Decaffeinated coffee na alternatives for better health?

Many pipo dey swap coffee for anoda alternative, sake of say dem no dey concerned about di effect of coffee on health. But say to dey stick to coffee wey no get caffeine na better decision?

Coffee fit no be obvious loser wen we dey find healthier diets, especially since say e dey linked to lower risks of diseases including heart disease and some cancers.

But as we dey generally become more aware of di relationship between diet and health, na caffeine we dey often blame for anxiety and sleep issues.

As a result of dis, coffee companies don see a rising interest for coffee wey no get caffeine from doz wey love di taste, or ritual, of drinking a hot cup of Joe.

Customers of Decadent Decaf Coffee Co for di UK opt for coffee wey no get caffeine for health reasons, say co-founder Laura Smith, and di bad reputation way make am di easy way out dey dwindle.

"Death bifor coffee wey no get caffeine dey outdated," she tok.

But for recent years, surge for caffeine-free alternatives to coffee wey claim to give more "natural" boost without di coffee jitters don dey. Dis include using ingredients wey get ancient medicinal herbs.

For some coffee shops today, alongside di coffee lattes you go find beetroot, turmeric and maca "lattes". Ginseng and moringa na some of di oda ingredients wey dem dey market as healthy alternatives to coffee wey dey also give energy boost.

Many of diz ingredients contain plant bioactive compounds, which, when consumed, can influence our health. But will switching from decaf coffee to a coffee alternative really give you a health and energy boost?

One of di caffeine-free alternatives to coffee wey you fit find for now na maca, wey come from di maca root plant, wey dey usually added in powder form to milk.

But maca no go give you a coffee-like energy boost, Michael Heinrich wey be professor of ethnopharmacology and pharmacognosy at University College London tok.

"Maca no be stimulant like coffee," he say. "E no dey boost attention."

And you no fit dey expect a maca latte make e dey healthier dan coffee, im add. For one 2017 paper, Heinrich argue say, afta dem use am as food and medicine by Andean pipo for more dan 2,000 years for Peru, local knowledge about any health benefits of maca don dey "dragged out of context to fit di demands of a growing market for herbal remedies".

"Di health benefits of maca neva get better study, and no be all studies dey sound and reliable as dem suppose be," he say.

Ginseng, anoda herb wey dem dey traditionally use as a medicine, don also become a popular ingredient wey dem fit substitute for coffee.

You fit only stomach so much turmeric – Charlotte Mills

But while Heinrich say dis also no offer an energy boost compare to coffee, "e get some research wey dey suggest say e fit get preventive effects especially for case of infectious diseases, and as odas claim also for di prevention of some cancers".

Similarly, some studies don show some health benefits wey dey linked to turmeric. But you no go see any of diz benefits from drinking a turmeric latte, say Charlotte Mills, a lecturer for nutritional sciences at di University of Reading.

"You fit only stomach so much turmeric, so to get di effects shown for some of di research, di dose you go need dey incredibly high. I no dey sure say you go get dat through a coffee alternative," she tok.

"We don dey research coffee for many years," Gunter Kuhnle, professor of food and nutritional sciences for University of Reading tok.

"We know how caffeine dey act. Dem dey use Turmeric as a spice and colourant in small amounts, but for large amounts for drinks, we no know."

Kuhnle agree and say you dey more likely to see adverse effect if you go consume a large enof quantity of turmeric.

"Dem neva do research into di potential toxicity of drinking loads of turmeric, or oda plant bioactives," he say.

But e get some research wey suggest say consuming turmeric while pregnant or breastfeeding, or on specific medication, such as insulin, fit come wit certain health risks.

And if a turmeric latte dey make you feel more awake, no due to anoda property altogether, Kirsten Brandt, senior lecturer at di Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University tok.

I dey concerned say pipo dey deceived to think say e dey good for dem – Wendy Russell

"E dey impossible to say becos e no dey properly investigated, but e look like say little evidence dey say turmeric dey give a boost. E fit make you feel good becos say you dey expect am; turmeric get a strong effect becos of di strong colour and taste."

Anoda coffee-alternative ingredient na moringa, wey refer to a tree native to India, wey dey mixed in powder form wit milk.

"Moringa dey high for protein and fibre, vitamins and minerals, and e get a wide range of bioactive phytochemicals, some of which wey don dey linked to helping to prevent type two diabetes and heart disease," Wendy Russell, professor of molecular nutrition at di University of Aberdeen say.

But moringa latte dey unlikely to bring about any of diz benefits, she add.

"Moringa dey taste horrible," Russell say. "You probably fit no get enough of di plant into a drink to make am beneficial. Di amount of moringa for diz drinks go actually dey quite small.

"I don watch di popularity and sales of moringa drinks as e dey rise dramatically, but I dey more concerned say pipo dey deceived into thinking say e good for dem," she say.

No be say a standard moringa drink go give you a coffee-like kick, Russell add.

"Caffeine na one important compound wey fit give you a boost," she tok.