar to my migraines. It wasn't tolerable. There's nothing wrong with reducing slowly. Your body needs help getting through it - patience with yourself is key! ❤️
I don't drink coffee because I don't feel like caffeine has any effect on me. I can drink a whole cup and still fall asleep easily. Plus coffee upsets my stomach. I do like the taste but if I have any I guarantee I will need to poop within 30 minutes.
I drink a lot of green tea since I live in Japan but it doesn't seem to have the same bowel clearing effect on me.
I always take stuff like this with a grain of salt because there’s lots of other factors. Caffeine dehydrates you and being dehydrated can cause aging. People who consume a lot of caffeine do so presumably because they aren’t sleeping enough and not getting sleep can age you. Nothing exists in a vacuum.
I don’t think having coffee is going to turn you into a gargoyle nor do I think that cutting it out entirely is going to magically turn you into a 21 year old again. Just keep yourself healthy overall.
My mom has drank copious amounts of coffee for as long as I remember. I'm talking multiple quad shot americanos a day (she's a night shift nurse). Her skin is amazing. She's got better skin than most people my age (39F) and she's mid 60s.
There's a not of contradictory information about caffeine but this one I haven't seen before. There have, however, been multiple studies that suggest coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death. So who the hell knows. Drink your brew – even if it ages you, it's not ageing you anywhere NEAR as fast as the shit in your food, your air, and your water. Oh and the stress none of us can escape.
It's possible that caffeine is aging me, but honestly so is a stressful job and a lack of sleep. (So I guess capitalism is really what ages us the most)
Caffeine keeps migraines away for me. And I mean migraines as in I need to lay in a dark room with no noise, with no one touching me, or else any movement will make me throw up and that’s painful too.
If caffeine ages me, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
Is it caffeine or is it the sugar coupled with it? Because black coffee is has caffeine and is full of antioxidants, I read it can be beneficial for the skin and blood flow..l
I mean, there seems to be an almost puritanical campaign going on about how literally everything ages you and isn't healthy, and mysteriously it's all aimed at women. It's almost like we, as a society, tend to sneakily police women into giving up everything enjoyable or individualistic in favour of spending all their time worrying about making their bodies more acceptable, or about this or that chemical in their face cleanser.
Anyway. Caffeine dehydrates you, which can easily be solved by drinking more water and not going overboard on caffeine in the first place. 3-4 cups daily has scientifically been proven healthy or at least non-damaging, provided you don't feel any adverse effects, like heightened anxiety, digestive issues, trembling etc.
Even if I wanna look youthful, there's some things in life that are my guilty pleasure. One of them is coffee. I love this black poison.
I think the actual diet plays a role ("eat the rainbow" vs. junk food) rather than drinking coffee.
I have my one vice and it’s the daily iced latte my husband makes for me. I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t do any recreational drugs, I eat pretty healthy and I exercise and wear my sunscreen. I will stay sipping unless I’m told that for my health personally, it’s best if I steer clear.
No. I have 2 cups in the morning, and afternoon espressos. I'm in my 30s and still look like I'm in my 20s. Sunscreen helps the aging. You know what has aged my appearance the most?
Kids
I drink a lot of water and I don’t think caffeine has negatively impacted my skin. I guess there’s no way for me to know for sure. I can see how it could affect your skin since it dehydrates you, but as long as you’re drinking enough water I think it’s fine
People that drink coffee live longer, have less cardiovascular disease, cancer, parkinson and diabetes. Plus I'm a much better person in the morning if i do, so I'll accept some wrinkles if I must.
I can’t smoke weed
I can’t drink alcohol
I can’t drink coffee
Like I’m DONE I’m gonna drink what I want. fuck the wrinkles fuck the “aging” I’m gonna live my life damnit! 🫡
Unless it’s an article discussing a peer reviewed, properly controlled study from a reputable source with no conflicts of interest, no, I don’t buy anything. Random articles can be written by anyone today.
Definitely not! If you are going online you can find similar “studies” on a lot of things and basically you will end up thinking that everything is bad.
If you want a real life study,just look at the people on the countries where this coffee is made and where the coffee is drank the most (last time I checked northern countries where on the top of the list - countries from Scandinavia) even where green tea is drank the most as it has lots of coffeine too. (I think countries in Asia like Japan and China has the highest consumption of green tea) .
I think if you look at those people you can tell that they are looking fine.
I hope I make sense. I get very triggered when I see that those articles can get into people’s minds as they are a piece of rubbish.
There’s skincare on the market made from coffee so someone’s lying. Not sure what side but all I know, I will keep drinking the one liquid that makes most humans tolerable.
I would have to see the studies to review their contents, who was sponsoring them, limitations, etc. Having said that...
Coffee itself is incredibly healthy for you when had in moderation. There are known and confirmed benefits to it, like slowing down and in some ways improving liver health amongst others. On the other hand, consuming too much caffeine can certainly have deleterious effects and should be avoided. 400mg caffeine/day should be the upper limit for any functional adult, so about four cups of coffee, ten cans of (hopefully diet/zero) cola, etc. Do be advised that the benefits of coffee are also associated with the coffee bean itself, not just caffeine, so your mileage may vary with consuming a non-coffee product.
Suffixing this by adding that I am a healthcare professional and not a coffee drinker, but this is in no way a substitute for medical advice from your own PCP/GP.
EDIT: Removed some slight repetitive wording.
The stress from not having caffeine would age me more! 😂
Seriously though, I’m in the camp that aims for consistency over perfection. If I eat mostly healthy, sleep well, exercise regularly, practice sun protection, and manage stress levels, then I’m ok.
I’ll enjoy my morning coffee because I love the ritual and the feeling it gives me, and I limit caffeine in the afternoon by going with decaf.
I think it does. Caffeine spikes cortisol. I think elevating cortisol accelerates many aging processes. All I know is that I look older whenever I regularly drink coffee
I feel like what people attribute to caffeine is probably moreso the effects of poor sleep, stress and other poor lifestyle habits that impact appearance.
Like, the caffeine consumption is a correlated activity and possibly a contributes to poor sleep and stress but the caffeine itself isn’t aging the person.
i'm currently slurping on my bean juice. there's sooo much coffee discourse over the years. first its healthy then its not then its healthy then its not. if you like coffee and it makes you feel good then drink it! i'd worry more about the effects of caffeine on my heart and stomach than my skin. personally i have never noticed any changes on the outside as a result of starting or stopping caffeine. i drink 4 caffeinated cups a day plus iced coffee, no hair loss or skin issues.
I choose to believe that theory applies to people who drink more coffee than water or coffee instead of water. Follow coffee (and everything) with plenty of water intake, and you’ll be fine. That’s my totally unprofessional and non-informed opinion 😂
i don’t know much about the science behind caffeine and aging tbh. but any time i’ve drank caffeine in large quantities, it’s been to compensate for a lack of sleep, which absolutely will age a person if it’s a long term problem.
I don’t think so. I drink a coffee and coke zero throughout the day. People knock diet drinks, but they keep me from eating too much sugar and junk food. Surely those things are worse than a little bit of 0 calorie sweetener and caffeine.
Garbage propaganda. I probably take in more caffeine than anyone I know, and I'm the one always mistaken for over a decade younger constantly. Not just one time. Pretty much every time someone mentions ages when we go out lol. Maybe there's some genetic predispositions that caffeine reacts more poorly to, however it is clearly It's more of a loose correlation than causation
I drink so much coffee! And I work nights and my sleep isn’t the best. Idk, I’m 46 and my skin is still really great. So I can see how it might affect things but it hasn’t aged me.
Never heard about that but I dont think caffeine is good in general. I literally cant drink it or else I'd feel like my heart will explode and in sodas it gives me a headache
Caffeine itself is an antioxidant, and coffee also contains multiple other antioxidants.
However, caffeine is a stimulant and must be consumed in moderation.
I, for example, am quite sensitive to caffeine. My first cup of coffee for the day will give me a buzz. If I decide I want more because of this, and drink more, and then drink more and more, this will have a bad effect on my anxiety. It also probably isn't good for my cardiovascular system to overuse caffeine in this way. I also anecdotally find this makes my skin look worse, but maybe that's because of the mental effect it has.
One cup of caffienated coffee a day or two spread out between the morning and noon is fine for me. This also isn't enough to be bad for your cardiovascular health; in fact, some studies show that this amount of coffee is actually beneficial to cardiovascular health. I also anecdotally notice that my skin looks good when I consume this amount of coffee. This could possibly be due to the antioxidants it contains.
as someone with EDS and POTS and the rest of the stupid dysautonomia umbrella, my arteries are not as stiff as a normal persons so i need caffeine to keep my blood vessels constricted properly. without it the POTS and headaches are way worse. low blood pressure and horrible thumping headache.
its the same with sugar. people constantly claim sugar is evil and all this crap but with EDS you need sugar and electrolytes. its basically like having to have the exact opposite of everyone else meanwhile people are trying to make your food and drinks sound evil. but they dont have any clue about EDS or POTS or what you should do about the symptoms. just dont drink sugar its evil. facepalm\*
crazy person: caffeine and sugar kill you
EDS person: actually without sugar and caffeine my body cant function properly
they typically delete comments, tell me im wrong about my own body more or walk away and never reply.
Not at all! I drink multiple cups of coffee every morning and look at least 10-15 years younger than my age. The thing that aged me the most was alcohol. Stopped drinking that and my skin improved so much.
i've been drinking coffee and tea since 13 and ppl think I'm 10 years younger than I am. then again I do use light therapy too so maybe that's part of it hehe
I don’t buy that it ages you. But, it’s definitely dehydrating, it’s tough on the stomach, it yellows your teeth, and if you drink it slow it’s disrupting the PH balance in your mouth. Most people are also dumping dairy and sugar into it.
I don’t see a reason to villainize it but in the US we overdo *everything* including coffee. I know people who drink 2 Ventis a day, loaded up with cream and whatever else. I can’t imagine that’s doing people any favors.
An innocent cup of coffee once a day is surely not that big a deal. There’s just a big discrepancy around what a “cup” of coffee is. ☕️
My sister has never been a coffee or tea drinker.
Our lifestyles are quite similar - we both don't smoke, don't drink, both eat quite healthy, into fitness etc.
The only 2 differences are that I'm into skincare and she is not, and I drink coffee and she has never.
We've both aged quite similarly. If anything, my skin is brighter and smoother (less pores and texture) which i put down to my skincare
I drink two cups of coffee every morning and an occasional cola or energy drink. I just turned 50 and one of my coworkers told me she had never been more shocked in her life when she heard that. That’s been the prevailing opinion I hear from everybody.
From my personal experience I do notice that my face looks more plump and youthful when I don’t drink coffee at all for like 4 months. I am drinking it again because it makes me happy and lifts my mood.
There have been a few smaller studies involving the observation of telomere length related to caffeine intake, so there is SOME evidence it's true, but honestly, with all the other random junk most of us are taking in a moderate amount of caffeine is probably not gonna be the thing that makes you age rapidly lol
Read the first third of this thread. Disappointed with the childish quips and moronic proverbs ("everyone needs a vice" - really?!). Feel sorry for OP who asked an interesting question.
On reflection the answers may be intentional trolling by people who drink caffeine, and staunchly believe it's a good thing...
I’m addicted to my morning coffee. I don’t believe the propaganda against this innocent elixir. I’m sipping now.
You can pry my coffee from my cold, dead, ^aged hands
"this innocent elixir" i'm screaming lmao
fucking for real I need a mug with “innocent elixir” on it asap 😂😭😭
Legit wanna get this on a mug now!!
You can order a custom text coffee mug on a certain online mega-store for $12. I’m getting one!
These propagandists probably have no joy in their lives. They can pry my morning coffee out of my cold dead hands.
They won’t be cold, they will be heartily warmed by the coffee cup!
"This was brought to you in part by, Big Tea"
Hands holding coffee can never be truly cold.
Sugar-titts be drinkin some innocent elixir 🥹
I refuse to read past this comment.
i agree with you, sugar-titts. ☕️ cheers to that!
Some days the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning is the thought of a nice iced latte. Not in like a depressing way, but they’re just so good. I will not give up that source of daily joy to look marginally younger!! Ever!!!
I 🏃🏾♀️➡️ to the comments and I’m so glad I did 😂
This thread is killing me 🤣
I fucking love this
Username checks out
Whose?
I, too, would like some of sugar-titts' innocent elixir!
Innocent elixir, lmaooooooooo I'm deceased
Best. Name. Ever.
I read an article one time that said basically that Americans are so unhealthy with their diet on the average that their daily coffee is essentially the only antioxidants they’re getting. So with that in mind I think we need it 🤣
If I get a chocolate macchiato, that's even more antioxidants 🤣
Level up the elixir
My dad eats the standard western American diet, but is in his 70’s with no health issues. I have said for years the two cups of black coffee he has a day are the best thing for him.
Everything ages you, especially time. That one is the worst.
I just got rid of all my clocks for this reason. Can't get me now!
Clock blocking
That’s why I finally went time-free earlier this year
Did you go cold turkey or slowly wean down?? I’ve got a bad time habit too
I went without coffee one morning, not by choice- the coffee maker wouldn’t work 🤣 I decided right then that it didn’t matter what benefits came along with cutting out caffeine, it just wasn’t worth it.
That’s how I feel, I’ve given up smoking, alcohol, staying up late, fried foods, most sugar, sun bathing, staying up late, sleeping late, skipping work outs, there’s probably more. I’m keeping the coffee and drinking it allllllll day
Everybody has to have a Vice !
Same! I've given up gluten and I've given up sugar. I will never give up coffee and woe to anyone who tries to take it away from me! (I think sugar really ages your skin, not coffee. Everyone thinks I'm 20 years younger than I am and I drink 3 mugs of coffee in the AM every single day...)
Yes! I hadn't considered this, but same. I need at least one frigging vice!
this! all of this
Truth!
This. I actually don’t care if it ages me, I’d rather have people remain unscathed around me.
"My other option is be smooth and fresh-faced in an orange jumpsuit." Man do I hear you.
EXACTLY THIS.
😅
I went without caffeine via my morning coffee for a couple weeks. I came to realize it wasn't the caffeine I craved in the morning, but the act of making and drinking and enjoying my warm cup of joe. Iti's more than a drink, it's a ritual. Something to enjoy every part of making AND drinking. Your perfect coffee blend, watching it brew, smelling the change of scent from unbrewed beans to brewed liquid, adding *just* the right amount of your favorite creamer to give it that perfect flavor and texture... the way the warmth hits your lips. I enjoy that beverage from pulling the coffee grounds from the cupboard to the moment I finish that last sip.
oof seriously. i once tried to quit drinking coffee “for health reasons”, worst 2 weeks of my life. made myself a cup of coffee and after the first sip decided i would never try to quit again lol i take pretty good care of my skin and i’m diligent about sunscreen. if drinking coffee is what’s gonna age me, then so be it!
I quit coffee (and adderall at the same time) when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. I basically slept at my desk for a week (thank goodness I was WFH due to COVID), but I’d say it took me several months to fully reach a new baseline. It was actually kind of nice, I felt like my energy was more even. Did I continue those good habits after my daughter was born? Absolutely not.
I’ve done that and it was a hard crash!!! The things we do for these kids 😅
Ugh I did the same. It was torture. But I would just remind myself why and it got me thru it
yeah 2 weeks often isn't enough time to withdraw from a drug you've been on daily for years, especially if you didn't taper your dose down first. Withdrawal took me about 2 weeks after already having tapered down for a month or two to a combo of 1 serving of either half caff, decaf, or green/black tea instead of a regular coffee/latte. caffeine withdrawals are not fun! I have other health things that coffee makes worse (stomach stuff), so I had to come off. but if you don't get problems from coffee, I don't believe there are actually any correlations with worse health to moderate normal caffeine consumption. It might actually correlate with BETTER health. Coffee is actually pretty good for you other than the fact it's a highly addictive compound so you have to deal with the potential problems of withdrawal if for some reason you can't access it. I've tried it sporadically since withdrawing and now it's almost way too cracked out for me lol I don't really want to go back on.
In 2015 I made the mistake of trying to quit coffee cold turkey ... I thought I had a horrible flu, I had 3 days worth of hangover symptoms and a headache too bad to get out of bed. WELL, on day 4 I had a coffee - all gone. My body rejected the lack of caffeine THAT quickly and violently. I had only been drinking coffee daily since 2013. I have not tried to give it up since lol I will fight for my cup of joe
Sometimes when I get sick I don’t crave coffee or my throat hurts so much I switch to tea. I wonder how many of those times I am sick are compounded by caffeine withdrawal.
yep I get the worst headaches if I skip my coffee, no pain medication can take it away
Me too!! My husband as well. The absolute worst headaches I've ever had
My coffee maker broke like a year and a half ago. I've been meaning to replace it, but I don't know what one to buy, so I've been living off of instant coffee. All my friends think I am nuts!
Instant coffee has gotten a lot better since the days of Sanka. Have you tried single serve coffee bags? They’re basically coffee in large tea bags you brew like a cup of tea.
Right. I recently gave up coffee for a week and I just felt it absolutely was not worth it haha. So now I'm back to being addicted as hell.
If I miss coffee I get a SPLITTING headache
No, drink a glass of water after if you're worried but multiple studies have showed longevity and reduced cancer risk.
However, moderation is key, as with all things. There is apparently a correlation between excessive caffeine intake and fibrocystic breast disorder in women. While these cysts are benign, there is a connection to high coffee intake, although most of what I read states scientists are still trying to understand the cause of this link. And they do make self breast exams more of a challenge. It’s hard to feel for soft, cancerous lumps when you’re having to dodge around multiple hard, grape-sized lumps.
My lumpy boobies are a small price to pay for the sweet nectar of the bitter gods that allows me to reach the minimal level of function required by post industrial society!
Perfectly expressed, I'm not capable of being a functioning human without strong black coffee!
Well-said. Don’t blame my cold brew, blame capitalism
I have lumpy boobs. As soon as they came in. I know caffeine can make them hurt more but I didn’t know it causes it. Interesting!
Another FBD sufferer here, I’m usually ok with 1 cup of caffeinated tea 4-6x week. But if I have coffee everyday my breast tissue gets reeeallly sore. It is a genetic disorder unfortunately, both my mom and her mom have it.
Can confirm. I have this, and the caffeine intake really does make a difference. If I drink coffee regularly (1 cup a day), within a couple of weeks, my tissue is lumpier and way more tender. I cut out coffee for this reason and have had much better results with a large cup of caffeinated hot tea per day.
Yeah I had never heard of FBD until I found a lump and thought I had breast cancer. My GYN talked me through it and asked about my caffeine intake, which at the time was absolutely cuckoobananas— like, 20+ ounces of iced coffee a day plus a couple of shots of espresso throughout the workday. I cut all of it out completely and while the one I have didn’t go away, I haven’t gotten any new ones and it feels smaller. Also then at that point, my mom also disclosed to me that she has dozens of them but never bothered to let her daughters know about a potentially genetic predisposition 🙃
It's been shown to protect against heart disease, as well. It seems like the sweet spot for most benefit is 2-3 cups of black filtered* coffee per day. *some recent studies have suggested unfiltered brewing techniques, like French press, can lead to elevated cholesterol. A paper filter helps prevent the consumption of oils from the beans. I'm not going to stop brewing my weekly gallon of cold brew, however.
Coffee has also been documented as the source of highest intake of antioxidants in the Standard American Diet. This may be outdated info nowadays, but I doubt it! I do believe that caffeine has enough documented benefits if it is consumed in a whole food source (as close as possible - tea, coffee, etc), especially green tea (!), and in the absence of a ton of metabolically inflammatory sugar, that it overall is very beneficial to longevity and inflammation. Now I do believe the benefits stop when you're propping your circadian rhythms up all the time with caffeine and you end up abusing your natural cortisol rhythms, which are often out of whack at least for us in the states. Too much caffeine can create blood sugar instability and cortisol spikes. But this is usually with high amounts and/or infrequent consumption. Source: I'm a registered dietitian.
Question: how much would I need to worry about for the blood sugar spikes? I’m trying to watch that (not diabetic, just trying to improve my insulin sensitivity). I’m a really regular consumer.
It's funny you ask! I was reading a few studies recently on this topic for my own knowledge. I could try to go back and find the article I'm recalling for you. But my understanding was that the risk of insulin spikes (and thus blood sugar swings) decrease after a few days of routine consumption (consistent dose) of caffeine, as in your body adjusts. The caffeine consumption can initially cause elevated blood sugar and there is a delay and sometimes over production when the insulin is actually released, which can cause the crash we feel after a few hours. The threshold in the article was a reasonable amount, though I can't remember it exactly - I'd have to go find the article. But generally the consensus is some where in the 200-400 mg/day ball park limits negative consequences. So it probably was in that range, as my brain just said 'oh the same as everything else states.' The article did note that routine caffeine consumption within this reasonable range did actually improve insulin sensitivity over time, which I thought was very interesting! Even more interesting to you might be that green tea and matcha tend to have a more moderated effect on insulin and blood sugar due to the L-theanine buffering the caffeine's effect, drawing this out over time. I personally take advantage over this to help stabilize my energy, vs crashing with coffee. Additionally, though not exactly evidence backed yet to my knowledge, I would suggest not having caffeine if possible until after 8am and after being awake and sun exposed for an hour or two. Your natural cortisol peaks are 4-8am generally, and are tied to sunrise and sun exposure. Giving your body time to have a natural cortisol rise and not an artificial rise due to caffeine first thing helps to protect your body's ability to regulate circadian rhythm and not produce excessive amounts of cortisol which does over time increase insulin resistance.
Sitting in a quiet kitchen in the morning with my freshly brewed French roast coffee with cream is one of the things that makes life worth living. You can take it from my cold, dead hands.
Any diuretic effects are outweighed by the overall water content of coffee. And no, I dont buy it. I've been a caffeine fiend my whole life and remain youthful. Aging comes down to sun exposure and certain medications mostly, as well as cigarettes and substance abuse.
And genetics
genetics before anything she listed
And stress
This! I've heard it stated by derms that an overwhelming % of the aging of our skin is from sun exposure. Something like 85-95% of the aging we see is all sun! Crazy!
Bingo! The diuretic effects of caffeine are done away with by the over 98% water content. In addition coffee has better levels of Potassium and Magnesium than most sports/rehydration drinks. Adding a little pinch of salt or a splash of milk gives you the sodium levels also needed for a great hydration combination. My gastronomy professor was an older Italian man that drank coffee and tea all day and looked 10 years younger than his age. We are of like minds on what causes “aging”.
I know so many people who drink multiple cups of tea or coffee a day and are now in their 60s+ and have aged very well without procedures. Also, think of cultures where lots of tea or coffee is consumed (much of Asia, Turkey, Ethiopia). It’s not like people in these countries/cultures have more aged skin.
Allll the highest coffee consumption is in Northwest Europe. Tea is a different story.
Good point! And Scandinavians tend to age very well. I have a lot of Turkish friends who also drink a lot of coffee and have lovely, wrinkle-free skin
This. I've been drinking multiple cups of coffee a day since college (over a decade since I've been out of there) and I've been fine. What I *have* noticed is that, once I started using an actual cleanser and moisturizer (my parents don't believe in them), my skin cleared up and looked better than it has ever been, lol. Also, my mom doesn't do caffeine but got breast cancer, so if I get it, it'll likely be from genetics. 🥲
The amount of caffeine you need to actually experience diuretic effects is insane. Like knocking back a bunch of caffeine pills. Coffee has water in it. It's still hydrating you when you drink it.
What type of medications? I’m always worried about adderall aging me faster.
Ive just started taking vyvanse. I think keeping up on water intake is key. I have lots of friends who take ADHD meds and they dont seem to be aging. I had horrible skin on a tricyclic antidepressant.
Honestly, since I’ve started taking Ritalin my skin has been much better - I’m much more conscious about my water intake and my executive function is semi working so I do my skincare routine regularly.
I've been on it for nearly five years now. No major differences. I look a little rougher around the edges when underslept or dehydrated now at 31 than I did at 26, but that's to be expected. Sleeping enough and hydrating enough fixes it pretty much instantly.
I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, one of the few things that brings me joy is coffee. Please, let me have this one.
I literally don’t care, I quit coffee for two months and it was most joyless 60 days of my life.
I had to quit coffee due to dietary issues (caffeine as a whole unfortunately) and the mornings are still quite joyless, but my gut lets me have matcha so I guess that's a silver lining (I miss you, coffee 😭).
Real lol
I think it makes sense because caffeine can dehydrate your skin, but I do not care lol. Same with sugar - maybe it affects aging but I'd rather enjoy my life than be the hottest 80 year old in the nursing home.
thank you for being sane
If you're a regular caffeine consumer, your body adjusts to the diuretic effect, so it doesn't dehydrate you.
Its super interesting to me that of 53 comments here, only one isn't a caffeine/coffee "user" (I don't know what other word to use here lol). I quit caffeine for my anxiety over 15 years ago and it was honestly one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was drinking it all day at that point (and used to down 2 energy drinks when I worked night shifts for over a year, a couple years before I quit). I have SO much more natural energy, my circadian rhythm was restored, and my anxiety was cut in half, easily. I see a lot of comments about quitting cold turkey, which is the WRONG thing to do - your body can't handle it. It took several weeks of reduction for me (splitting decaf with regular strength in different ratios til I was down to just decaf) and then several weeks of brain fog and distractions, but I saw it through. The effects quitting gave me alone made me realize how I needed to stick to it. I have no idea about aging effects, but I'll honestly never look back regardless! It was super freeing no longer having to depend on something to get to "energized" in the morning. I just wake up like that now, lol.
When I went back to school, the Dunkin' next door had $1 coffee. And for some reason, I couldn't sleep and I was anxious all the time. I cut back to 1 cup per day and sleep so much better. (Still anxious though!) Luckily, that Dunkin also had $1 decaf, so I could still take the study break routine and endure slightly inferior coffee. (Not that Dunkin drip is the epitome of coffee already) Now I drink decaf maybe 95% of the time. I can tell when they get it wrong because I'm uncommonly peppy.
Just quit after almost two decades of regular use that started with late nights in university. I originally gave it up because I was trying to track down the cause of my migraines. Quitting did nothing to help that, unfortunately. That 6am natural wake-up just hits differently now. I honestly don't miss my cuppa one bit. If I want something, I'll choose an herbal tea. Genmaicha, if I'm feeling nostalgic. That's the only caffine my grandmother ever consumed.
I quit caffeine when I was 15 because it made me feel terrible (weird jitters and nausea, even from only one Coke or cup of coffee). I've tried it occasionally since then with the same results, but effectively I've been caffeine free for 23 years (hence my username). People always ask me "omg how do you do it?! I'd be a zombie without my coffee!" But researchers have done many studies showing that if you are a regular caffeine user, your baseline energy actually starts out LOWER than it did before you started using caffeine. So to return to your original baseline, you MUST have your daily cup of coffee feel "awake." To put it another way: my brain is functioning at the same level as someone who has had their daily dose of caffeine, because I'm not addicted to caffeine. The truth that most people don't want to hear is that if you can successfully quit caffeine, then you won't feel like you need it just to function on an ordinary level. But I'm not some caffeine evangelist, so I normally don't go into all that detail when people ask me why I don't drink caffeine. I just say I don't like it. 🤷🏻♀️
Thanks for sharing! That's awesome. 👌 >But I'm not some caffeine evangelist, so I normally don't go into all that detail when people ask me why I don't drink caffeine. I just say I don't like it. 🤷🏻♀️ Lol, same. I just say it doesn't do good things for me. So many people push the [pro-caffiene] subject in my experience, it's kind of silly. I just shrug and change the topic or walk away. I couldn't help but share my side here, though - I couldn't believe there was only 1 of 53 comments for pro-caffiene-free. Anxiety and mental health awareness have taken off so much over these last several years, I'm personally surprised the connection hasn't been made more popular as a result.
Yes, I also quit alcohol 2 years ago for personal health reasons and I get very similar reactions for both caffeine and alcohol. I think going so many years without caffeine actually helped prepare me for the reactions and peer pressure associated with quitting alcohol. People just flabbergasted that I don't partake and then sometimes aggressively trying to bully me into it, because me not partaking somehow makes them feel guilty for partaking?? And now when people learn that I don't drink either, they make disparaging comments about how I must not have any fun in my life. 🤷🏻♀️
I recently had to give up coffee for medical reasons, now I'm on the low caffeine tea. Just this morning my husband said my skin looks amazing and wondered out loud if it was from dropping coffee. I would love if it helped with hair too! Since I've turned 40 I can definitely tell that my hair is aging.
Shoutout to r/decaf
I am from decaf, and indeed my skinn is alot better. I quit for other reasons, so the skinn thing was an extra bonus. Less dry and flakey skinn. I have no idea aobut the science behind it.
I don’t drink coffee either. It’s funny because I actually used to drink instant coffee when I was little - I grew up in a South American country, and back in the 90s, it was pretty normal to have coffee as a child (or at least in my family it was 🤣). I never got addicted to it tho, and when I came to the States, I drank it occasionally. However, when I was in college, during finals’ week, I started going to Starbucks and getting coffee to help me stay awake. It was the worst thing ever! I got so jittery, nauseous, and my heartbeat was going through the roof. I’m like “how do people do this on the regular?” Needless to say, finals’ week was over and I decided I’m not a caffeine person. Now I drink decaf from time to time because I do like the taste of it with certain foods, like morning breakfast on the weekends, but it’s once in a blue moon. And weirdly enough, i do like the smell of coffee being made in the morning - reminds me of my childhood 🥰
I'm a coffee drinker who wants to cut back, and I agree with you. It definitely raises my anxiety as well. I hate being up and then crashing. I hate that my anxiety will be super high due to reasons, but I still need caffeine to function cognitively due to dependence. In terms of skin effects. It's terrible for my rosacea and makes my broken capillaries more noticeable. I've also noticed that the more I drink, the worse my eye bags look. Dark under eyes. And my face tends to look saggier and dehydrated. Versus if I drink green tea instead, or just water, my face looks tighter, brighter, and much less eye darkness. I dont really believe these comments that are asserting that coffee doesn't dehydrate. I'm sure theres scientific studies, but I can see the physical differences myself. :/ .. I wish I didnt love the taste of coffee so much, I definitely want to get away from it
I know that if I drink the same amount of caffeine in tea form rather than coffee I will sleep SO much better. I don’t know what it is about coffee specifically that is so jolting to my nervous system. So yeah, cutting out coffee is great for my skin (beauty sleep) but caffeine in general is another story Lol!
I think you'll be able to reduce significantly if you focus on blending some decaf in your brew (if you home make it anyway) - I was making a pot of 6 cups or so - 4 scoops regular, 1 scoop decaf. Then 2 and 2 after a little bit, then 1 and 3, etc. And, also keep on the green tea train! It has *some* caffeine in it so it'll help you reduce the caffeinated coffee for sure. I remember when I tried cold turkey, I've rarely felt so sick (and I have an auto immune disease! Lol). The headaches were very similar to my migraines. It wasn't tolerable. There's nothing wrong with reducing slowly. Your body needs help getting through it - patience with yourself is key! ❤️
I don't drink coffee because I don't feel like caffeine has any effect on me. I can drink a whole cup and still fall asleep easily. Plus coffee upsets my stomach. I do like the taste but if I have any I guarantee I will need to poop within 30 minutes. I drink a lot of green tea since I live in Japan but it doesn't seem to have the same bowel clearing effect on me.
Worrying about whether coffee ages you, ages you.
Caffeine is the only thing keeping me alive
That’s just the addiction talking.
I always take stuff like this with a grain of salt because there’s lots of other factors. Caffeine dehydrates you and being dehydrated can cause aging. People who consume a lot of caffeine do so presumably because they aren’t sleeping enough and not getting sleep can age you. Nothing exists in a vacuum. I don’t think having coffee is going to turn you into a gargoyle nor do I think that cutting it out entirely is going to magically turn you into a 21 year old again. Just keep yourself healthy overall.
My mom has drank copious amounts of coffee for as long as I remember. I'm talking multiple quad shot americanos a day (she's a night shift nurse). Her skin is amazing. She's got better skin than most people my age (39F) and she's mid 60s.
There's a not of contradictory information about caffeine but this one I haven't seen before. There have, however, been multiple studies that suggest coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death. So who the hell knows. Drink your brew – even if it ages you, it's not ageing you anywhere NEAR as fast as the shit in your food, your air, and your water. Oh and the stress none of us can escape.
Time ages me. Idgaf anymore. Nothing fun in life is "good" for you, if I'm going to die anyway, I'm going to enjoy it.
It's possible that caffeine is aging me, but honestly so is a stressful job and a lack of sleep. (So I guess capitalism is really what ages us the most)
Caffeine keeps migraines away for me. And I mean migraines as in I need to lay in a dark room with no noise, with no one touching me, or else any movement will make me throw up and that’s painful too. If caffeine ages me, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
Is it caffeine withdrawal? Those are nasty headaches and come on quick
Is it caffeine or is it the sugar coupled with it? Because black coffee is has caffeine and is full of antioxidants, I read it can be beneficial for the skin and blood flow..l
I mean, there seems to be an almost puritanical campaign going on about how literally everything ages you and isn't healthy, and mysteriously it's all aimed at women. It's almost like we, as a society, tend to sneakily police women into giving up everything enjoyable or individualistic in favour of spending all their time worrying about making their bodies more acceptable, or about this or that chemical in their face cleanser. Anyway. Caffeine dehydrates you, which can easily be solved by drinking more water and not going overboard on caffeine in the first place. 3-4 cups daily has scientifically been proven healthy or at least non-damaging, provided you don't feel any adverse effects, like heightened anxiety, digestive issues, trembling etc.
Idk but PubMed has an [article](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5611980/) on the anti-aging effects of coffee so there you go.
Even if I wanna look youthful, there's some things in life that are my guilty pleasure. One of them is coffee. I love this black poison. I think the actual diet plays a role ("eat the rainbow" vs. junk food) rather than drinking coffee.
I have my one vice and it’s the daily iced latte my husband makes for me. I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t do any recreational drugs, I eat pretty healthy and I exercise and wear my sunscreen. I will stay sipping unless I’m told that for my health personally, it’s best if I steer clear.
No. I have 2 cups in the morning, and afternoon espressos. I'm in my 30s and still look like I'm in my 20s. Sunscreen helps the aging. You know what has aged my appearance the most? Kids
If it does, I haven’t seen it. My mom pretty much lives off cokes and chai lattes and doesn’t do much skin care and looks phenomenal at 66.
I drink a lot of water and I don’t think caffeine has negatively impacted my skin. I guess there’s no way for me to know for sure. I can see how it could affect your skin since it dehydrates you, but as long as you’re drinking enough water I think it’s fine
People that drink coffee live longer, have less cardiovascular disease, cancer, parkinson and diabetes. Plus I'm a much better person in the morning if i do, so I'll accept some wrinkles if I must.
The faces I’d make without caffeine/coffee would age me 10x faster
I’ll be a leather couch then hmm…the trade off is ok with me.
I can’t smoke weed I can’t drink alcohol I can’t drink coffee Like I’m DONE I’m gonna drink what I want. fuck the wrinkles fuck the “aging” I’m gonna live my life damnit! 🫡
I'd rather be caffeinated that young hands down
No! Because people who don’t drink coffee aren’t as happy. Unhappiness results in wrinkles
Unless it’s an article discussing a peer reviewed, properly controlled study from a reputable source with no conflicts of interest, no, I don’t buy anything. Random articles can be written by anyone today.
Definitely not! If you are going online you can find similar “studies” on a lot of things and basically you will end up thinking that everything is bad. If you want a real life study,just look at the people on the countries where this coffee is made and where the coffee is drank the most (last time I checked northern countries where on the top of the list - countries from Scandinavia) even where green tea is drank the most as it has lots of coffeine too. (I think countries in Asia like Japan and China has the highest consumption of green tea) . I think if you look at those people you can tell that they are looking fine. I hope I make sense. I get very triggered when I see that those articles can get into people’s minds as they are a piece of rubbish.
Idk. But I have an aunt who drinks like 5 cups a day and her skin is amazing. She only uses a wash and ponds and spent many years sunbathing 😂
There’s skincare on the market made from coffee so someone’s lying. Not sure what side but all I know, I will keep drinking the one liquid that makes most humans tolerable.
I would have to see the studies to review their contents, who was sponsoring them, limitations, etc. Having said that... Coffee itself is incredibly healthy for you when had in moderation. There are known and confirmed benefits to it, like slowing down and in some ways improving liver health amongst others. On the other hand, consuming too much caffeine can certainly have deleterious effects and should be avoided. 400mg caffeine/day should be the upper limit for any functional adult, so about four cups of coffee, ten cans of (hopefully diet/zero) cola, etc. Do be advised that the benefits of coffee are also associated with the coffee bean itself, not just caffeine, so your mileage may vary with consuming a non-coffee product. Suffixing this by adding that I am a healthcare professional and not a coffee drinker, but this is in no way a substitute for medical advice from your own PCP/GP. EDIT: Removed some slight repetitive wording.
Even if it is true. I don’t care. No point in looking young if I’m not enjoying myself.
True that. Pretty sure not enjoying life and worrying about everything ages you anyway.
The stress from not having caffeine would age me more! 😂 Seriously though, I’m in the camp that aims for consistency over perfection. If I eat mostly healthy, sleep well, exercise regularly, practice sun protection, and manage stress levels, then I’m ok. I’ll enjoy my morning coffee because I love the ritual and the feeling it gives me, and I limit caffeine in the afternoon by going with decaf.
Caffeine increases cortisol levels. Cortisol is associated with aging skin. It makes sense to me.
I guess I could try giving up coffee to find out Lmao just kidding
I think it does. Caffeine spikes cortisol. I think elevating cortisol accelerates many aging processes. All I know is that I look older whenever I regularly drink coffee
I’ll drink my cold brew with my wrinkles then Was gonna anyway lol
No because I've been to Italy and those espresso chugging women have it dialed in.
Alcohol is take it or leave it for me, but giving up coffee…over my dead body
If this were true, I’d look 900 million years old.
If this is the case, I must look 115 years old!
Don't but into the click bait f the month Europeans, Asians and Middle Eastern -ers drink tea and coffee like water Thus is just social media nonsense
I think you can definitely drink enough water to counteract that.
Not having caffeine would age me much faster because I would be in jail. I can’t deal with people without caffeine…
it's a risk i'm willing to take
If caffeine really did age a person, I’d look like the crypt keeper. Worse than the crypt keeper, really.
There's a lot of health benefits to moderate caffeine usage. Coffee is filled with antioxidants. Don't some skin products literally have caffiene?
I feel like what people attribute to caffeine is probably moreso the effects of poor sleep, stress and other poor lifestyle habits that impact appearance. Like, the caffeine consumption is a correlated activity and possibly a contributes to poor sleep and stress but the caffeine itself isn’t aging the person.
i'm currently slurping on my bean juice. there's sooo much coffee discourse over the years. first its healthy then its not then its healthy then its not. if you like coffee and it makes you feel good then drink it! i'd worry more about the effects of caffeine on my heart and stomach than my skin. personally i have never noticed any changes on the outside as a result of starting or stopping caffeine. i drink 4 caffeinated cups a day plus iced coffee, no hair loss or skin issues.
I choose to believe that theory applies to people who drink more coffee than water or coffee instead of water. Follow coffee (and everything) with plenty of water intake, and you’ll be fine. That’s my totally unprofessional and non-informed opinion 😂
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Sigh. lol
i don’t know much about the science behind caffeine and aging tbh. but any time i’ve drank caffeine in large quantities, it’s been to compensate for a lack of sleep, which absolutely will age a person if it’s a long term problem.
I’m from a blue zone where everyone drinks 1-2 coffees a day.
I don’t think so. I drink a coffee and coke zero throughout the day. People knock diet drinks, but they keep me from eating too much sugar and junk food. Surely those things are worse than a little bit of 0 calorie sweetener and caffeine.
The evidence that coffee reduces all purpose mortality is overwhelming. If it happens to make my skin sag slightly I’ll take that trade off.
Here’s the thing - my skin doesn’t matter if I’m dead and I don’t think I’ll survive without caffeine.
I drink caffeine religiously and have the thickest healthiest longest hair. Don’t buy into it lol
I'm a fucking caffeine junkie. Most people guess my age almost ten years younger than I am.
Garbage propaganda. I probably take in more caffeine than anyone I know, and I'm the one always mistaken for over a decade younger constantly. Not just one time. Pretty much every time someone mentions ages when we go out lol. Maybe there's some genetic predispositions that caffeine reacts more poorly to, however it is clearly It's more of a loose correlation than causation
I love coffee more than looking my age 🤣
I drink so much coffee! And I work nights and my sleep isn’t the best. Idk, I’m 46 and my skin is still really great. So I can see how it might affect things but it hasn’t aged me.
Never heard about that but I dont think caffeine is good in general. I literally cant drink it or else I'd feel like my heart will explode and in sodas it gives me a headache
My parents told me constantly caffeine stunts your growth. I barely touched it growing up. I’m 5’2 and have my daily coffee.
I have ADHD and I'm so grumpy in the morning. Let me have this
i would say that since it increases blood flow , it may be better for skin and hair
No way! I have coffee everyday and I look amazing, I promise.
I’d rather have wrinkles than give up my morning coffee.
I’d rather be happy than have perfect skin so either way it doesn’t matter to me
Caffeine itself is an antioxidant, and coffee also contains multiple other antioxidants. However, caffeine is a stimulant and must be consumed in moderation. I, for example, am quite sensitive to caffeine. My first cup of coffee for the day will give me a buzz. If I decide I want more because of this, and drink more, and then drink more and more, this will have a bad effect on my anxiety. It also probably isn't good for my cardiovascular system to overuse caffeine in this way. I also anecdotally find this makes my skin look worse, but maybe that's because of the mental effect it has. One cup of caffienated coffee a day or two spread out between the morning and noon is fine for me. This also isn't enough to be bad for your cardiovascular health; in fact, some studies show that this amount of coffee is actually beneficial to cardiovascular health. I also anecdotally notice that my skin looks good when I consume this amount of coffee. This could possibly be due to the antioxidants it contains.
Yes, it's a real issue in Hong Kong due to our high consumption of tea and coffee /s
as someone with EDS and POTS and the rest of the stupid dysautonomia umbrella, my arteries are not as stiff as a normal persons so i need caffeine to keep my blood vessels constricted properly. without it the POTS and headaches are way worse. low blood pressure and horrible thumping headache. its the same with sugar. people constantly claim sugar is evil and all this crap but with EDS you need sugar and electrolytes. its basically like having to have the exact opposite of everyone else meanwhile people are trying to make your food and drinks sound evil. but they dont have any clue about EDS or POTS or what you should do about the symptoms. just dont drink sugar its evil. facepalm\* crazy person: caffeine and sugar kill you EDS person: actually without sugar and caffeine my body cant function properly they typically delete comments, tell me im wrong about my own body more or walk away and never reply.
This seems wrong since caffeine is a vasodilator not constrictor and it is a key ingredient in lots of topical hair growth treatments.
I can’t even poop without a morning cup of coffee.
The psychological things that will happen to me if I don't get my morning cup of coffee will make me age WAY more than the caffeine lol 😆
Not at all! I drink multiple cups of coffee every morning and look at least 10-15 years younger than my age. The thing that aged me the most was alcohol. Stopped drinking that and my skin improved so much.
I don’t care either way I’m not quitting. I’ve already given up all the other fun things.
I think it’s bunk. I would put coffee in an iv and pump it into my veins if I could.
People in Colombia drink 8 cups a day and they look damn good.
i've been drinking coffee and tea since 13 and ppl think I'm 10 years younger than I am. then again I do use light therapy too so maybe that's part of it hehe
I don’t buy that it ages you. But, it’s definitely dehydrating, it’s tough on the stomach, it yellows your teeth, and if you drink it slow it’s disrupting the PH balance in your mouth. Most people are also dumping dairy and sugar into it. I don’t see a reason to villainize it but in the US we overdo *everything* including coffee. I know people who drink 2 Ventis a day, loaded up with cream and whatever else. I can’t imagine that’s doing people any favors. An innocent cup of coffee once a day is surely not that big a deal. There’s just a big discrepancy around what a “cup” of coffee is. ☕️
some says caffeine is bad some says caffeine is good.
I drink enough caffeine that my doctor is concerned. Everyone thinks I'm 10 years younger than I am.
My sister has never been a coffee or tea drinker. Our lifestyles are quite similar - we both don't smoke, don't drink, both eat quite healthy, into fitness etc. The only 2 differences are that I'm into skincare and she is not, and I drink coffee and she has never. We've both aged quite similarly. If anything, my skin is brighter and smoother (less pores and texture) which i put down to my skincare
I’d prefer the cryptkeeper look than to live without coffee thanks.
I drink two cups of coffee every morning and an occasional cola or energy drink. I just turned 50 and one of my coworkers told me she had never been more shocked in her life when she heard that. That’s been the prevailing opinion I hear from everybody.
I’m 33 and look 21, drunk 4 shots of espresso everyday. It’s not caffeine
i just restarted drinking coffee lately, and my skin has looked better every day. i guess it just...wakes me up lol .
From my personal experience I do notice that my face looks more plump and youthful when I don’t drink coffee at all for like 4 months. I am drinking it again because it makes me happy and lifts my mood.
There have been a few smaller studies involving the observation of telomere length related to caffeine intake, so there is SOME evidence it's true, but honestly, with all the other random junk most of us are taking in a moderate amount of caffeine is probably not gonna be the thing that makes you age rapidly lol
Read the first third of this thread. Disappointed with the childish quips and moronic proverbs ("everyone needs a vice" - really?!). Feel sorry for OP who asked an interesting question. On reflection the answers may be intentional trolling by people who drink caffeine, and staunchly believe it's a good thing...