Is drinking coffee dangerous

Answer 1

The process used today to remove caffeine is completely safe. There are a few different methods used and if you research them you will understand why they are considered safe and "all natural".

Coffee beans are decaffeinated by softening the beans with water and using a substance to extract the caffeine. Water alone cannot be used because it strips away too much of the flavor. The goal is to extract the caffeine with minimal loss of flavor. Substances used to remove the caffeine may directly or indirectly come in contact with the beans, and so the processes are referred to as direct or indirect decaffeination.

In one process, coffee beans are soaked in water to soften them and dissolve the caffeine. The water containing the caffeine (and the flavor from the beans) is treated with a solvent, heated to remove the solvent and caffeine, and then returned to the beans. The flavors in the water are reabsorbed by the beans, which are then dried. This process is referred to as "indirect decaffeination," because the beans never touch the solvent themselves. The most widely used solvent today is ethyl acetate, a substance found in many fruits. When your coffee label states that the beans are "naturally decaffeinated," it is referring to this process, specifically using ethyl acetate. Although it doesn't sound like a natural process, it can be labeled as such because the solvent occurs in nature. Other solvents have been used, some of which have been shown to be harmful. One, methylene chloride, has been alleged to cause cancer in humans and therefore is not often used. Back in the 1970s, another solvent, trichloroethylene, was found to be carcinogenic and is no longer used.

Another indirect method soaks the beans in water to soften them and remove the caffeine, and then runs the liquid through activated charcoal or carbon filters to decaffeinate it. The flavor containing fluid is then returned to the beans to be dried. This charcoal or carbon process is often called "Swiss water process" (developed by a Swiss company).

A direct decaffeination process involves the use of carbon dioxide as a solvent. The coffee beans are soaked in compressed CO2, which removes 97 percent of the caffeine. The solvent containing the extracted caffeine evaporates when the beans return to room temperature.

Your concern over the safety of decaffeinated coffee probably stems from solvents used in the past. If your coffee is labeled naturally decaffeinated or Swiss water processed, you can be assured that no harmful chemicals are used. If you are uncertain, you can ask or call your coffee processor to learn about the method used.

source: Columbia University study

Answer 2

Organic decaffeinated coffee is probably healthier than drinking coffee decaffeinated with dichloromethane or ethyl acetate (which is what are currently the most common solvents for decaffeination). It should not be LESS healthy. Whether drinking coffee in general is healthy is still somewhat debated.

Certified organic coffee is grown by use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environment quality. Certified organic coffee is grown without usage of any chemical pesticides or fertilizer, with assurance to the health of the soil, the forest and the farmers. You would hope that the lack of chemical pesticides and fertilizer would mean less worry about residues from these chemicals being absorbed by the beans and passed on to the coffee drinker.

Note:

"Organic decaffeination" would be expected to refer to the Swiss Water Process, aka SWP Method, aka Activated Charcoal Decaffeination, aka di-hydro oxide process. (The last one is pretty funny since di-hydro oxide is just a fancy name for WATER). It has its claim to being "organic" because the facility of "The Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company" in Burnaby, Canada is the only facility certified "organic" by OCIA and Aurora Certified Organic. It is called "Swiss Water Process" because it was first developed in Switzerland, but the water used is local (purified) water - they don't import the water from Switzerland.

Coffee decaffeinated using ethyl acetate is sometimes marketed as "naturally decaffeinated" because this solvent may be obtained from a biological process such as the fermentation of sugar cane - but that apparently does not qualify it as "organic" decaffeination.

By the way, as an alternative to using dichloromethane or ethyl acetate, some companies use supercritical carbon dioxide (the same stuff used to "carbonate" sodas) and pure water to extract the caffeine, thus leaving no residual solvent to worry about. This process works just as effectively on organic grown coffee as it does on regular coffee - probably better since you don't have to worry as much about pesticide and fertilizer residue.

Answer 3

Contrary perhaps to parents who usually try to keep coffee from children, it may not be that harmful. Just like in the case of adults, coffee seems to improve concentration and may help children do a little better on specific tests. General mental performance outside of short-term tasks is not necessarily improved. Research has also shown reduced risk of developing Type II Diabetes compared to those who consumed no coffee.

Answer 4

Yes, organic decaffeinated coffee is healthy to drink. Conventional decaffeination needs several soakings of the beans in caffeine-removing chemical solvents. Organic decaffeination contrastingly uses purified local water to dilute the beans and isolate the caffeine.

Answer 5

Though usually thought to be harmful to health, coffee has actually been found to be good for the health. Look up articles from Harvard Medical, they should be able to clarify this point.

Answer 6

Yes because it has caffiene and caffiene is an addictive drug.