The results are in for 2011 and the numbers are not surprising. Caffeine products are consumed by eight out of every ten people in the United States. Collectively, coffee, tea, and soda, all caffeine rich beverages, are consumed more than any other beverage except water. So many of us depend on the “kick” that caffeine delivers to start off the day. Others have a genuine addiction to caffeine and consume the alkaloid chemical throughout the entire day. But is the caffeine you had today slowly killing you?

Caffeine is a substance found in over one hundred plant species around the world including carefully selected barks, berries, leaves, and seeds. Natural products that yield the highest levels of caffeine include coffee beans, kola nuts, yerba mate leaves, and tea leaves, with coffee beans leading the way in popularity, sales, and demand here in the U.S. Consequently, caffeine consumption has a host of long ignored ill health effects and is causing harm to many people when used in excess amounts. Those who drink more than two cups of coffee per day, or any equivalent of, are considered excessive users.

With regards to coffee, the risk is two fold. It starts with the coffee plant, which is the third most pesticide sprayed crop in the world, only behind cotton and tobacco. Detectable amounts of pesticide chemicals are found in over seventy percent off all coffee beans. The coffee companies claim that roasting the beans destroys the pesticide residues, but credibility is lacking in those statements. Testing on several different varieties of coffee beans showed significant amounts of the chemical DDT before and after roasting. The heavy amounts of pesticides found in coffee beans accumulate in our body and cause undue stress on our immune system. Time will dictate when these levels reach a breaking point and cause irreversible damage to human cells.

The second part of the unhealthy effects of coffee is the quantity of caffeine in it. A typical cup of coffee can have as much as fifty milligrams of caffeine in it. Caffeine belongs to the uric acid group of substances. The human body treats uric acid as a foreign invader, metabolizes it into urea, and then disposes of it as waste. As a result, every time caffeine enters our blood stream our liver is handed the stressful task of metabolizing it. This puts an unnecessary burden on an already overworked liver. The liver of a heavy coffee drinker is begging for a vacation not much unlike that of an alcoholic. Now could be a good time to give it one before it goes on strike!

Caffeine also contains compounds that are involved with the structure of our DNA. Most of us have heard of the term DNA, especially if we watch television shows like C.S.I. Ingesting ingredients that can interfere with our DNA structure is not a good thing. This is why caffeine is strictly off limits for pregnant women – it has been linked to a ton of birth defects in infants! But what is the extent of damage of caffeine on our DNA? Do we even know? Have there been any studies done? We searched and searched but found no recent studies done involving the long term effects of caffeine on humans. One would have to make an educated guess and determine that any substance, which has the potential to interfere with our DNA structure, should be considered a formidable health risk and thus probably avoided. Maybe this explains why caffeine has been linked to a myriad of health problems, the most significant being abnormal heart rhythm, bladder cancer, diabetes, heartburn, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, kidney cancer, prostate problems, sleep disorders, stroke, ulcers, and more. Caffeine also contributes to significant calcium loss which increases the risk of osteoporosis in women. Miscarriages are increased by as much as five percent with the consumption of caffeine laden drinks.

Since coffee seems to be the single most consumed caffeine product and the one with the highest caffeine levels, we went out searching for hot beverage alternatives to the traditional coffee bean. We were very surprised to learn that people in countries abroad have already been secretly making the switch to healthier morning brews. Herbal products such as cleavers fruit, dandelion root, hawthorn seeds, milk thistle seeds, hemp seeds, and soybeans have been designated tasty and healthy coffee alternatives. While we were unable to find any health food stores who sell the roasted versions of these herbs, they are widely available for purchase in the U.S. at any reputable herb or specialty health food store. The only thing missing in the formula is the roasting. Who knows, this may be something to think about. An alternative to coffee that works like coffee, but without the caffeine, and that is healthy for you? Wow, does the next “green” Starbucks lurk in the near future? Whatever you decide to with your future, if continued coffee consumption is chosen, then it may be time to take long hard look at the benefits of organic, decaffeinated coffee beans, herbal tea (herbal tea has no caffeine), and caffeine free soda for a healthier you.