Tim Horton’s Crack Identified

Authors Comment: I found this article on this blog (hotgingeranddynamite.blogspot.com) and thought it was highly interesting, especially considering the interest in the apparent addiction factor of Timmy’s coffee. I’ve written on this subject before, (Tim Horton’s Nicotene/MSG? ) and that particular article went haywire with readers. After doing some research, I now find I have to alter my opinion on the ingredients of their coffee. Besides the moderation factor of coffee which most ignore, and the unhealthy chemicals so common in non-organic coffee, the Tim Horton’s brand may indeed have other highly undesirable ingredients. Check out the interesting read below:

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Speculation abounds on the internet as to why an entire nation can’t function without Tim Horton’s coffee. Canadians will go to astonishing lengths to wrap their hands around a hot double-double. Theories range from nicotine to MSG, to insane amounts of caffeine to good old all-purpose crack cocaine. Thanks to a CBC investigation, the coffee has even been submitted for laboratory testing and come up clean. A few days after our return from Canada, I was send this email:

From: Chris
Date: Oct 3, 2007 5:30 PM
Subject: Tim Hortons EXPOSED
To: Susannah

I spent some time yesterday evening looking into the mystery of Tim Horton’s rocket fuel. Some interesting finds:

Firstly, Tim Horton’s claim that none of their coffee contains additives (none of their food, for that matter). A huge and already prosperous business is unlikely to risk their reputation by lying about this, so I assume they’re telling the truth.

Harold McGee tells me that Colombian Arabica coffee beans, when roasted, contain small quantities of a substance called lactisole which reduces the apparent sweetness of sugar by two thirds. This is why a cup of ‘double double’ strength Tim Horton’s, which contains a whopping 18 grams of sugar, tastes quite benign. The same amount of sugar dissolved in water would taste unusually sweet.

I did discover that lactisole has been synthesised and used by a company called Domino Sugar in a mixture called Super Envision Flavour and Texture Modifier. Not mentioned on their main website, they’ve hived off all their more controversial formulas onto www.dominospecialtyingredients.com, which tells me that:

Super Envision® Flavor and Texture Modifier is the latest Domino Specialty Ingredient product of the Envision sweetness inhibitor line. This unique ingredient reduces sweetness and allows the food formulator to use a full range of carbohydrates to maintain the desired attributes of products, such as: moisture retention, mouthfeel and water activity. Super Envision can typically be used at < 1%.

In other words, this stuff is used to cram more sugar into foods and sports drinks whilst not making it taste too sweet. Possibly why a can of coke is stuffed with 39 grams of sugar in only 12oz and still remains palatable. So the recipe seems pretty simple. Very strong coffee beans carefully chosen for a wide popularity, lots of sugar, lots of cream. Keeps ‘em coming back for more.

In short: Tim Horton’s coffee has no secret ingredient. Its crack-like qualities arise from its unique ability, thanks to naturally-occurring lactisole, to deliver not only caffeine but a double dose of good old-fashioned sugar — 18 g, or just under 4 teaspoonsful, roughly as much as you’ll find in 8-and-a-half Pixy Stix — across your blood-brain barrier in a matter of minutes. The fact that a double-double also delivers 7 grams of delicious, delicious fat (4g of which are saturated), or roughly as much as you’ll find in 2 teaspoonsful of butter, doesn’t hurt either.

From: Susannah
Date: Oct 3, 2007 6:00 PM
Subject: Re: Tim Hortons EXPOSED
To: Chris

This is better than Matthew’s calling up Kleenex to cross-question them about the “anti-viral” properties of their latest bird-flu-paranoia-inspired tissue.

That Super Envision stuff is scary. I presume all that bland corporate jargon just serves to conceal the fact that the stuff is used to allow food makers to shoehorn even more sugar into processed foods to give them the true crack effect. From Domino’s company history:

During the mid-1990s, the company embarked on an intensive research and development program to develop non-sweet sugar for different food applications. For example, the company’s development of such a product, which combined Lactisole, a sweetness inhibitor, with sucrose, enabled it to tone down the sweetness in sports drinks and energy boosting beverages. Another application involved using non-sweet sugar as a fat substitute for frostings, icings, and a variety of frozen desserts. By 1995, the company had received approval for 18 food applications for its non-sweet sugar, including use in low-oil salad dressings.

You’re right — in other words, lactisole is a compound used by the forces of evil to satisfy our monkey brains and give us an “energy” boost without us realizing it’s all just sugar. Notice also that the use of “non-sweet sugar as a fat substitute” came about in the mid-90s during the “fat is bad” craze, when pretty much every edible item in the world, including Oreos, sported a badge proclaiming it was low in fat. Never mind how high it was sugar. Thus proving absolutely spot-on the words of Richard E. Grant in How to Get Ahead in Advertising: “[It] must be low in something, and if it isn’t, it must be high in something else, and that is its health-giving ingredient we will sell.”

Further Information:

• Lactisole is a carboxylic acid salt isolated from roasted Colombian Arabica Coffee beans. Like gymnemic acid, it is a sweet-inhibitor or taste-modifier.

• Kinghorn, A.D. and Compadre, C.M. Alernative Sweeteners: Third Edition, Revised and Expanded, Marcel Dekker ed., New York, 2001. ISBN 0-8247-0437-1

Anti-sweet properties

At concentrations of 100–150 parts per million in food, lactisole largely suppresses the ability to perceive sweet tastes, both from sugar and from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. A 12% sucrose solution was perceived like a 4% sucrose solution when lactisole was added. However, it is significantly less efficient than gymnemic acid with acesulfame potassium, sucrose, glucose, and sodium saccharin. Research found also that it has no effect on the perception of bitterness, sourness and saltiness. According to a recent study, lactisole acts on a sweet taste receptor heteromer of the TAS1R3 sweet protein receptor in humans, but not on its rodent counterpart.

Lactisole Interacts with the Transmembrane Domains of Human T1R3 to Inhibit Sweet Taste. P Jiang, M Cui, B Zhao, Z Liu, LA Snyder, LMJ Benard, R Osman, RF Margolskee and M Max. J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 280, Issue 15, 15238-15246, April 15, 2005

As a food additive

The principal use of lactisole is in jellies, jams, and similar preserved fruit products containing large amounts of sugar. In these products, by suppressing sugar’s sweetness, it allows fruit flavors to come through. In the United States, lactisole is FDA GRAS (Fema number: 3773) and approved for use in food as flavouring agent up to 150ppm. Currently, lactisole is manufactured and sold by Domino Sugar and its usage levels are between 50 to 150 ppm.

JECFA “Specifications for Flavourings”

Sugar sans sweetness – lactisole. Prepared Foods, May, 1995 by Fran LaBell

Coffee Linked To High Blood Pressure

Although coffee is one of the most heavily researched commodities and studies have spanned decades, there is still much controversy surrounding its ill effects, or lack thereof, on health. Now, according to a Finnish study, coffee drinkers increase their likelihood of having to start drug treatment to control high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Researchers followed 24,710 Finnish subjects, between the ages of 25 and 64 for an average of 13.2 years. None had a history of drug treatment for hypertension, coronary heart disease, or stroke.

During that time, a total of 2,505 individuals started antihypertensive drug treatment, with the risk of having to take the drug being higher in coffee drinkers than in the noncoffee drinkers. The highest increased risk of 29 percent was associated with drinking two to three cups daily. However, drinking more than eight cups per day only increased the risk by 14 percent. (Reuters)

In a related study, performed by the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care in the Netherlands, coffee abstainers were also found to have a lower risk of hypertension than did those who drank up to three cups per day.

So interestingly, the data between studies seemed somewhat confusing to researchers. Although coffee abstinence was associated with a lower hypertension risk than low coffee consumption, there was no firm relationship found between how much coffee you drink and increased risk of hypertension. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition March 2007; 85(3):718-23)

What I get out of all this is that the risk of hypertension associated with coffee consumption is relatively small. Additionally, if consumed in moderation, studies also show that coffee consumption has various health benefits. In that light, the National Public Health Institute of Helsinki, Finland, found the “relationship between coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease risk complicated, and further studies are needed.”

Remember also that coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking organic coffee might reduce or eliminate your exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.

However, because of coffee is the most consumed drink in North America, other than water, it can indeed become a public health problem. Studies show that too much coffee daily interferes with your body’s ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check, most likely by inhibiting the action of the vitamins folate, B12 or B6. (Annals of Internal Medicine September 7, 1999;131:321-330, 363-375, 387-388, American Journal of Epidemiology February 15, 2001; 153: 353-362 )

As well, coffee has been previously associated with increased risk of stroke and rheumatoid arthritis. (Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 1998;51:487-494, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2000;59;631-635)

Research has also shown that caffeine in coffee can raise blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, and if consumed in large quantities it can lead to heart palpitations, jitters and nervousness.

Interestingly, caffeine will affect you differently, depending on your nutritional type. Protein types will tend to get jittery from just a few sips, whereas a strong carb type could drink a couple of cups and go straight to bed.

Again, a note of caution. These studies usually do not take into account dietary or lifestyle history. So keep it clean and keep it moderate, to keep your health intact.

 

 

Coffee May Reduce Risk Of Liver Cancer

Although coffee is one of the most heavily researched commodities and studies have spanned decades, there is still much controversy surrounding its health effects, or lack thereof.

A new meta-analysis now says regular coffee drinking could lower the risk of liver cancer by up to 55%. Italian researchers combined the data from 10 long-term studies that included information about coffee consumption and the incidence of various cancers. It was found that moderate coffee drinking was associated with a 30% lower risk of liver cancer, while heavy coffee drinking was associated with a 55% lower risk. The beneficial effects were seen in studies carried out in Southern Europe, where coffee drinking is widespread, but also in Japan where it is less common.

Coffee could impact on liver cancer development for a variety of reasons. It is a source of polyphenol antioxidants, which are known to protect cells from damage. Also, some constituents of coffee have been found to inhibit cancer cell growth in animal studies. (Bravi F et al (2007). Coffee drinking and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: A meta-analysis. Hepatology, Vol 46, pp 430-435)

In a “controversy session” about the health benefits and dangers of drinking coffee, held in Washington, DC, scientists discussed the evidence that coffee can help ward off type 2 diabetes, possibly through the action of its component chlorogenic acid, which slows the absorption of glucose in the intestines. It may also prevent certain cancers (colon, rectal, and liver) through several mechanisms, including reducing the amount of cholesterol, bile acid and natural sterol secretion in the colon. (Yahoo News, May 1, 2007)

But before you interpret the health benefits as an excuse to hit your local coffee shop for a super-sized caffeine kick, understand that these type of studies tend to conflict quite a bit, despite the health benefits you may have heard of recently. The evidence isn’t nearly as convincing as the experts have assumed. The drink has been found to raise the risks for leukemia and stomach cancer. And those who drink four or more cups of coffee daily had twice the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, compared with people who drank less. (Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2000;59;631-635)

On average, drinking six cups of coffee may also interfere with your body’s ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check, most likely by inhibiting the action of the vitamins folate, B12 and/or B6. Additionally, it has been previously associated with an increased risk of stroke and rheumatoid arthritis. (American Journal of Epidemiology February 15, 2001; 153: 353-362)

More research is needed before firm recommendations about coffee and cancer can be made. It is still a drug; it just happens to be a very common legal drug, with very powerful actions. However, compared to sugar laden soda and juice, it is health nectar. Part of the reason is that people tend to drink it far out of moderation, negating many of the health benefits. And most coffee is not grown organically; being one of the most highly sprayed pesticide crops. It is also grown in foreign countries, which have far fewer restrictions than the United States.

So if you are going to drink coffee, I would strongly suggest limiting it to organic varieties only to reduce or eliminate the exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. The only drawback is that the countries where coffee is produced probably have less control and monitoring for compliance to organic practices. So buy Canadian to be assured of high organic standards – and keep it in moderation.

Is There Nicotine or MSG In Tim Hortons Coffee?

For good health, everything should be practiced in moderation, especially drinking coffee. But for millions, the drinking of this dark caffeine enriched liquid is an entrenched morning ritual. The coffee of choice in Canada comes in a dark brown cup with two bright red words pasted on the front – Tim Hortons. Even with the explosion of coffee houses around the country, this company has risen head and shoulders above the competition.

But what makes their coffee so massively popular? What ingredient has everyone so spellbound? Ask the regulars, and they’ll tell you it’s the taste. Tim Horton’s coffee, they say, just tastes the best. But why, and what makes people come back for it time and again?

There is an urban legend that says Tom Hortons adds nicotine to their coffee to make it more addictive, and that they keep the amount just low enough to slip under federal regulations. A second theory is the addition of MSG (an extremely unhealthy flavour enhancer).

The CBC news program “Disclosure” conducted its own investigation, which included having samples of coffee from Tim Hortons sent to a laboratory for analysis. The results showed no measurable amount of nicotine and had, on average, less caffeine than coffee from either Starbucks or Second Cup.

The following url gives the official Tim Hortons caffeine analysis result, while this one gives the nicotine analysis result.

Besides, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would probably not be too pleased knowing the inclusion of nicotine in an ingestible product is vended to an unwary public.

There’s also the fact that extraneous chemicals surreptitiously slipped into coffee would leave Tim Hortons open to a stream of lawsuits. Somebody, somewhere, would be allergic or have a reaction to MSG or caffeine. The advantage of adding a little extra something that would addict clients simply could not be offset by multi-million dollar losses in civil court and a backlash of consumer negativity.

So what does make Tim Horton’s so addictive? It’s hard to say, though the company boasts of superior quality Arabica beans. Personally, I think they’re right. Loyal customers are simply hooked on a good cup of coffee, giving them their daily caffeine rush. And the effects of too much caffeine on our health? Well that another story…

Read my latest update to this story: Tim Horton’s Crack Identified