Caffeine 101 - Know This About Your Daily Fix

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Caffeine 101 - Know This About Your Daily Fix

Coffee, teas and sodas, they all have one thing in common- caffeine. Caffeine, an alkaloid chemical, is a drug that stimulates the central nervous system making you more alert and give you that necessary boost of energy to get your gears turning in the morning. This is the world’s most popular psychoactive stimulant; did you know we consume 120,000 tons per year? Clearly it works! People have been drinking and eating caffeine as far back as the Stone Age, and far be it from me to tell you to stop drinking that morning cup o’ joe to get you ready for the day, but knowing the facts surrounding both the benefits and the negative side effects of caffeine may have an impact on your daily caffeine consumption.
How much is too much?
While there is no recommended daily intake for caffeine, generally speaking 200-300 milligrams (equates to 2-4 cups of drip coffee) is considered moderate intake and should not cause any harmful effects. Studies do show that heavy daily caffeine consumption, more than 500-600 mgs a day (4-7 cups of drip coffee), may cause insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, tremors, headaches, gastrointestinal symptoms, abnormal heart rhythms and possible increases in blood pressure. However, a little does go a long way. The majority of individuals will see an increase in alertness and begin to experience the effect of caffeine about an hour after ingesting only 25-50 mg. At lower levels of consumption, the negative side effects decrease as well, which means experiencing no feeling of fatigue 4 hours later (or at least not as severe).
Caffeine is known to toy with your blood sugar levels, which is the reason you experience the initial boost of energy followed by the unwanted midday crash. Research shows that by reducing your caffeine intake throughout the day can not only be good for your health but also for your productivity.  Alternatively, switching from a caffeinated beverage or snack to an alternate energy booster such as a vegetable juice or pack of almonds and cashews, can keep you alert and ward off the feeling of restlessness without excess caffeine intake. Caffeine also has the ability to deplete your body of water so be sure to drink plenty of water to maintain hydration throughout the day.
While there are many negative connotations associated with caffeine, before you swear off coffee completely there are a few interesting possible benefits to consider. The most well known benefit is caffeine’s ability to keep you awake and alert; this ergogenic acid can increase both your mental and physical capabilities. There have been studies showing benefits of moderate (200-300mg/day) caffeine intake associated with a reduced risk of inflammation, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease in women. There is also some evidence indicating caffeine’s ability to protect the brain to help preserve long-term cognitive skills.
One of the most common negative side effects of caffeine is a headache or migraine. The exact connection between caffeine and headaches/migraines is still questioned and unknown, but a direct correlation has been established. So if you find yourself suffering from headaches or migraines more frequently, cutting back on your caffeine consumption can be an initial step.
Caffeine’s affect on body weight is a question that has been posed by many doctors and researchers alike. Caffeine is believed to give a slight boost to individuals seeking weight loss or preventing weight gain, but only temporarily. There is no evidence suggesting long term effectiveness. There are argued theories for the mechanism of this action such as appetite suppression, water loss and increased calorie burning.
How do popular sodas, tea and coffee stack up on the caffeine scale?
Not all caffeinated beverages and foods are created equal. The table below will aid you in finding out your daily caffeine consumption, which may lead you to rethink how little or how much you should drink. But remember, when you walk in to Starbucks or whichever coffee shop you frequent, a lot of the fancy drinks (lattes, frappuccinos etc) may have less caffeine but most likely have more sugar than coffee or tea. When I’m not in the mood for plain coffee or iced coffee some of my favorite low calorie and low sugar picks are:
-       Nonfat Cocoa Cappuccino: at 8 oz its only 70 calories
-       Tall Skinny Macchiato: 100 calories
-       Nonfat Iced Sugar Free Vanilla Latte: 60 calories
-       Frappuccino ® Light Blended Coffee: 110-140 calories

Drinks	Size	Caffeine (mg)
Drip coffee, generic	8 oz	95-200
Dunkin donuts brewed coffee	8 oz	70-100
Starbucks brewed coffee	8 oz	180
Starbucks Espresso	1 oz	58-75
Coke- regular, diet or cherry	8 oz	27
Sprite/7up- regular or diet	8 oz	0
Dr Pepper, regular or diet	8 oz	40
Starbucks Tazo Chai Latte	8 oz	50
Black Tea, generic	8 oz	40-120
Green Tea, generic	8 oz	32
Red bull	8.3 oz	76
Rockstar	8 oz	80
Full Throttle	8 oz	80
*Excedrin, extra strength	2 tablets	130
*NoDoz, maximum strength	1 tablet	200

* Surprised? Even medications contain caffeine!

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