Decaffeinated coffee is a great alternative to standard coffee when looking for the antioxidants benefits of coffee devoid of caffeine.
There has been a heated debate on whether regular or decaffeinated coffee can make you urinate more frequently than normal and cause you to lose more water.
This debate has been settled by multiple pieces of research, which have confirmed that decaf coffee is not a diuretic, meaning it can’t cause you to pee a lot or dehydrate. There are no decaf coffee diuretic effects that result from taking this virtually caffeine-less coffee.
Studies further reveal that caffeine levels below 500mg per day can only cause mild diuretic effects. An 8 ounces cup of decaffeinated coffee contains not more than 7mg of caffeine.
Therefore, to suffer from diuresis, you would have to take more than 70 cups of decaf coffee.
What Are Diuretics?
Diuretics are substances that increase the production of urine. Most diuretics act to increase the excretion of sodium, which is then followed by water.
They are also widely used in treating high blood pressure and other conditions.
Having said that, if you don’t have any blood pressure conditions, it will only dehydrate you and this is something you want to avoid.
What Is Decaffeinated Coffee?
Decaffeinated coffee is no different from regular coffee; apart from that, it contains less caffeine.
Decaf coffee contains only 3 percent of caffeine compared to standard coffee since it’s impossible to get rid of caffeine in totality.
For instance, a standard cup of coffee has about 95mg of caffeine, while decaf coffee has about 2mg of caffeine.
How Is Coffee Decaffeinated?
Coffee “beans” (though not actual beans) normally contain caffeine.
While an ounce of coffee is certainly what many people are after when they ask for a cup of coffee, the beans can be processed to get rid of a significant percentage of the stimulant, giving rise to a drink that can be taken at night without disrupting sleep.
Various methods are applied to get rid of caffeine from the beans, and all are performed while still green. Decaffeination is repeatedly linked with less flavorful coffee since it’s virtually complicated to get rid of only caffeine while leaving other flavorful chemicals untouched.
That said, here are the most common methods used in decaffeination:
1. Methylene Chloride Process
Also known as MC or Dichloromethane, Methylene Chloride is a direct chemical solvent process entailing thoroughly wetting the green coffee in heated water followed by the addition of the Methylene Chloride to the coffee to drive out the caffeine.
The caffeine bonded particles are then separated from the beans using the filtration method. The beans are then rehydrated.
While the MC process is deemed cost-effective, it poses several health and safety concerns as its application in large amounts has been associated with various health problems and is yet to be fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
2. Ethyl Acetate/Sugarcane Process
Ethyl Acetate is the most preferred decaffeination method for most specialty roasters.
This is because it can be organically extracted from decomposing fruits, such as bananas, blackberries, etc., and can be obtained from the sugar production process as a by-product, hence the name, “sugarcane process. ”
However, EA can as well be synthetically produced from petroleum derivatives, hence if a completely natural EA process is of significance to you, check with your roaster to learn how and where the decaffeination occurs.
In this process, the steaming of green coffee is performed at low pressure in readiness for its immersion in EA, which then combines with the caffeine particles, expelling them out.
Sugarcane process decaffeination is broadly used by coffee roasters that decaffeinate coffee at its origin in a bid to save on transport expenses. The decaf coffee processed by this process is considered to have a slightly sweeter flavor compared to regular coffee.
3. Swiss Water Process
This process uses water and green coffee to form an extract, from where coffee is gradually wet to shed off caffeine particles.
The coffee is then taken through a filtration process that employs multiple carbon filters to catch the caffeine particles allowing the rest of the soluble solids and flavor compounds to remain part of the green coffee.
Because no chemical solvents are applied to the coffee, Swiss Water coffees are considered to have minimal residue flavor from the decaffeination process.
4. CO2 Process
The CO2 process is an expensive decaffeination method widely used in Europe, where facilities are a bit convenient. Like the Swiss Water Process, the CO2 process does not add chemical residue.
In this process, the liquid Carbon Dioxide is directed into a chamber hosting green coffee at extreme pressure to displace caffeine particles from the beans into the liquid.
The liquid is then separated from caffeine through a filtration process and converted into a gaseous form, leaving the caffeine behind. In the CO2 process, the flavor compounds remain undisplaced from the beans during the entire decaffeination process, paving the way for the retention of original flavors.
Benefits Of Consuming Decaf Coffee
There are many benefits that stem from taking decaf coffee. They include:
- Sleep improvement and a reduction in anxiety
- Reduction of the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes
- Less acidic than regular coffee
- Lowers the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases
Decaf Coffee and Weight Loss
Decaf coffee, as well as regular coffee, are basically calorie-free. This means that no matter how much you drink you won’t gain weight.
At the same time, caffeine has been associated with boosting your metabolic rate. Since decaf coffee has some caffeine, its intake can offer all the weight-loss benefits attributed to caffeine, though at a slight degree.
Another way caffeine affects weight loss is that it boosts the hormone called adrenaline and it decreases the levels of ghrelin (hunger hormone) which means you won’t have hunger feelings.
One additional benefit of decaf coffee is that it has been associated with increasing your hormone Peptide YY which makes you feel satiated and full. This means that you feel less hungry but at the same time more satiated.
If you are doing intermittent fasting both regular coffee and decaf coffee will help you with your fasting goals and weight loss goals.
Final thoughts
Consuming decaffeinated coffee over regular coffee is highly recommended as it is not a diuretic.
It contains small amounts of caffeine, making it suitable for persons looking to enjoy a cup of coffee at night without losing sleep.
If you do need caffeine in the morning you can always mix them. You can always drink normal coffee in the morning and decaf coffee in the afternoon.
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