CAFFEINE: Good or Bad for You?
Many of us coffee addicts rely on the caffeine to get us going, especially those of us who are up at 4:30 a.m. We have all heard that caffeine is a diuretic and that too much caffeine is not good for us. Well there is new information out and I am going to sum up as best I can the potential good news and the potential bad news about caffeine as per the March 2008 issue of Nutrition Action.
POTENTIAL GOOD NEWS:
1. There is fairly convincing evidence that people who drink caffeine regularly have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
2. In two separate studies, caffeine drinkers had about a 20% lower risk of gallstones than non-drinkers of caffeine.
3. Caffeine improves alertness and reaction time in people, whether they're habitual drinkers or not.
4. After drinking between 20 mg to 200 mg of caffeine people report increased well-being, happiness, alertness, energy, and sociability.
5. Caffeine helps the body burn fat instead of carbs, and it blunts the perception of pain.
6. When you get a headache, the blood vessels in your brain dilate, or become wider. Caffeine causes blood vessels to constrict, which may explain why it can help relieve headache pain.
POTENTIAL BAD NEWS:
1. Consuming caffeine within 3 - 5 hours of bedtime will disturb the sleep of most people.
2. 300 mg or more of caffeine a day may affect fertility for women.
3. 200 mg or more of caffeine a day may cause a miscarriage.
4. People who are drunk feel that if they drink caffeine they will counterbalance the effects of alcohol. Not true, it only makes you a wide awake drunk.
5. While caffeine can help relieve headache pain, daily exposure appears to lower the threshold for provoking migraines in people who are genetically susceptible to them.
As far as dehydration goes, in 8 studies, those who drank between 45 mg and 225 mg of caffeine a day produced no more urine than those who drank caffeine-free beverages. The same held true in 13 other studies where the subjects drank between 240 mg and 550 mg of caffeine. However, in 2 studies where the people drank 575 mg of caffeine or more, it was found to be a diuretic.
So how much caffeine is in your cup of coffee? And how much caffeine do you consume in a day? From the information I have gathered, a standard 6 oz cup of coffee can have anywhere from 75 mg (mild) to 125 mg (Starbucks) of caffeine. Now remember, the key words here are 6 oz cup; not a mug of coffee or a 16 oz coffee cup you get at the local store. And in your typical 12 oz. can of Pepsi or Coke there is between 35 mg and 55 mg of caffeine.
Now the math is up to you. Figure out how many cups of coffee you drink, how much soda you drink, and if you drink tea or iced tea - there is caffeine in them too. Be smart and play it safe. As with all things, too much of a good thing can be bad.
I have to go now, I need a pick me up. So I am going to brew me a fresh cup of coffee from my Tassimo machine.
POTENTIAL GOOD NEWS:
1. There is fairly convincing evidence that people who drink caffeine regularly have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
2. In two separate studies, caffeine drinkers had about a 20% lower risk of gallstones than non-drinkers of caffeine.
3. Caffeine improves alertness and reaction time in people, whether they're habitual drinkers or not.
4. After drinking between 20 mg to 200 mg of caffeine people report increased well-being, happiness, alertness, energy, and sociability.
5. Caffeine helps the body burn fat instead of carbs, and it blunts the perception of pain.
6. When you get a headache, the blood vessels in your brain dilate, or become wider. Caffeine causes blood vessels to constrict, which may explain why it can help relieve headache pain.
POTENTIAL BAD NEWS:
1. Consuming caffeine within 3 - 5 hours of bedtime will disturb the sleep of most people.
2. 300 mg or more of caffeine a day may affect fertility for women.
3. 200 mg or more of caffeine a day may cause a miscarriage.
4. People who are drunk feel that if they drink caffeine they will counterbalance the effects of alcohol. Not true, it only makes you a wide awake drunk.
5. While caffeine can help relieve headache pain, daily exposure appears to lower the threshold for provoking migraines in people who are genetically susceptible to them.
As far as dehydration goes, in 8 studies, those who drank between 45 mg and 225 mg of caffeine a day produced no more urine than those who drank caffeine-free beverages. The same held true in 13 other studies where the subjects drank between 240 mg and 550 mg of caffeine. However, in 2 studies where the people drank 575 mg of caffeine or more, it was found to be a diuretic.
So how much caffeine is in your cup of coffee? And how much caffeine do you consume in a day? From the information I have gathered, a standard 6 oz cup of coffee can have anywhere from 75 mg (mild) to 125 mg (Starbucks) of caffeine. Now remember, the key words here are 6 oz cup; not a mug of coffee or a 16 oz coffee cup you get at the local store. And in your typical 12 oz. can of Pepsi or Coke there is between 35 mg and 55 mg of caffeine.
Now the math is up to you. Figure out how many cups of coffee you drink, how much soda you drink, and if you drink tea or iced tea - there is caffeine in them too. Be smart and play it safe. As with all things, too much of a good thing can be bad.
I have to go now, I need a pick me up. So I am going to brew me a fresh cup of coffee from my Tassimo machine.
There are conflicting reports about whether caffeine is good or bad, and the controversy probably won't be settled any time soon. It's universally accepted, though, that the acid in coffee is a killer. A few coffee solutions have been turning up lately with the acid either removed or neutralized. I drink a coffee with Ganoderma extract added. The alkaline Ganoderma (a mushroom) neutralizes the acid, and the slightly bitter mushroom taste actually enhances the flavor!
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