Caffeine, caffeine, caffeine

Ahh, coffee.  The sweet, sweet nectar of Olympus Gods and a dietary requirement for moms, college students, and working adults alike.  The single ingredient that makes coffee the go-to for zombies everywhere would be caffeine.  Even if you are not a fan of coffee, chances are you have still consumed caffeine.  It is a natural stimulant found in tea leaves, cacao beans (chocolate), yerba mate, and yes, coffee beans, as well as approximately 60 other plant species.  I know we’ve all read the headlines about drinking coffee, and how they change every few years once a new study is out.  Let’s dig into what caffeine is, where it comes from, what it does, and let you make your own decisions. 😊 Let’s go!

Caffeine origins:

As mentioned above, caffeine is found in a lot of plant species around the globe.  Most of these grow in temperate climates sprinkled all over the world.  Caffeine is found in these plants specifically because they evolved to address pests!  That’s right, caffeine in a plant is a natural pesticide!  When an insect ingests the leaves, beans, or stalks of these caffeine-inducing plant species, they get an increase in the concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) which is a regulatory agent of protein kinase.  This basically causes the metabolism to go berserk, causing havoc several aspects of the circulatory system.  These circulatory system irregularities can cause neurons to fire random signals, causing confusion, paralysis, and death.

Ok, that’s cool and all, but what IS caffeine?

Is it cool, though? Death? Don’t be rude.  I digress.  Caffeine is a natural chemical central nervous system stimulant, and the world’s most commonly used and legal psychoactive drug.  Yes, technically, it is a drug.

Why do I love it so much?

Well, as mentioned above, it’s a drug.  It is considered an addictive substance according to the World Health Organization, however moderate doses are used for not murdering every person you see upon waking and setting the world on fire..  I mean, it’s typically used for mental alertness and fighting fatigue.

How does it do that?

Caffeine is considered a ‘psychoactive’ substance because it affects the brain.  Once consumed, it is quickly absorbed into the gut from the bloodstream.  From there, it travels to the liver where it is broken down into usable compounds for the body which can affect various organs, however the main affect will be on the brain.  What caffeine does is block the effects of adenosine, which is a neurotransmitter that relaxes the brain and helps make you feel tired.

Typically, adenosine levels build up over the day, which make you feel increasingly tired.  When this is paired with your nighttime routine, circadian rhythm, and melatonin levels, it helps cause sleepiness. (see my previous newsletters on both circadian rhythm and how nighttime routines can help)!  Caffeine connects these adenosine receptors in the brain without activating them, which then blocks the sleepy effects, causing reduced tiredness.

Due to these uncontrolled firing of adenosine neurons, your body triggers your pituitary gland to secrete a hormone called adrenocorticotrophic hormone, or ACTH that tells your adrenal glands to produce adrenalin.  It can also stimulate the production of noradrenaline and reduce serotonin, making the caffeine impact largely a hormonal one.

Eventually, however, adenosine wisens up to caffeine’s act and creates more receptors to latch onto.  This is what leads to more and more cups of gloriousness needed.  The more receptors there are, the more caffeine you need to plug ‘em up.

How much is too much?

It is recommended to stay under 400 mg/ day, which for a normal adult, should be easy.  A typical cup of coffee holds anywhere from 50-100mg of caffeine.

This is where your decision lies:

So, technically, caffeine doesn’t necessarily ‘wake you up.’  It triggers a stress response in your brain that is perceived as life threatening, and therefore our bodies enter ‘fight or flight’ mode.  This is what a hormonal response does, and where adrenaline and epinephrine come into play.  Remember being so stressed out and not being able to relax?  Caffeine does nothing to help that.  Stress will be another newsletter but suffice it to say that our current stress levels, induced with the help of the hormonal response of caffeine, is a bit of a disaster on our bodies.  Our muscles tense, blood sugar elevates, and blood pressure and respiratory responses go up.  Caffeine can also be a diuretic and can cause dehydration if enough water is not consumed with it.

My take?

I love coffee.  I find it difficult to not have in the morning and have for a very long time.  Am I going to give it up?  Probably not.  Will I test myself occasionally and see if I can’t repair the damage done on these brain receptors?  Most likely.  It looks like caffeine is like several other aspects in life that if it’s that good, it’s probably not good for you.  Why must all the good things be so bad?!  If anything, maybe we can relax on the sugary drinks and just consume coffee as it was meant to be consumed…via an IV straight to the veins.  Wait.  Not like that.

See you next time, health nuts!

Helpful Resources:

https://macromoltek.medium.com/caffeine-the-good-the-bad-and-the-history-a1bad46fcd06

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-caffeine#how-it-works

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/natural-caffeine#natural-sources

https://instituteofholisticnutrition.com/nutrition_research/caffeine-anyone/

https://www.businessinsider.com/physical-and-mental-affects-of-caffeine-2015-4