Coffee: TO Be? OR Not to Be?

I had been told no caffine. No coffee, no tea. Herbal tea is ok, except no Green Tea.  I see a lot of people posting and loving their coffee! I'm dying ! It was my understanding from the NUT - that caffine blocks nutrition absorption.  *IF* we were going to drink coffee, it would have be at least 6 months to a year after surgery AND Not to drink it 2 hours before or 2 hours after taking the vitamins.  Which pretty much makes it pointless since I like my coffee in the early am and that's when I take my vitamins (also in the evening - the vitamins).  I know I know... I'm playing the kid here with the "But but but , they are......".  I guess I would just like some clarification. If I'm not going to do something, sometimes it is easier to understand exactly why I'm not doing it.

I've never heard about caffeine blocking nutrition, but I'd be interested in learning more about that. I do know that it's a natural diuretic though.   It was my understanding that I should not drink it as a relatively new post-op because it was so hard at that time to stay properly hydrated.  My nut told me that if I did have a caffeinated beverage, I had to add another equal of amount of non-caffeinated liquid to my daily intake.  So if I was supposed to drink 64 oz. of fluids per day, and had 8 oz. of coffee, I needed to add another 8 oz. of water to my 64 oz. for that day.  I couldn't drink that much at first, so I did not have coffee or caffeine for about 1 year after my surgery.   I'm just over 2 years post-op now, and I have a couple cups of coffee every morning, and an occasional latte in the afternoon.  But when I was as early out as you are, I stuck with herbal tea when I wanted something warm to drink....   Good luck on your continuing journey -  Kellie

My nut allows it.  I drink 3 or 4 cups of iced skim and coffee daily.  It's one of my big protein providers.  My labs are fine.  With that said, I drink about 100 oz of H2O

Well, I hate to spoil the party - but yes caffeine (and related compounds in tea) DO interfere with nutrient absorption.  The biggest effects are on calcium, zinc, and iron.   Consider this, Iron is poorly absorbed even in a normal, un-surgically altered gut.  About 25% of the iron you eat is available for absorption.  If it is non-heme iron, it drops to about 15% availability.  Now add a nice glass of iced tea and your absorption drops by another 50% (green tea decreases non-heme by 28%, black tea decreases non-heme iron by 80%).  Coffee, same thing.  If you add orange juice instead (source of Vitamin C) absorption can increase by about 25% of heme iron. Caffeine interacts with almost every drug class - some positively, some negatively.  I think the recommendation across the board to avoid caffeine is based on this.  Research has disproven the old notion about the diuretic effects of caffeine.  It doesn't really cause the negative fluid balance that it was accused of for so many years... Most post WLS patients supplement their calcium, iron, and zinc.  It makes sense to avoid these vitamins with a known "blocker" such as caffeine.  When I make recommendations for supplements, I suggest looking at your daily habits and trying to find the best time to take your vitamins.  Most people do well taking their iron before bed.  Calcium can be taken with meals.  Try to work around it so you can have your coffee and still make the most of your supplements. Can't you have your vitamins a little later? I'm trying to be a nice NUT...

This may be a dumb question - but what about decaf???? I make decaf ice tea at home all the time. I love it!!! I'm not into coffee so I can't help you there, but it might be an option for you.

It was my understanding that decaff still had some amounts of caffine but I could be way off.  That's a good question - can you have defaff and not have an issue?

Well, decaf coffee still seems to have issues. There was a study done some years back in Sweden where they looked at the nutrient interactions with caffeinated vs. decaffeinated coffee.  They found that almost identical reactions occurred with each.  This led researchers to believe that it was a compound inherent in the coffee bean that led to the negative effects rather than caffeine specifically.  Mind you, there are limitations to this study since the coffee in Sweden is typically boiled (in a process similar to percolated coffee - remember that??).  Coffee in America is usually brewed which reduces the amount of time water is in contact with the beans and it may reduce this effect somewhat. In further studies, researchers looked at caffeine only (using a liquid containing caffeine, but not coffee or tea based) and they found no interaction with nutrient absorption. From these studies it appears that there are other compounds in coffee and tea than alter nutrient absorption (methylphenidates, tannins, phytols, etc.) and it's not necessarily the caffeine.  Caffeine DOES interact with many medications and I believe this is more the reason decaffeinated beverages are recommended so widely. How's that for muddy water... As my old instructor used to say -" it's the dose that makes the poison" Caffeine and coffee in moderation is safe for most people. Be considerate of the timing of your supplements so you get your money's worth!