Caffeine; hydrogen peroxide & cell metabolism

[nicola]

Hello,

I hope that you can help me with a long standing puzzle of mine.

I am intrigued as to whether the weak concentrations hydrogen peroxide found in drinks such as coffee and tea aggregate hydrogen peroxide as a toxic by-product of cell metabolism? I am unclear of the process.

It is suggested that caffeine is bad for us on a number of fronts, and I have seen Life expectancy calculators predict life span as 2 years shorter for heavy coffee drinkers (8 cups+ per day). Might the hydrogen peroxide content have something to do with this? Also might this contribute to hair greying?

I know that hydrogen peroxide is present in coffee and I also know that hydrogen peroxide is a toxic by-product of cell metabolism (or something quite similar). However, I'm uncertain if the foods and drinks we consume also enter this process.

Any other thoughts as to why coffee/ tea might be bad at a molecular level would be greatly appreciated. I already know why it might be good e.g. antioxidants.

Many thanks,
Nicola