Caffeine health benefits, health risks (Jon Barron)

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http://www.jonbarron.org/baseline-health-program/2009-03-30.phpCaffeine: Health Benefits, Health Risks

Date: 3/30/2009

Posted By: Jon Barron

Caffeine

-- it's the world's most popular drug. People drink it with alcohol to

ramp up the effect. They drink it after alcohol to sober up. They take

it to get rid of headaches, cure cancer, and prevent Parkinson's. Then

again, the state of California is looking to put warning labels on any

product that contains added caffeine. So what gives; is caffeine saint

or sinner, miracle drug or prenatal nightmare?

In truth,

it's all of the above. The devil, as usual when it comes to natural

substances, lies in the details. And that's what we're going to explore

in this newsletter, the truth behind caffeine.

The world's most popular drug

Pure

caffeine is a bitter-tasting white powder that looks a lot like

cornstarch. It is moderately soluble in water at body temperature and

readily soluble in boiling water. It was first isolated from coffee in

1820, after which it was quickly recognized that the

mood-and-behavior-altering properties of both coffee and tea depended

upon caffeine. Whether it's in the form of coffee, tea, chocolate, kola

nut chewables, guarana, or yerba matte, hundreds of millions of people

around the world (including 90% of Americans) start their days with a

jolt of caffeine or use a jolt during the day to keep them "going." And

yet, almost no one who consumes it knows much about it. As a point of

clarification, not all forms of caffeine are the same. Depending on

what other alkaloids and antioxidants come with it or how it's bound

with fiber, the "caffeine experience" can be quite different from

beverage to beverage. Each caffeine complex actually has a different

name depending on its source such as guaranine as found in guarana,

mateine as found in mate, and theine as found in tea. Another point of

distinction is that not all caffeine is actually caffeine. Chocolate,

for example, contains theobromine, a very close relative of caffeine --

but only 1/10 as stimulating.

Although caffeine is not addictive in the same sense that many hard

drugs can be considered addictive, it definitely affects the brain and

body and stimulates them in a manner similar to the amphetamines such

as cocaine. They all work by blocking adenosine's ability to slow nerve cell activity

in preparation for sleep, and instead increase the speed of nerve cell

activity and of the neuron firing in the brain. (The caffeine molecule

is structurally similar to adenosine, and binds to adenosine receptors

on the surface of cells without activating them -- an "antagonist"

mechanism of action.) And if this were not enough by itself to keep you

awake, the increased neuron firing in the brain causes the pituitary

glands to release hormones that tell the adrenal glands to produce

adrenaline, which gives your body a boost, so it can remain active and

alert.

Another effect of blocking adenosine is that it

causes blood vessels in the brain to constrict, which also serves to

prevent the brain and body from sleeping. (As a side note, it's

probably worth mentioning that the ability of caffeine to close blood

vessels in the brain is why many pain relievers contain caffeine.

If you have a vascular headache, the caffeine in Anacin, for example,

will shut down the blood vessels, thus easing the pain.) And finally,

both caffeine and cocaine increase dopamine production in the brain, so

you experience a temporary "high." Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that

activates "pleasure centers" in the brain and, quite simply, makes you

feel "good." Naturally, the pleasurable effect produced by dopamine

manipulation plays a major role in caffeine addiction.

And

speaking of addiction, as I mentioned in the last paragraph, caffeine

is not an addictive drug in the same sense as cocaine and/or heroin.

Nevertheless, because of caffeine's role as an adenosine antagonist,

anyone who consumes as little as 300 mg of caffeine a day (the

equivalent of just 3 cups of drip coffee) will suffer withdrawal

symptoms if they abruptly cut off their caffeine supply. The problem is

that the bodies of individuals who regularly consume caffeine adapt to the continual presence of the drug

by substantially increasing the number of adenosine receptors in the

central nervous system in an attempt to compensate. This is known as

the "tolerance effect." This makes the body much more sensitive to

adenosine -- and consequently less sensitive to caffeine. In effect,

this forces you to consume more and more caffeine over time to get the

same stimulatory effect. On the other hand, any reduction in caffeine

intake will effectively increase the normal physiological effects of

adenosine because there are now so many more receptor sites created by

the caffeine in the first place. The problem is that as caffeine clears

those sites, they will be free to take in adenosine, but at an

accelerated rate because there are so many more of them. The net result

is unwelcome withdrawal symptoms including fatigue, depression,

irritability, tremors, jumpiness, not to mention deprivation of deep

sleep, and, of course, headaches, as the blood vessels in the brain

begin to once again dilate.

Caffeine facts

Thanks

to the popularity of energy drinks, caffeine is now omnipresent, but

its level of concentration can vary widely. A piece of chocolate may

contain as little as 5mg, whereas some energy drinks may contain as

much as 160 mg. And for that matter, some medications and diet pills

can run as high as 200 mg of caffeine. Buzz city!!!

One of

the major problems with caffeine is that it can severely impact sleep

patterns. Yes, if you have a morning cup of coffee, 75% of it will

clear your body by the time you go to bed. But if you have a couple of

cups of drip coffee in the morning, that means you will still be going

to sleep with some 50 mg still percolating in your veins -- more than

enough to disrupt the depth and quality of your sleep. And if you drink

coffee throughout the day, or as an afternoon pick-me-up, the level in

your blood at bedtime will climb dramatically. So while, yes, you may

yet fall asleep, it is likely the quality of that sleep will not be up to par.

Another

problem is that caffeine is a diuretic and can dehydrate you. Some

experts claim that the fluid you consume in drinking coffee or energy

drinks more than compensates for the fluid you lose through extra

urination, but the facts don't bear that out. Claims to the contrary

are based on erroneous studies on dehydration and misleading sound bites.

Caffeine and alcohol don't mix

-- either while drinking, or for sobering up after drinking. The

problem is that caffeine is a stimulant, whereas alcohol is a

depressant -- complete opposites. That means that caffeine doesn't

negate the effects of alcohol; it only makes you "think" it does.

Consuming caffeine creates the impression that you're getting sharper

and more sober. But the truth is your reaction time and judgment are

still impaired. Mixing alcohol and caffeine make you more likely to

have accidents -- either in your car or while operating heavy machinery.

There is also the problem that there are at least 32 epidemiological studies of caffeine

that have found an increased risk of adverse developmental or

reproductive outcomes. To put that in layman's terms, studies have

linked caffeine to both lowered birth weight and a significant increase in birth defects.

And caffeine is a growing problem for kids. The consumption of soft

drinks by children has literally doubled in the past 35 years, with

soda replacing milk. A 2003 study of Columbus, Ohio middle schoolers found some taking in an astounding 800 milligrams of caffeine a day

-- more than twice the recommended maximum for adults of 300

milligrams. And that was in 2003, before the energy drink craze hit

full bore. With the advent of energy drinks in the last five years,

those numbers have only grown.

So how much caffeine is too much?

According to the Mayo Clinic,

for most adults, moderate doses of caffeine -- 200 to 300 milligrams

(mg), or about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day -- aren't

harmful. But heavy use -- more than 500 to 600 mg a day, or about four

to seven cups of coffee -- can cause a whole host of problems,

including:

InsomniaNervousnessRestlessnessIrritability Nausea or other gastrointestinal problems Fast or irregular heartbeatMuscle tremorsHeadachesAnxiety

Caffeine and the law

There's

a popular song from the last 40 years that goes, "I fought the law, and

the law won." When it comes to caffeine and caffeine enhanced drinks,

that may turn out to be remarkably prescient. A couple of years ago,

the State of California announced that state environmental health

officials were considering whether or not the caffeine found in soda

and energy drinks was harmful to your health, especially for pregnant

women. In addition, the California Office of Environmental Health

Hazard Assessment is considering placing warning labels on caffeine

enhanced drinks if California Health Officials actually conclude that

caffeine is a harmful substance.

And if that were not enough, the State of Utah announced earlier this month that they are considering taxing caffeine as a new stream of revenue for the state.

Make

no mistake -- whether either of these initiatives ever goes live or not

is irrelevant. The bottom line is that caffeine is now in legislative

crosshairs around the world. Europe already requires a warning label on high caffeine energy drinks, and France has actually banned Red Bull.

Caffeine -- the miracle drug?

So much for the negatives. Caffeine/coffee also has a bright side. At least six studies have shown that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three studies showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research has shown that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of colon and liver cancer by some 25%, slash the risk of skin cancer by some 40%, drop the risk of liver cirrhosis by 22%, and lower the risk of gallstones by nearly half.

Coffee

might even offset some of the damage caused by other vices. Some

research indicates that people who smoke and are heavy drinkers have

less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large

amounts of coffee compared to those who don't.

There's also some evidence that the caffeine in coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.

And

of course, caffeine is widely used for its stimulating and alertness

properties, as well as its ability to enhance athletic performance.

Note:

not all of the benefits associated with drinking coffee or tea can

necessarily be attributed to caffeine. In many cases, they might be

specific to the antioxidants found in those beverages (see below).

So, caffeine yes -- caffeine no?

As

I mentioned at the top of the newsletter, when it comes to caffeine,

the devil is in the details. With that in mind, let me offer my

recommendations.

Natural

caffeine is preferable to "added" caffeine. Natural caffeine comes

packaged with a number of powerful antioxidants such as:Chocolate: flavonoids, procyanidins, epicatechin, cocoa phenols.Tea: epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin. Not to mention theanine, which is not an antioxidant, but rather, a profoundly beneficial amino acid.Coffee: chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and melanoidins. The

Mayo Clinic says under 300 mg a day is fine. I set the figure much

lower -- at about 100 mg a day. That still allows for 3 cups of green

tea a day. The exception to this guideline is that if you take your

caffeine bound to fiber, as in guarana (not guarana extract), the

caffeine releases over time rather than in powerful bursts, which

allows you to consume more without the negative side effects.Don't

use caffeine as part of a daily ritual such as "every morning" to start

the day. Use it selectively, if possible, to get a boost only when

needed. And take at least two days off each week -- totally caffeine

free -- to allow all caffeine to clear from your body on a weekly

basis. And as much as possible avoid consuming caffeine while pregnant.

Incidentally, one of the reasons for this newsletter is that this past month has been Caffeine Awareness Month. And speaking of caffeine awareness, check out the caffeine calculator at CaffeineAwareness.org, which will calculate how much caffeine you personally are consuming each day.