Is decaf coffee really the better option for your health?
The jitteriness and headaches from caffeine withdrawal can be so overpowering that many of us turn to decaffeinated instead, thinking surely it must be better for our health. But that might not be true, the experts say – not least because decaf coffee is not actually completely caffeine-free after all.
So if you can bear to make the switch to decaf, just how much better will it be for you?
What is decaf coffee, and how is it made?
Decaffeinated coffee is coffee that has been treated before roasting to strip the caffeine out of it, with 'chemicals like carbon dioxide or by soaking the beans in water', says Dr Carlo La Vecchia, a professor at the University of Milan and an expert from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee.
This water-based method is sometimes referred to as the Swiss method and is thought to preserve the flavour of the beans more fully.
The names of other chemicals used in the decaffeination process – such as methylene chloride, a chemical banned from use in paint thinner, for its toxicity – might sound alarming. But the amount left in the beans after this process is negligible, Dr La Vecchia says. 'None of them should remain in appreciable amounts.'
This process does not completely strip the beans of their caffeine content, however, leaving behind 'around 2 per cent, and in any case less than 3 per cent' of their natural caffeine levels. A normal cup of filter coffee contains around 100mg of caffeine, though the exact amount used will vary by brand, while a decaf filter coffee has closer to 2mg.
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It's a kick-start for the day, a jolt many of us need to power through, and one of the last socially acceptable addictions. It's only when we have to go without coffee that we realise how badly we rely on it. The jitteriness and headaches from caffeine withdrawal can be so overpowering that many of us turn to decaffeinated instead, thinking surely it must be better for our health. But that might not be true, the experts say – not least because decaf coffee is not actually completely caffeine-free. So if you can bear to make the switch to decaf, just how much better will it be for you? What is decaf coffee, and how is it made? Decaffeinated coffee is coffee that has been treated before roasting to strip the caffeine out of it, with 'chemicals like carbon dioxide or by soaking the beans in water', says Dr Carlo La Vecchia, a professor at the University of Milan and expert from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee. This water-based method is sometimes referred to as the Swiss method and is thought to preserve the flavour of the beans more fully. The names of other chemicals used in the decaffeination process – such as methylene chloride, a chemical banned from use in paint thinner for its toxicity – might sound alarming. But the amount left in the beans after this process is negligible, La Vecchia says. 'None of them should remain in appreciable amounts.' Loading This process does not completely strip the beans of their caffeine content, however, leaving behind 'around 2 per cent, and in any case less than 3 per cent' of their natural caffeine levels. A normal cup of filter coffee contains about 100mg of caffeine, though the exact amount used will vary by brand, while a decaf filter coffee has closer to 2mg.
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