Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Studies consistently show decaf coffee is essentially equivalent to placebo for physical performance.

Decaf coffee does provide beneficial polyphenols, and there's a variety of health benefits that we've already discussed.

But if you're looking for this documented ergogenic physical performance enhancement,

caffeine itself is necessary.

If you are wanting to harness some of the ergogenic effects from your coffee, you might aim for a dose around 1.5 to 2 cups of coffee and consume it around 45 minutes to 60 minutes before your event or your training.

If you use caffeine daily, periodically taking short breaks anywhere between two to seven days can actually resensitize you to caffeine, making caffeine more effective when you return to it.

And again, it's very wise for most people to stop consuming caffeine at least 8 to 10 hours before bedtime.

You want to protect your sleep.

You want your sleep quality to be good, and you want to be able to recover.

For general health, longevity, and even cancer prevention, both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee do offer substantial benefits.

Regular consumption of either type of coffee is consistently associated with impressive reductions in chronic disease risk, including lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

And importantly, studies reassure us that neither caffeinated nor decaffeinated coffee increases cancer risk.

Instead, these protective benefits largely stem from coffee's rich, complex blend of polyphenols, antioxidants, and other bioactive compounds, not just caffeine itself.

But if you do drink decaf coffee, it's important to be aware of how the caffeine was removed.

Most decaffeination processes use chemical solvents like methylene chloride or ethyl acetate.

Methylene chloride, for example, can sound concerning.

It's industrially used in paint strippers.

But the levels permitted in coffee are extremely low and strictly regulated, generally far below any threshold considered harmful by the FDA.

Ethyl acetate is sometimes called natural because it occurs in fruits, is similarly safe at these tiny residual concentrations.

Independent testing consistently shows actual residues of these solvents in commercial decaf coffee are often undetectable or far lower than the FDA's already stringent standards, which is reassuring.