I’ve been looking a lot into the research on coffee benefits with PSC. I’m struggling with the choice of drinking coffee as I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and part of our “health creed” is not drinking coffee. Is anyone out there a member of the same church and what are your thoughts if you are?
I feel like I’m already doing the basics - I already don’t eat much meat. I exercise regularly. I’m at a normal weight. I say this as I’m not looking for a quick, easy fix. I’m not the lazy person, overweight, eating a bag of chips while drinking a cup of coffee hoping it fixes everything.
Thank you for any help with this discussion!
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Hi Eldermen.,
Yes i have a few comments on drinking coffee that may assist you.
I am also with PSC and ulcerative colitis. I have read in many gut health books and journals about coffee being very acidic which is bad for the body and general well being. It is also very dehydrating which for PSC’ers and UC patients we should be cautious with as keeping our organs hydrated and keeping everything flowing is very important to us.
I however also need a stimulation in the mornings and i have found a natural caffeine source called Guarana Powder, it has 220 mg of caffeine per 1g serving (so a little stronger than your average coffee), i need 1 - 2 teaspoons in the morning, i add it to some crystal light and water with ice or i just throw it in a blueberry smoothie with some powdered probiotics for super duper health.
I love this in the morning because its refreshing and light, very quick and i am getting a super natural source of caffeine without dealing with the acidic nature of coffee. You can buy the Guarana Powder from Amazon for less than $10 and a tub lasts me 3 -4 months so its alot more cost effective than your starbucks.
If you prefer a hot drink then a pumpkin spice hot chocolate (on treat days) or a peppermint tea with added guarana powder also does the trick.
Hope this helps 
Kind regards
Sarah
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Sarah,
Thank you for your reply! I love the idea of something like this for a more natural caffeine, especially with the affordability and how easy it is to take.
I’ve read that coffee has so many properties that caffeine is part of the health benefit and maybe even most of it. I wonder if we lose any benefits by not having the mixture of them all. Maybe guarana would be even more beneficial with its antioxidants.
I agree that staying hydrated is huge for us and coffee is not hydration. Thanks for that reminder.
I’m definitely going to give guarana a try.
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Austin,
I listened to a talk on youtube by Dr. Jennifer Lai, who is a nutritionist and a physician working in liver transplants at the University of California. She mentioned the benefits of coffee for PSC sufferers. I’ve never drunk coffee (now 68) so reached out to her via email. Her response was roughly “if you don’t drink coffee, there’s no overwhelming reason to start. If you do, drop the cream and sugar.”
The research I read didn’t pinpoint caffeine as the source of the benefit, I think that isn’t clear yet.
Just some further info for you to consider.
Warmly,
Steve
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Thank you for that further insight! It was this talk that spurred my interest in the research. Much appreciated!
I had the same question after reading a study about Alzheimer’s and the benefits of coffee. I was raised in a home where coffee and tea were not used so when I tried tasting it as a teen I was very disappointed! I’ve always loved the smell but it doesn’t taste like it smells.
A few days ago I drank a cup after doctoring it with lots of milk and stevia. On Sunday I caught the bishop before Sacrament Meeting and asked him about it. I like to attend the temple so I needed to know, like you do. He reminded me that all things on earth were put here for our use. Not misuse but put here for our use in moderation. All things. God also gave us a brain and He expects it to be used. So after prayer and using my brain to my best ability I have decided to use coffee once a day. 8 ounces. This allows me to use it for PSC.
I think the word of wisdom is just that. Use wisdom in taking care of your fragile mortal body. Thank you for posting this. I love the gospel too
Sincerely,
Linda Anderson
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Thank you for your beautiful and thoughtful answer! That is the exact household I grew up in. To this day coffee is one of my favorite things to smell, but the taste is definitely not the same.
Right now, I’m taking this,
It allows me to hopefully get the benefits of the herb without the “hot drink” side of it. Silly I know. My wife’s concern is that she doesn’t want our kids growing up seeing their dad drink coffee at home. From what I understand, the research is based on drinking coffee, as that’s easier to study in the general public. I’m hoping/praying I get the same benefits for his route.
As a former bishop and current physician, I appreciate the insightful understanding of your bishop. As a community we are reaching for answers. We’ve all be impacted in different ways. We all have our story. We all have our hopes of a bright future.
Thank you reply!
You are welcome. Good luck to you.
Thank you Eldermen02 for your thoughts. I watched my dad use guarana all my life. He wanted to be a coffee drinker but because he was doing the best for his health he didn’t. I think in later life he was able to get Pero to take the place of a warm drink that helped him feel good in the moring. I have never been a social drinker of any thing so I have to “remember” to get my drink in the A.M. I have never been a breakfast person so maybe that’s why. Anyway, I do think different things work for different people. Once you find something that works for you I think it’s probably a good thing to continue with that. I have changed some things in my diet. As a experiment I have stopped using sugar…A really hard thing for me! I stopped eating bread unless it’s gluten free. No soft drinks, water is what I drink. I have stopped drinking milk…I’m a big milk baby! I use cashew milk. I don’t have a tried and true protein sourch yet but I have a protein drink every day. I feel I’m not getting what I need but I’m still studying on that one. So many different kinds of proteins!.
I enjoy your comments and all the others. Thank you again.
Linda Anderson
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Thank you for your comments. I agree that we are different and sometimes are own studies on ourselves is best. I’ve been debating on the gluten free no milk lifestyle. I love both (Milk and gluten products), so like you, it will be difficult. It’s nice there’s options out there. I agree with no sugar and avoiding soft drinks. There are somethings that are in our control and we do our best to be wise in our choices.
Thank you for your answer and your wisdom.
