Is caffeine actually good or bad for us?
First of all caffeine is a safe and well researched substance with several studies associating it with lower risk of developing certain diseases, like: cancer, diabetes as well as kidney or heart disease. Caffeine and coffee itself has a power to prevent cognitive decline, which makes it a powerful tool to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. So far so good, but how does caffeine actually works?
This stimulant improves our concentration and focus, increases our reaction time, makes us more awake, gives us energy and improves our mood. It does that by stimulating our central nervous system. Caffeine blocks some receptors in our brain, one of those receptors is called adenosine. It’s responsible for tiredness and acts as a brake or an anchor for our nervous system. Once it’s gone, our brain can accelerate. Caffeine will also boots dopamine and glutamate, both associated with mental energy, motivation, attention and mood.
With all that in mind, it doesn’t come as a surprise that caffeine is the main ingredient in many energy drinks, pre-workout supplements and fat-burning supplements. That’s because caffeine is one of the best things to take to improve performance in sports and reap more benefits from our training. But before we unveil why, let us cover even more benefits.
Drinking coffee can in fact help us live longer. That’s because coffee is a rich source of disease-fighting anti-oxidants. Some of which, can even balance our cholesterol levels and protect our hearts and liver. Coffee can also stimulate thing called autophagy, a state during which our cells recycle damaged and broken parts into a new healthy tissue. Thus, rejuvenating our bodies and also helping us enjoy a longer life. Caffeine can also temporarily increase our metabolic rate, which makes it a potent fat burner. But there’s more.
Remember when we mentioned better performance in sports? Now here’s where the real magic occurs. Caffeine mobilizes large quantities of fat from our cells, which our bodies can use for fuel. That’s especially beneficial for aerobic type exercises. Think of long distance runners. Caffeine will also immensely boost endurance, not only by mobilizing all that energy from our fat, but by increasing blood flow to the working muscles.
It will also do that by blunting our response to pain and lowering our exertion levels. Ultimately, letting us go longer and perform more work during exercise. Caffeine has also a potential to increase muscle strength and help with muscle contraction. It really is an amazing tool that allows to take any type of workout to a totally different level.
It all sounds too good to be true, and probably some of you have already started to wonder if there are some downsides of caffeinated beverages. Unfortunately, there are a few. The first issue is that coffee can cause a short but considerable increase in blood pressure, that’s why people suffering from hypertension should be cautious when consuming caffeinated beverages. Next thing to keep in mind is that caffeine is still a drug and with chronic consumption we can develop a tolerance. After that, our regular dose may not get us to where we want to be and we may need a bigger dose, just like with any other stimulant. At that point it’s best to cut back on coffee for a while.
Another point in question with caffeine is that too much of it can overstimulate adrenaline and cause our adrenal glands to overwork, which will eventually lead to a burnout of those glands. This condition is called adrenal fatigue [and it will be thoroughly discussed here on our channel in future videos. Coffee is also considered a diuretic, and can potentially deplete our bodies of some nutrients, especially calcium and vitamin B1. Luckily, we can easily put those back in.
The last and biggest downside to caffeine overconsumption is insomnia. Too much of the substance during the day can keep you up at night, especially if you consume it in the evening. That’s because it will take anywhere from 6 to 8 hours for our liver to process all the caffeine to do us any good. Thus, if you struggle to get that good night sleep, reduce your daily intake right away.
Keep in mind that those issues apply solely to overconsumption of caffeine. Thereby, if you listen to your body and adjust your daily dosage, so that it won’t create any issues, you will be able to indulge in your habit and reap all of the benefits this beverage has to offer.