CAFFEINE………that invisible life force in the world that keeps all life on planet earth moving forward…without it, we would spiral into a post-apocalyptic decaffeinated nightmare.

Just kidding…on a serious note…lately the newest caffeine/pre-workout craze are these BANG energy drinks that have 300mg of caffeine or what is equivalent of 3 cups of coffee. I am going to do my best not to be super technical and complicated but I do want to go into a little bit of detail about what caffeine is and the effects it has on the body.

First and foremost, what is caffeine? Well to put simply, caffeine is a natural stimulant most commonly found in tea, coffee, and most exercisers cases, their pre-workout. Caffeine works by stimulating the brain and the central nervous system, helping you stay awake and preventing the onset of tiredness. Once consumed, it absorbs quickly into the gut and into the bloodstream and travels down to the liver and is broken down where it can be used in various organs; the main organ being the brain. Caffeine increases blood adrenaline levels and increases brain activity of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine; put simply, as I said before, it keeps you awake, alert, and ready for action.

Caffeine tends to exert its effects on the body fairly quickly though and depending on the potency, lasts about 3-5 hour before it wears off. Little fun fact, recent studies show that 80% of the worlds population consumes a caffeinated product EACH DAY!

However, as we all know, there is such a thing as having too much of a good thing. We all know caffeine is super addictive but it can also promote headaches, migraines, high blood pressure, anxiety, restlessness, and even irregular heartbeat. It is also worth mentioning that you should not mix certain medications with caffeine because they can increase the side effects.

So, the USDA says that around 200-400mg of caffeine is considered safe and I found a nifty little chart online that has a “normal dosage” of caffeine for some of our favorite products

Espresso: 240–720 mg.

Coffee: 102–200 mg.

Yerba mate: 65–130 mg.

Energy drinks: 50–160 mg.

Brewed tea: 40–120 mg.

Soft drinks: 20–40 mg.

Decaffeinated coffee: 3–12 mg.

Cocoa beverage: 2–7 mg.

Chocolate milk: 2–7 mg.

 

To wrap everything up, a word to the wise…caffeine is a wonderful and amazing thing that makes the world go round, but just like everything else in this world, moderation is key! So, enjoy your coffee and enjoy your BANG…..in moderation!!!

 

Matt Neid

CF-L1, MS