Excessive Coffee, Harmful to Kidneys!?
pine Webmaster of Pineapple
2009/03/15 12:47
508 topics published
Exceeding 300cc per day? Be cautious of kidney yin deficiency knocking at your door.
There was a time when coffee gradually became a symbol of yuppie office workers. Holding a cup of coffee before work or during lunch breaks became a common leisurely sight on the streets. However, behind this relaxed atmosphere, do you know how much harm excessive coffee consumption can cause to your health? Drinking more than 300cc daily invites kidney yin deficiency, triggering red flags in your endocrine, reproductive, and metabolic systems!
Overconsumption of caffeine can be deadly...
Caffeine is the most controversial component in coffee, belonging to the chemical class of xanthines. The estimated lethal dose is over 10g (approximately 170mg per kilogram of body weight), equivalent to quickly drinking 80-100 cups of coffee in succession. While this may not be easily achievable, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) warns that excessive coffee intake does pose a fatal threat to one’s constitution.
Western medicine believes that caffeine enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine, accelerating heart rate, constricting blood vessels, and widening pathways within 15 minutes of consumption. Once ingested, it takes about 6 hours to eliminate half of the caffeine from the body.
TCM further states that drinking more than 300cc of coffee daily can lead to a troublesome and "hard-to-reverse" kidney yin deficiency constitution.
Check! Tick the boxes below to see if your love for coffee has left you with insufficient kidney yin:
☐ Flushed face
☐ Acne breakouts
☐ Cracked lips
☐ Weak teeth
☐ Dry mouth and throat
☐ Tinnitus
☐ Chest tightness
☐ Menstrual pain
☐ Scanty, dark yellow urine
☐ Sore and weak lower back
☐ Poor sleep, night sweats
☐ Easily irritable or anxious
If you’ve checked 3-4 boxes, your excessive coffee consumption may have led to kidney yin deficiency. The more checks, the more severe the condition!
How does coffee cause kidney yin deficiency?
Kidney yin deficiency refers to an insufficiency of kidney water. In TCM, the concept of the "kidney" differs from Western medicine’s "kidneys." It encompasses not only the kidneys but also the endocrine, nervous, urinary, reproductive systems, and metabolic functions.
The kidneys govern water, maintaining fluid balance and promoting growth and development. The driving force behind this function is called "kidney yin." Kidney yin deficiency indicates a decline in organ function, leading to gradual deterioration in reproductive, urinary, memory, endocrine, and metabolic functions.
Caffeine in coffee has a diuretic effect, prompting the kidneys to excrete sodium and water while causing mental agitation, excitement, insomnia, and anxiety—all signs of "yin deficiency."
3 smart tips to rescue your kidney yin deficiency...
Now that we know excessive coffee consumption leads to kidney yin deficiency, how can you remedy the symptoms if they’ve already appeared? Let’s explore the simple yet highly effective tips from TCM practitioners.
**Tip 1: Reduce caffeine intake**
You might assume that milder Americano coffee has lower caffeine content, but drinking more than 2 cups daily is still risky. Shockingly, one cup (150cc) contains about 150-250mg of caffeine! Espresso is no slouch either, with 50-100mg per cup.
The main culprit behind kidney yin deficiency from excessive coffee is caffeine. Here are two tricks to lower your caffeine intake while safeguarding your health and avoiding addiction:
**Trick 1: Skip black coffee—add low-fat milk!**
Ditch your usual black coffee and dilute it with plenty of milk to significantly reduce caffeine content.
**Trick 2: Switch to cocoa, which has much lower caffeine**
Compared to coffee, cocoa contains far less caffeine—only 2-5mg per cup. It’s also rich in bioflavonoids, which boost antioxidant capacity.When you crave coffee, replace it with hot cocoa instead!
**Tip 2: Eat More Sticky Ingredients**
Are you a coffee addict experiencing symptoms of kidney yin deficiency, such as dry mouth, tinnitus, and soreness in the lower back?
Besides quitting coffee, make sure to eat more sticky ingredients like glutinous rice, sweet potatoes, yam, okra, natto, seaweed, hair moss, white fungus, mung beans, barley, miso, and apples—they can effectively improve kidney yin deficiency!
So, from time to time, cook yourself a bowl of glutinous rice porridge, blanched okra, yam and pork rib soup, mung bean and barley soup, hair moss and miso soup, or red date and white fungus soup. Not only are these great snacks to satisfy cravings, but they also help improve kidney yin deficiency!
**Tip 3: Acupressure Massage**
Massaging acupoints along the kidney meridian can also effectively improve insufficient kidney water!
Press lightly with your fingers for 3–5 minutes daily, take a short break, and then repeat. It’s recommended to continue for 15 minutes.
**Who Should Strictly Avoid Coffee?**
Excessive coffee consumption has many negative health effects. The following groups should steer clear of coffee to avoid endless troubles:
• Pregnant women
• Postmenopausal women
• People with high blood pressure
• Those with abnormal liver function
• People with gastric or duodenal ulcers, intestinal sensitivity, or excessive stomach acid
Source:
http://blog. yam. com/ g11160720/ article/ 13834013