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October 27, 2011

Caffeine Keeps Perking with Good News

 

Do you get drink coffee everyday or get your caffeine thru other sources? Maybe a combination of both! You don’t want to miss this latest study…reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which looked at data from the famous Harvard Nurse’s Health Study. 

The study found an association between caffeine and depression. The women who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day were 15 percent less likely to develop depression compared to those who drank one cup. Women who drank at least four cups per day had a 20 percent lower risk of depression. This is potentially good news. According to an article on Huffingtonpost.com by Dr. Peeke, one in five American women may suffer from depression at some point in their lives.

Caffeine may also be a promising therapeutic tool for Parkinson’s disease. Plus caffeine does not appear to have the dehydration effect during a workout as once thought. In fact, caffeine may give you the boost you need to exercise a little longer.

An article in the journal, Exercise and Sports Sciences Review, found that moderate caffeine consumption (in this review, up to 500 milligrams per day) did not adversely affect exercise in terms of dehydration, assuming that adequate hydration and replacing lost fluids is a given during and after your workouts.

Speaking of workouts, The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that caffeine consumption increases physical performance during both short-term and endurance exercise. Caffeine releases glucose (our fuel source) into the blood stream, which can increase the amount of available fuel to the body.

So for the average person how much caffeine is safe? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) suggests that 200-300 milligrams of caffeine per day is a fairly safe range for most people.

But if you’re pregnant, done miss this. Researchers with Kaiser Permanente in California, whose 2008 study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, analyzed information about caffeine consumption in over 1000 women early in their pregnancy.

Guess what they found out? Women who consume 200 milligrams or MORE of caffeine per day may double their risk of miscarriage. Picture 200 milligrams of caffeine as about 10-12 ounces of coffee or about 16-25 ounces of tea depending on the type (remember black tea has more caffeine than green tea). Different coffees and teas can vary quite a bit in their caffeine content.

Since there is no consensus on how much caffeine to consume during pregnancy, some doctors suggest switching to decaf or cutting caffeine from the diet at least during the first three or four months. Others suggest one cup a day and cut it off. The best bet is to discuss your personal health with your physician or health care provider and decide together the best course of action for you and your pregnancy.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

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March 31, 2010

Guarana: The Low Down on a Hyped-Up Herb

guarDoes the herb guarana pack the same caffeine punch as coffee? Guarana, pronounced gwa-rah-na, is an herb from South America and is very popular as a stimulant in energy drinks with names such as Pit bull, Pimp juice, Rip It, Venom and Cocaine Energy Drink whose website says ‘it tastes like a fireball, a carbonated atomic fireball!’.

When I say caffeine, what’s the first thing you think about? Coffee? Maybe tea or chocolate? Like tea, coffee, and chocolate, guarana contains compounds in the caffeine family including theobromine and theophylline.

Caffeine is known to:

  1. help treat migraine headaches

  2. fight fatigue

  3. help improve mental function

Most of the proposed uses of guarana fall into line with these effects of caffeine although some scientists suggest there are other compounds in guarana that may have similar effects but the research currently doesn’t exist.

If you take a look at the majority of energy drinks and other products with caffeine, you may find guarana added along with stimulants like ginseng. When a caffeine containing product is enhanced with the herbal guarana you have a potential caffeine double whammy…that may or may not be fine for your body.

For someone who is caffeine sensitive or not use to caffeine, the effects of guarana by itself or added to the caffeine in coffee, energy drinks or other products may not be pleasant and could be dangerous:

  1. The heart rate and blood pressure jump up

  2. Feelings of panic and anxiety can set in at any age

  3. It’s hard to sleep

  4. Heartburn, gastritis

  5. Disturbances in heart rhythm

A typical dose of guarana supplies 50 mg of caffeine about half the amount in a cup of coffee. However, take a look at the label of most products containing guarana and the amount will not be listed. If you want to find out, check the website of the company who makes the product and look for the ingredient disclosure.

Young children, pregnant or nursing women, or people with heart disease or taking the medications we just discussed should not use guarana. So Moms, be aware of what your children drink, especially if they play sports of any type. Energy drinks are handed out like water but the effects are nowhere near the same.

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July 29, 2009

The Anti-Jet Lag Diet

july-29How often do you jump on a plane and cross multiple time zones?  For millions of you, the loss or gain of daytime or nighttime hours can be exhausting to your mind and your body. It’s called jet lag. You’ve heard the term and probably experienced it. What I don’t like about jet lag is that it can really have a negative effect on your travel experience. No one wants to spend the first few days of his or her vacation recuperating from the plane trip. And you business travelers who cross multiple time zones frequently would like to arrive with a fresh, productive outlook instead of feeling so drained. Not to mention the insomnia, irritability and fatigue that may follow. Well, I have great news that you don’t want to miss… the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has figured out a way to help leave the jet lag behind when you travel across three or more time zones. It’s called the Anti-Jet Lag Diet.

According to research reported in Military Medicine soldiers being deployed across nine zones who followed the Anti-Jet Lag Diet were 7 to 16 times less likely to experience jet lag. According to Argonne spokesman, Dave Baurac, the Anti-Jet Lag diet has helped the CIA, President Ronald Reagan, our soldiers and many others. He says that The Anti-Jet-Lag Diet focuses on the body’s natural clock or circadian rhythm and some of the same time cues that cause jet lag. These time cues include meal times, sunset and sunrise, and daily cycles of rest and activity.

Prior to travel, the Anti-Jet-Lag Diet alternates days of moderate feasting and fasting to help speed your body’s adjustment to a new time schedule. These days of feasting and fasting also vary the intake of protein and carbohydrate to affect the production of neurotransmitters or brain chemicals which help the body feel more alert or prepare for sleep.

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