Quit Drinking Coffee . . . and Start Smelling It

Recent study finds benefits in coffee bean aroma

Wouldn’t it be a great if just the mere smell of coffee could benefit you and help you to “wake up”?  It would certainly be a welcome option for those of us who love the smell of coffee, but cannot stand the taste! 

Well, a recent study was conducted to discover that very possibility. The study was done on lab rats and sought out the effects of simply smelling coffee, rather than drinking it.

According to Han-Seouk Seo of Seoul National University, "There are few studies that deal with the beneficial effects of coffee aroma. This study is the first effort to elucidate the effects of coffee bean aroma on the sleep deprivation-induced stress in a rat's brain."

Study Details:
The lab rats were introduced to medium roasted Columbian coffee beans.  Some of these rats were sleep deprived and some were not deprived of sleep.  These two groups were compared to two other groups of sleep deprived and non-sleep deprived rats that were not exposed to the aroma of coffee beans. Seouk and colleagues from Japan and Germany ran tests on how the smell of the coffee affected the adult male rats’ brains. 

Study Results:
The researchers found that the rats that sniffed the coffee and were sleep deprived had varied levels of activity in 17 genes in the brain.  Also, the levels of some of the rats’ brain proteins changed in a way that my have a calming effect on stress levels or even produce an antioxidant function. 

More studies need to be done to accurately find the effects of how “smelling” coffee can affect the brain rather than “drinking” it.

However, it is worth a shot to try smelling instead of drinking, especially with the undesirable effects of coffee’s caffeine. Additionally, drinking coffee is a habit and sometimes even an addiction that many people have a hard time quitting. 

Health effects of caffeine in some individuals include:

• An increase in heart rate, which elevates your blood pressure and can contribute to heart disease.
• Caffeine can increase the excretion of stress hormones, producing more stress.   Some people drink coffee to help them calm down, but in actuality it can cause you to be more stressed.
• Stomach problems can happen when the valve between the esophagus and the stomach contain highly acidic contents (caffeine) leading to gastro-esophageal reflux disease.
• Caffeine can actually inhibit the absorption of nutrients and can cause deficiencies in calcium, potassium, iron and essential elements necessary for good health.  This is one excellent reason to keep your kids away from coffee and sodas!
• As you grow older, your body is not able to tolerate the same amount of caffeine it once used to.  DHEA, melatonin and other vital hormones start to decline and caffeine will contribute to that decline. 

The jury is still out on the exact health benefits and/or negative effects of coffee, so, why not try “smelling” the coffee and see how it works for you?