I've never read a specific study comparing caffeine to, say, Ritalin, but the short answer is "yes." Coffee has caffeine, and caffeine is a stimulant, and stimulants rev up your body, increasing your heart rate via vasoconstriction, increasing your O2 intake by opening up your lungs, and improve focus by releasing adrenaline. There is a ton of science-y stuff to read on the subject, but that's the gist of it. And if you're whackin' it while drinking all that coffee, you can double the effectiveness!!
What they don't tell you is that increased coffee consumption has been linked by some studies to an increase in bladder cancer. My grandfather died of bladder cancer when I was 10. All I ever saw him drink was coffee....
This is the very first thing I thought of: <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Rf_gzZU21K8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Yeah, that was my understanding of how it works. Didn't know if maybe there were other mechanisms in place that were overcoming that effect that were maybe coffee-specific (maybe other aspects of the coffee that offset the caffeine). I prefer the Oatmeal's explanation (especially regarding the reactions with the adenosine receptors): http://theoatmeal.com/comics/coffee imma give u an adrenaline sandwich k I wasn't so sure this was all backed by the evidence though (maybe just a lot of assumptions about how coffee/caffeine works). If anything, I've seen evidence that directly contradicts these assumptions (and it also makes sense given the explanation of how it works that TheChosenOne provided). Seems it may be doing some of that, but only to offset the increased amount of "tiredness" that you body undergoes when taking caffeine (i.e., the net effect is 0, same as if you never took it to begin with). Just one random example I remember reading (cherry-picking a bit, so feel free to provide counter-examples if you have them): http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/caffeine/
"Strong coffee" can mean the manner in which it is made, in addition to the type of bean used. Generally if someone brews coffee in a manner that produces a lot of grounds in the drink (for example, using a french press, or using an excessive amount of grounds to brew a normal serving), that produces a stronger, more concentrated brew. The stronger it is, the harder it is for me to stomach. I use the "grounds in the cup" example just to illustrate how poorly my system handles coffee that isn't diluted. Same applies for espresso, etc, my last roommate had an espresso machine, nothing was more effective at making me stuff the porcelain ballot box. I know not all types have high acidity, but even the lower acidity blends tend to give me problems unless I dilute them quite a bit. I couldn't handle even the most mild of brews if not for a boatload of creamer.
maybe the overall stimulating of the body, but it really doesn't fight off tiredness like many claim.
lmao, The Oatmeal is great. that's where I was actually citing (without realizing it) my original adenosine info. Interesting bit from the NESS site (their SGU podcast is pretty good). Essentially a bunch of people telling each other coffee is the devil
You should try drinking iced coffee. The cold brew method reduces acidity. I always get an upset stomach when I drink hot coffee but I never have the same reaction drinking it iced.
Funny you say that, because I've been trying that the last few weeks, and you're right, it does help. My problem then becomes knowing when to stop, because I end up drinking too much and get the jitters.
The biggest thing with drinking coffee and any acid-reflux or acidity issues, is try taking a antacid (not being a smartass) with it in the mornings or whenever you drink it. It helps. I've got acid-reflux and I pop a zantec, or 2 tums, or whatever the antacid of choice is that day and it helps me with my coffee vice
No idea, but I can't understand why anybody would ever want to drink decaf espresso shots. I know this one dude who comes to the coffee shop and orders eight shots of decaf espresso. WTF is the point?
Like a fat man who supersizes w/ diet coke...my guess he started with one decaf espresso to "wean himself off" and grew to that abominable contradiction you witnessed....
Decaf actually still has caffeine in it just a much smaller amount. I started drinking coffee on my recent trip to New Orleans. The problem is I love the high calorie, high dollar concoctions that coffee shops make. ::
The reason is that caffeine acts as a diuretic, which increases the concentration of the urine, which is irritating to the lining of the bladder. You need to make sure you're getting adequate water intake to offset this.
Um....yeah. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question, but I was going to look up what was summed up by TheOatmeal: The interaction between caffeine, adenosine, and the adenosine receptor that results in an increase in adrenaline is what happens physiologically.....so you're first point answers your second point, no? As to tolerance of a given substance, there's always the issue of that....so yeah, regular users would have a different experience that non-users, and vice-versa: The regular user might feel sluggish without it because they're below their baseline while the other will feel anxious because they're above their baseline. This happens all the time with various meds that need to be adjusted once a patient becomes used to them.
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