HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS OPTIMUM FOR HEALTH?
Kent Fischer - 14 Jan 2009
Coffee and caffeinated products have become increasingly popular of late.
The question remains: How much can be consumed before deleterious effects set in. Good question because nobody
seems to know!
The former Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) ruled, that outside of pregnant women and
children: There is no cause for concern when replacing the usual intake of caffeine,
with caffeinated energy drinks. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers caffeine “as
a “Multiple Purpose Generally Recognized as Safe Food Substance”- a category used
for benign substances.
What is a
caffeine overdose?
A caffeine overdoes is considered over 300 milligrams but fluctuates depending on bodyweight and levels of
caffeine tolerance. This “overdose” is nicknamed caffeine intoxification which is a short term
central nervous system over-stimulation.
What is caffeine's
absorption rate?
Caffeine absorbs within the stomach and small intestine
within 45 minutes of ingestion. It then suffuses throughout all the tissues of the body. Similar to alcohol and nicotine caffeine crosses the blood-brain barrier separating
bloodstream from the brain’s interior. Once the caffeine reaches the brain it acts as an antagonist of adenosine
receptors which produces a stimulating effect.
What is
caffeine's half-life?
The half-life of caffeine (the time it takes the body to
eliminate ½ of whatever was consumed) varies among adults according to age, body size, and liver
function. In
healthly adults the caffeine ½ life is approximately 3-4
hours.
What is the median
lethal dose of
caffeine?
As with most everything a extreme overdose of caffeine can
result in death. In rats the median
lethal dose given orally is 192 milligrams per kilogram. In humans, this is estimated to be about 150 to 200 milligrams per kilogram of body
mass, 80 to 100 cups of coffee consumed over a few hours!!! I have been drinking coffee
religiously since my grandmother put the first infamous spoon of sugar and cream in my coffee (at age three)
and even I could not drink that much, Even with a gun to my head! . So don’t fret over your coffee
habit.
How much
coffee is healthy?
A regular cup of normally brewed coffee contains about
50-75 milligrams of caffeine. Drinking 4-5 cups of coffee a day is a research documented
prescription for enhanced carbohydrate metabolism and reduces the risk of insulin resistance in tissues. A
fairly high dose of caffeine improves
health. It is interesting to note the 300 milligram dose considered caffeine intoxification by the FDA is the
amount suggested in many sports performance studies. This in not surprising because
depending on your exercise habits nutrient needs are going
to vary. A sedentary person is not going to need as much caffeine as a active
person to get positive results.
To sum up keep your coffee consumption between 5 and 100
cups per day.
This site is dedicated to natural bodybuilding utilizing the latest scientifci
progressive resistance training methods. For a complete course in scientific bodybuilding click
on No Nonsense Musclebuilding by Vince Delmonte.
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