Can Coffee Help Asthma?

Can Coffee Help Asthma? Coffee with caffeine can help asthma by slightly improving airway and lung function for a few hours.

How Coffee Helps Asthma

Caffeine, like that found in coffee, can slightly improve airway and lung function for up to four hours following consumption. Caffeine is very similar to theophylline, used in bronchodilators to relieve asthma symptoms by opening the airways and lungs. ((National Library of Medicine – National Center for Biotechnology Information – PubMed Health –Caffeine for Asthma))

Caffeine Effective for Preventing Exercise-Induced Asthma

Caffeine may also be beneficial to athletes who have asthma. Researchers from the University of Utah Exercise and Sports Science discovered that 6-9 milligrams per kilogram of body weight of caffeine consumed before exercise provides significant protection against exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). ((International Journal of Sports Medicine – Comparative effects of caffeine and albuterol on the bronchoconstrictor response to exercise in asthmatic athletes))

How many cups of coffee or other caffeinated beverages would an athlete need to consume to benefit? A person weighing 150lb/68kg would require 408-612mg of caffeine. This means an athlete would have to drink four to six 10oz cups of coffee before exercising. The same athlete would require 13-20 Coca-colas to ingest that much caffeine. ((Mayo Clinic – Caffeine Content for Coffee, Tea, Soda, and More))

Though these numbers seem hard to attain, caffeine in doses as low as 3 milligrams provided improved (EIB) symptoms, including wheezing and coughing. The study suggests that the adverse effects of daily use of short-acting beta (2) agonists could be reduced by increasing caffeine consumption before exercise. ((International Journal of Sports Medicine – Comparative effects of caffeine and albuterol on the bronchoconstrictor response to exercise in asthmatic athletes))

Bronchodilators Have Side Effects

Bronchodilators are either short-acting for quick relief or long-acting, used daily to manage asthma symptoms. Common side effects include nervousness, heart palpitations, upset stomach, difficulty sleeping, and muscle cramps. ((WebMD – Bronchodilators and Asthma))

However, caffeine is not without its side effects.

How Does Caffeine Affect the Body?

Caffeine affects the body by increasing alertness, reducing fatigue, and improving focus and concentration. Most people tolerate 2 to 4 cups daily without detrimental side effects, but heavier consumption can produce nervousness, irritability, rapid pulse, and insomnia. Certain individuals are especially sensitive to caffeine and may experience restlessness and sleep difficulties, even with small amounts. These effects will more likely arise in people who seldom consume caffeine. Men appear to be more sensitive to caffeine than women and those on medication and seniors. Type 2 diabetics may experience a slight increase in glucose readings. ((Mayo Clinic – Caffeine — You may like caffeine’s effects, but how much is too much?))

What Are the Side Effects of Caffeine?

Caffeine’s side effects include nausea, irritability, nervousness, dizziness, anxiety, insomnia, and headaches. Allergic reactions to caffeine include rash, itching, hives, swelling in the mouth, lips, or face, trouble sleeping, and vomiting. Severe reactions to caffeine include diarrhea, tightness in the chest, irregular heartbeat, numbness in the hands or feet, hallucinations, weak pulse, changes in mood, elevation of blood pressure, dehydration, muscle pain, seizure, ringing in the ears, tremors, heartburn, and tingling in the hands and/or feet. ((Drugs.com – Caffeine Side Effects))

Caffeine Is Not a Cure Yet

The use of caffeine as a treatment option for asthma requires further study. Thus far, the findings are significant as they indicate that caffeine consumption is likely to skew lung function test results and should therefore be prohibited before any testing.

Glossary of Terms

Beta Antagonists: medications that mainly affect the muscles around the airways. They work by telling the muscles of the airways to relax, widening the airways.
American Thoracic Society

Bronchoconstriction: narrowing of air passages of the lungs from smooth muscle contraction, as in asthma.
Dorland’s Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers

Bronchodilator: an agent which causes dilatation of the bronchi.
Dorland’s Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers

Theophylline: used to prevent and treat wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness caused by asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and other lung diseases. It relaxes and opens air passages in the lungs, making breathing easier.
Medline Plus

Expert Opinion

“It is not known if taking caffeine leads to improvements in symptoms. It may be that in order to improve the symptoms of asthma, caffeine is needed in such large amounts that the drug’s adverse effects would become a problem, so more research is needed.”

Caffeine for Asthma PubMed Health

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