Is Caffeine Healthy? Let The Debate Begin...

Is caffeine really healthy? That question has been asked a trillion, gazillion times, yet I still don't believe that the debate is anywhere near settled. On one side you have the group of people who live off of coffee and other caffeinated beverages. Coffee, red bull, and other energy drinks are their way of staying alert, getting through the day, and being as productive as possible. Over 80% of Americans drink at least one cup of coffee daily, it must be doing something magical...


On the other end you have the people who are adamantly against caffeine and swear that it does nothing but harm to the body. Who would want to drink something that raises heart rate, causes anxiety, and makes it hard to fall asleep? Who's really right? Well, truthfully...neither...the answer falls somewhere in the middle.


You're probably sick of hearing this, but the solution is moderation. Moderation seems to be the solution to everything, huh?


What is caffeine, how does it work, and what does it do? Caffeine is a stimulant that occurs naturally in a variety of plants such as coffee beans, tea leaves, and cocoa beans. Caffeine functions by inhibiting a substance in the body known as adenosine. Adenosine plays a major role in energy transfer, but it also functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter that suppresses the central nervous system (CNS). When adenosine binds to adenosine receptors in the brain it causes nerve cell activity to slow, which ultimately causes the body to slow down and become drowsy. For every hour the body is awake, more and more adenosine builds up in the bloodstream, the body gets sleepier, and eventually it gets so tired that it has to fall asleep.


Drinking caffeine is sort of like running a covert, spy operation. Caffeine is able to effectively impersonate adenosine, which tricks nerve cells into thinking that it's actually the latter. This totally throws the body off. Whenever you drink a caffeinated beverage the caffeine enters adenosine receptors, but instead of slowing down cellular activity like adenosine would do normally, the presence of caffeine actually speeds it up! It's a double-whammy of boosted energy. As a result the CNS functions at a heightened level, the mind becomes more alert and sharp, and the body begins to undergo a major physiological transformation. Another interesting effect of caffeine consumption is that it increases the body's level of adrenaline (aka epinephrine). When the pituitary gland senses the abnormally high level of cellular activity it assumes that some sort of emergency is happening. As a result the pituitary gland sets off the "fight-or-flight" response, which sets off a chain reaction of physiological changes 


Caffeine also releases dopamine. The release of dopamine stimulates the brain, which enhances pleasure, alertness, and problem solving ability. 

How does all of that impact YOU? Research and studies have been conducted over and over to examine the effects of caffeine on cognitive and physical performance, as well as human health. There's no doubt that caffeine consumption can play a major role in enhancing physical and mental performance, as well as helping the body burn calories and slim-down, but it does have its drawbacks.


The Good

• Caffeine increases mental alertness, cognitive ability, pleasure, and problem solving capacity.  
• Caffeine can decrease vascular headaches (caffeine constricts blood vessels in the brain, which can stunt the pain).
• Caffeine speeds up heart rate, which boosts metabolism and creates a thermogenic effect. Caffeine causes the body to burn excess calories, which is beneficial for anyone trying to lose weight.
• Caffeine breaks down stored fatty acids and releases them into the bloodstream for use in energy pathways. Lower body fat, yes please.
• Caffeine opens up breathing tubes, which is really beneficial for asthma patients. Caffeine's release of epinephrine is similar to what happens when someone gets injected by an epi-pen.  
• Because adenosine is inhibited by caffeine, larger amounts of calcium are released into the muscles. Calcium is required for muscular contraction. More calcium = stronger contractions = increased physical power and muscular strength = muscle growth = yada yada yada, you get the point. Increased calcium release also improves speed, endurance, and acceleration.
• Consumption of caffeine has been shown to decrease the risk of Parkinson's disease.

The Bad

• Caffeine can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure. Although this is a negative effect, research and studies have shown that drinking coffee daily doesn't boost the risk of heart disease. In fact, a recent study done by Brooklyn College found that men who drank 4 cups of coffee per day had a 53% lower chance of developing heart disease than those who never drank coffee. This is most likely due to the high antioxidant content in coffee beans, but it's still promising that caffeine consumption has been linked to positive heart health. I would only worry about the blood pressure increase if you have hypertension or are at high risk for hypertension/high blood pressure.
• Caffeine is a diuretic, which causes the body to lose water. This can lead to dehydration. If you drink caffeine make sure to drink plenty of fluids.
• Drinking caffeinated drinks too often can cause addiction-like effects. If you drink a lot of caffeine you can become dependent on it's effects, which can cause cognitive haziness, a decrease in performance, and bad headaches if you ever stop using it.
• Caffeine can cause excessive sweating and hyperactivity.
• Caffeine makes it hard to fall asleep. Limit it before bedtime. 
• The flight-or-fight reaction releases adrenaline and cortisol. The release of these hormones causes the liver to release sugar into the blood, which signals the body to store body fat and can even lead to diabetes. In order to minimize this factor, try to avoid all caffeinated beverages that have added sugar. Coffee without sugar or low-carb/sugar energy drinks are the way to go. Also try to consume caffeinated beverages with a meal/snack.

Caffeine clearly has a collection of benefits useful to pretty much anyone...that's why so many people use it. It enhances cognitive and athletic performance, increases alertness, creates stronger muscular contractions, and even burns calories and body fat when you're not exercising. That's an attractive concoction of benefits. Although it can have side effects such as elevating heart rate, dehydration, and restlessness, these side effects can easily be negated by staying well hydrated and avoiding caffeine around bed time. What's even more promising is that research has shown that drinking coffee can have a positive impact on heart health. 


Caffeine can definitely be a part of any healthy diet, just remember the key word: moderation. If you remember moderation caffeine can be a staple in your every day routine.