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Caffeine
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Caffeine: Superhero or
Supervillain?
Caffeine is good for you. Caffeine is bad for you. Is caffeine really an
either/or proposition?
In the first place, deciding whether caffeine is good or bad is just
another example of the relativism that scares so many people nowadays.
Face it, we live in an increasingly standardized, one-size-fits-all world.
Or at least that’s how big business, politicians and the educational
system would have it. But as with most other things, your individual
reaction to caffeine will vary from other people. Take tolerance to
caffeine, for example. Just as there seem to be people who can sit down at
a buffet and eat for an hour straight and never gain weight, there are
also people who have high or low tolerances to the effects of the
caffeine. While a single strong cup of java may be enough to leave one
person jittery for the rest of the day, his buddy may be downing 20oz
Mountain Dew bottles one after another all day long and still get to sleep
by 10:00. While tolerance can vary significantly, caffeine does seem to
affect children and older people more effectively.
What about dosage? Does it really matter? Regardless of your tolerance
level, the advantageous effects of caffeine does depend on how much you
consume. Studies have indicated that low to moderate intake of caffeine
can stimulate both physical and mental alertness without bringing on any
ill side effects. Ah, but what does low to moderate actually mean?
Dispensing with special allowances for pregnancy or ill health, the
recommended daily intake of caffeine is 85mg for children and 300mg for
adults. So if you use that as a baseline, then an average adult would
probably get the most out caffeine’s stimulating properties by taking in
around 200mg. On the other side of the equation, if you find yourself
consistently topping that 300mg mark, chances are you’ll be visited by not
only the headache fairy, but his friends who like to wave their wand and
reward you with anxiety, irritability and—maybe the most fun of them
all—insomnia! The point: to get the most out of all the goodness that
caffeine can bring, use it in moderation.
Okay, you want the nifty little superhero-like qualities that caffeine can
bring, but you want to avoid any visitor from fairyland. Which beverage is
really going to get you the most bang for your buck? Of course, when most
people think of a caffeine jolt, the first thing that comes to mind is the
toasty aroma of Arabica beans brewing. Coffee is still king when it comes
to caffeine. Or is it? You may be surprised to find out that Americans, at
least, drink significantly more caffeinated sodas in a year, on average,
than they drink coffee. Even with Starbucks appearing on every other
street in America. So, then, soft drinks are the new king of caffeine,
right? Well, not so fast. While the jolted colas and bubbly green and
yellow stuff sells more, in actuality they don’t contain as much caffeine
as the average cup of coffee. Even a 12oz can of Mountain Dew pales in
comparison to a 5oz cup of ground coffee brewed through the drip method.
Doing the Dew grants you only 54mg of caffeine, while that cup of coffee
could net you anywhere from twice that to almost 200 mg. Of course, let’s
be honest, who drinks their coffee out of a 5oz cup anymore? But then
again, who drinks only a can of Mountain Dew?
Basically, when it comes down the actual delivery system of getting
caffeine into your blood supply, there is no wrong answer. Whether it’s
coffee, soft drinks or even tea, the main thing you’ll probably want to
consider is which tastes best to you.
It’s all relative. |
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Latest Caffeine
News and Info, Courtesy of
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People give up a lot of things for Lent. Sweets, caffeine, alcohol — all that’s pretty typical.
Anger slows healing process after injury: study (AFP via Yahoo! News) (20/02/08 00:15)
The adage that laughter is the best medicine has been backed by an unusual investigation which says..
Suburban bus riders get free coffee Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (Pioneer Press) (20/02/08 00:58)
Here's one reason for some suburban commuters to catch the bus a little earlier these three days: fr..
PRODUCT WATCH (The Columbus Dispatch) (18/02/08 08:27)
Syzmo carbonated organic energy drink $2.79 for a 12-ounce can, at Whole Foods • Key ingredients:..
THV Extra: Energy Drinks, Buzz or Bust? (KTHV Little Rock) (20/02/08 04:09)
Energy drinks are more popular than ever. Energy drinks have become a big hit in bars, stores and wi..
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