Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate?
Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate?
Hmm, what would you choose? Each energizes us in a different way. They affect our brain and heart. We can focus better, breath better and can have a comforting and mood boosting effect on our body. They improve blood flow, cognitive function and can be beneficial for heart health and cholesterol levels.
Coffee originates from Ethiopia, Africa.
Tea originates from China and northern Myanmar (Burma) in Southeast Asia.
Cocoa plant is native to the upper Amazon basin, specifically in the regions of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, South America.
Three different continents are the birthplace of these energy drinks. Yet chemically speaking, they are surprisingly close relatives. The active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, in tea it is theophylline, and in cocoa it is theobromine.
Caffeine has an extra methyl (CH3) group while in theophylline and theobromine there is a switch in the location of the second methyl (CH3) group. Otherwise they're identical.
Theophylline, present in black tea, is also a medication used in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Theophylline is a bronchodilator that relaxes and opens up the airways (bronchi) in the lung, so you can breath more easily.
The British, known for their ceremonial daily tea time at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, drank their tea super dark with cream and sugar. When the tea is as dark as espresso, it taste bitter, and can cause an upset stomach. So the cream and sugar is necessary. The order of addition ? - well that's just British, let's you know what class you belong to. 😁
We know that due to the constant humidity in England, lung issues (asthma and tuberculosis) were common. So black tea was indeed good for your health, as it is said so confidently in My Fair Lady, by the mother of Henry Higgins, played by the late British actor Sir Rex Harrison.
The concentration of theophylline in the blood when treating asthma is important. Too little, and the medication is not effective. Too much and it is toxic. So blood test is necessary as the concentration varies from individual to individual using the same dose. However, due to its chemical similarity to caffeine, developing a diagnostic test is challenging. Caffeine can be present in the blood from coffee and other sources.
As an interesting anecdote, at DuPont (my first job as a Senior Research Scientist) , monoclonal antibodies were used in their diagnostic test that only recognized theophylline and not caffeine. Nature produces polyclonal antibodies against an antigen, as its goal is to eradicate the antigen, so it attacks it from many sides. (a good biological war tactic).
COVID-19 Corona virus SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant
When Pfizer and Moderna developed their first RNA vaccine against COVID-19 virus, the antigen, they developed it against a single site on the virus, the spike protein that covered the surface of the virus. Seemed like a good strategy. However, the virus mutated. Where? At the spike protein.
The spike protein opened up, and became more virulent in the Delta mutation. We later learned that natural immunity was stronger than vaccine immunity. Perhaps, I'm thinking, because nature made antibodies not just to one site on the virus but multiple sites. That's how nature works.
Theobromine:
Cacao tree, Wikipedia: Theobroma cacao
Theobromine is derived from Theobroma, the name of the genus of the cacao tree. That name in turn is made up of the Greek roots theo ("god") and broma ("food"), meaning "food of the gods". The seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) are used for making chocolate.
Theobromine, a compound found in cocoa and chocolate, has been linked to a variety of potential health benefits. It may contribute to lowering blood pressure, reducing bad cholesterol (LDL) and increasing good cholesterol (HDL).
It acts as a stimulant, providing a milder and longer lasting energy boost than caffeine. It can enhance your mood and reduce your stress and anxiety. Also it can temporally improve cognitive functions, so that you become more alert and focused, possibly by increasing blood flow to the brain.
It may act as a bronchodilator and reduce oxidative stress. Preliminary research suggests theobromine may help strengthen tooth enamel and protect against erosion. So drinking some hot chocolate before bed may not be a bad idea, although I'm not recommending skipping brushing your teeth. 😉
Caffeine:
The effect of caffeine on our bodies has been greatly studied. Sometimes with opposite outcomes. However, we can all agree that caffeine is a strong stimulant, an energy drink that wakes us up in the morning, and can keep us up all night when we need to finish an important project. It helps us to focus and improves our memory, a big help when preparing for an exam.
Freshly harvested coffee cherries. Wikipedia, December 25, 2021
Coming home late at night, your car may warn you to take a brake and have a cup of coffee. I got that a few times driving home on the freeway, and wondered, how my car knows I need a brake. Was I waving a bit in my lane? To be safe, I did get off at the next gas station or 7/11 and had a cup of coffee. It revitalized me.
Besides coffee enhancing your cognitive functions, studies show many other potential health benefits. Coffee may reduce the risk of certain diseases, including type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and liver cancer. It also acts as a source of antioxidants, which can help protect against cell damage.
Coffee may even lower the risk of depression and improve your mood, and help your weight management due to its potential to boost metabolism and increase fat burning.
Conclusion:
I can't help but notice the many commonalities between coffee, tea and hot chocolate. They all seem to increase blood flow, probably due to dilation of blood vessels. Thus more oxygen is delivered to the brain, and one becomes more focused, can think more clearly and remember better. That alone should put us in a better mood and reduce stress. Our life has become so stressful. Perhaps that's part of the reason our coffee consumption went up dramatically.
However, coffee, tea or hot chocolate are a temporary help in reducing stress and improving our cognitive functions. They fall into the quick fix category. Sometimes we need a quick fix. But there are more lasting ways to achieve good mental health, sharp focus and a relax yet ready state of mind. After all it's a matter of state of mind.
Since time immemorial, humans used relaxation techniques such as meditation, contemplation, or reciting prayers that led them into a trance state, an altered state of consciousness. In hypnosis one reaches that deep relaxed state called trance. Even more powerful is Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques that reaches deeply into the subconscious mind to affect behavioral changes and helps us overcome anxiety, phobias, work through past experiences, build confidence, motivation, and reach excellence.
If you'd like to find out more about hypnosis and NLP, just contact me through my website: www.bloombyhypnotherapy.com, or send me an email at [email protected]. I am a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and an NLP Practitioner, and can help you achieve your goal and dream in life.
Be Bold and Confident,
Dr. Marta
Marta M. Kassai. Ph.D.
