New research presented to the British Nutrition Foundation shows that regular consumption of coffee does not affect a person’s alertness. The research shows that those who drink a caffeinated beverage are no more alert than those who never consume one.
Professor Peter Rogers, a biological psychologist who led the research, told the BBC: "That alertness you feel is you getting back to normal, rather than to an above normal level."
Caffeine is the No. 1 most abused psychoactive drug in modern civilization. Long-term coffee consumption depleted the adrenal glands and leads to chronic depletion of energy. It has also been correlated with a loss of bone mineral density as well as hypoglycemia. Caffeine does have some benefits, such as preventing cognitive decline in the elderly.
That said, I love coffee. But now I usually drink decaf with a little splash of regular, and no more than one a day. Tea is a great alternative, especially for kicking the habit. Green tea tends to have about a quarter of the caffeine present in a cup of coffee. And of course, most drugs are alright in moderation. One cup a day is probably fine. It's just interesting to find out that a drug's socially accepted excuse is generally, scientifically bunk, for those that use or abuse it. Also, coffee is certainly not the only culprit here. The real modern abuse comes more from energy drinks and sodas. Just keep in mind that if you're not drinking it for the taste (as i assume is the case with redbull type drinks), that you're also not getting the benefit you thought you were. You're just returning back to zero, after the depletion of energy that your dependence has caused.
3.26.2007
PSA
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5 Comments:
it's hard to lay off the black stuff, espcially when it's my only happiness aside from FUV at 6.15 am. ANANNNNNNNd i'm an ...whisper...(addict)
man, remember when rich used to pick me up from work in the morning and i'd have like four cups of coffee while you ate your oatmeal? no mas.
p.s. -- that was pberg (obviously). i forgot how to make it say my name (bitch).
Until this study is proven wrong... and then right again, and then wrong... Education is fun.
here's something for your coffe bashing:
from http://health.yahoo.com/experts/joybauernutrition/10866/salmon-and-coffeefor-ultimate-brain-power
How about coffee? Any coffee lover can tell you they think more clearly after a good, strong cup of caffeinated coffee. Now, they have proof. Researchers from the University of Innsbruck in Austria used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the brain activity of people working on a memory task. The volunteers were tested twice, once after receiving the caffeine equivalent of about two cups of coffee, and once without any caffeine. Caffeine improved the memory skills and reactions times of the volunteers. In addition, caffeine increased brain activity in two locations-the memory-rich frontal lobe and the attention-controlling anterior cingulum. Without caffeine, there was no increase in brain activity. So if memory problems are a major concern for you, and if you don't have a medical condition that precludes caffeine, feel free to indulge in a cup or two in the morning to jump-start your brain.
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