01/24/2022
I have been generating a lot of thought about my over consumption of coffee recently. Many of us in the fasting world use caffeine as our go to appetite suppressant and stimulant to sustain us through the fast, however what happens when your genetics are fighting against you? What happens when you are the dreaded “slow caffeine metabolizer” aka positive for the CYP1A2*1F gene? Did you know this has serious implications for your health? You are far more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke, for example. I’ve been pretty discouraged by some of my recent health metrics, my cortisol being high, heart rate variability being too low (should be in the 40s)-hovering in the 20s…I think that the big culprit is caffeine and alcohol, although I don’t drink too much alcohol lately. Caffeine increases cortisol and decreases sleep quality as well as increases anxiety and stress, so you can see how the whole system begins to snowball. I improved my HRV by 10 points by giving up alcohol, I’m excited to see how reducing coffee will further help. I also need to include more cardiovascular exercise. As much as I continue this journey, I’m always amazed to find there is so much I can improve! I’ll keep you posted!
