i've somehow become really sensitive to caffeine.
i mean realllllly sensitive.

i used to be able to tolerate it well but now, if i have over 100 mg in any short period of time (like 1 hour-ish) i get really uncomfortable.
ie-i had about 3/4 of a java monster yesterday and in about 30 minutes and my chest felt like someone was sitting on it, couldn't breathe very well...

so i did a little research, mind you it's online research so i don't know how trustworthy it is (so if anyone finds anything worth a damn post it)....

but i keep finding are articles that support the use of caffeine up to 300 mg. especially if you are working out, which almost makes me wonder if i should try and increase my caffeine intake so my workouts are more effective. (i'm not going to do that....not just yet at least)

i've found very, very few that emphasize any negative effects other than elevated heart rate.

Just seems weird, i was under the impression that caffeine was generally bad for you.

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 9:14 AM. Reason : dgfgf]

7/26/2009 9:11:14 AM

on a related note; i wish caffeine levels had to be clearly posted on products. i survive on caffeine but too much gives me anxiety.

7/26/2009 9:14:33 AM

I drink about a gallon of diet soda per day (no exaggeration) plus exactly 1 cup of coffee. Totals about 400mg. If it's bad for you, I'm completely fucked.

I knew someone who decided to take 500mg of caffeine all at once. Ended up in the hospital.

7/26/2009 9:17:44 AM

It will dehydrate you if you are not careful.

7/26/2009 9:18:47 AM

^^see i used to do that too.

well i would easily have 7-8 (diet)cokes per day and have like a (diet)mt dew as my morning staple (im not a big coffee girl). and now im wired off of 2 cokes.

^yeah, the only three i can find are that a) its a vaso constrictor, b) it elevates heart rate, c) its a diuretic. (which ultimately translate to a higher bp) but everywhere ive looked these are only temporary...theres no long term effects?

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 9:22 AM. Reason : dgfgf]

7/26/2009 9:20:11 AM

^^false

to your original point though, are you taking in antiobiotics or other medications (or supplements)? some drugs interact with caffeine.

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 9:22 AM. Reason : .]

7/26/2009 9:20:30 AM

good

bad

who cares

sometimes you just need it

7/26/2009 9:21:50 AM

^^nothing that should interfere with it. (mostly vitamins)

and caffeine is a diuretic-shouldn't that dehydrate you?

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 9:24 AM. Reason : rtytyt]

7/26/2009 9:23:44 AM

you are drinking it in a drink though, many studies have found no net effect

7/26/2009 9:26:54 AM

did you go off caffiene for a while?

i remember i went off for a week or two and when i got back on the soul train i was pretty sensitive for a few days

7/26/2009 9:27:08 AM

I can throw this in the conversation: last year during my yearly physical my dr. told me that I had slightly high blood pressure and asked if I was drinking energy drinks or a lot of coffee. I was drinking 1-2 Rockstars a day while at work, and probably 1-2 glasses of sode when I got home. Doctor told me to cut it out, or reduce my caffeine intake

Went back to the doctor a few months later, after cutting energy drinks down a lot (like maybe 1 a week) and my blood pressure was back down to normal

I dont know how much of that has to do with the sugars or caffeine in the drinks

7/26/2009 9:27:45 AM

^^^i guess that does make sense.

the reason for this post. i've always been a workout-a holic but as of recent i have had people tell me that i should take stimulants (think energy pills with caffeine in them) to improve endurance.


that just seemed so off to me.

^^yeah,i did. but im curious about the negative effects. should i be happy im not drinking nearly as much....or is there actual health benefits???


[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 9:31 AM. Reason : fguhy]

7/26/2009 9:28:54 AM

http://www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com/Files/32.SPNT.pdf

as a woman, one thing to pay attention to attention to is that caffeine may interfere with vitamin d absorption so it can interfere with calcium intake. you need that for bone density, but you're probably young enough for it not to matter too much.

7/26/2009 9:32:11 AM

wow. it just seems like such a foreign idea-that caffeine has more positive health benefits than negative ones.


so maybe i should purposely try and increase my intake?



heh.

7/26/2009 9:38:34 AM

for these reasons i'm glad i'm not a coffee or energy drink fan

i'll usually have a single soda once a day (usually at lunch) as a treat to myself just because i drink about a gallon of water or green tea (usually green tea) a day

7/26/2009 9:46:15 AM

it isn't that caffeine is "good for you" in the sense that, say, certain nutrients are good for you. It's that it can be useful and without any real negative effects if used properly.

if you take in a bunch of it every day, though, it loses the utility (and might become bad for you)

7/26/2009 9:57:42 AM

always in moderation.

for anything, really.

7/26/2009 10:03:43 AM

Quote :

"on a related note; i wish caffeine levels had to be clearly posted on products."

every can of soda or energy drink i've seen in the past year or so has the amount of caffeine clearly labeled.

7/26/2009 10:20:47 AM

^energy drinks, yeah, but i've never seen it on a run-of-the-mill soda

7/26/2009 10:26:16 AM

Interesting thread, I've suspected either caffeine (or coffee) or some sort of vitamin defficiency has lead to me feeling like I am 15 years older than I was 3 years ago, let me explain (words to follow).

I started doing triathlons in 2006 after having never been an endurance person before in my life. Doing a modest amount of training (swimming, cycling, running) in about 7 months time I could do a sprint triathlon in about the top 30% of my age group, running 7:10 miles after a 1500m swim and 20 mile bike (at 22mph). Recovering from workouts was no problem.

I also met my wife about the time I started training and by the end of 2006 I was drinking a cup or two of pretty stout coffee at work every day and a latte on the weekend.

For whatever reason, I've been unable to replicate the training effort I could put in for 2006. It's like I have aged 15 years going from 26 to 29. Like you, I looked around for literature on coffee studies, and I couldn't find any that could explain negative effects I've felt from it. So, I've been experimenting with myself by not having any of it during the week and having at most one latte on the weekend. My study isn't very controlled as I've also started taking a high potency multi vitamin, too.

So far, about a month into the experiment I can't tell one way or the other if it's helping.

7/26/2009 10:33:22 AM

^^ it's there.

7/26/2009 10:42:33 AM

I don't drink coffee for these types of physiological reasons. I hate the though of being addicted to something like that just to start my day.

Where are you researching anyway?

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 11:20 AM. Reason : ?]

7/26/2009 11:20:02 AM

it's something that can be used as a stimulant every once in a while. if you use it often enough to get addicted, it won't have the same affect.

Check out The Truth About Food's info
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/best/caffeinebrain.shtml

7/26/2009 11:23:07 AM

Yeah, I'll do coffee every once in awhile when I need the kick (bed late + early classes) but I tend to not make it a habit

7/26/2009 11:25:06 AM

caffeine has *never* affected me, so i've always kind of wondered what that buzz feels like.

i mean, as a little kid, i didn't have soft drinks that often, but i could drink a coke and then go right to sleep. still the case now. i've even stopped drinking caffeine for like 4-6 months at a time before, and nothing happens if i drink a mountain dew thereafter.

7/26/2009 11:31:40 AM

Quote :

"I don't drink coffee for these types of physiological reasons. I hate the though of being addicted to something like that just to start my day."

my sentiments exactly. i dont really have an issue with energy (for the most part) and if i need a kick a hot cup of tea or a soda will sometimes do the trick.

however i have been hearing about the possible effects of caffeine actually boosting metabolism even when you are not working out and if you are working out then-WOAH you will be progressing at a much faster rate because of the caffeine. but a lot of this is anecdotal it seems and there is A LOT of it.

Quote :

"Where are you researching anyway?"

like i said it's mostly online. (and if anyone can find any plz to post- thanks alibaby! ) ive been googling caffeine and related terms and trying to find at least semi credible sources, which is no easy task. but the few that i have found so far all say that this stuff is ultimately good for you [of course i figured it wasn't bad for you in moderation but i also figured moderation to be 150ish mg (about 2 cups of coffee) day not 300-400ish!]

i've also only been looking this stuff up for about a week now, i will eventually go out of my way to find more credible sources, but it may be after this week b/c i have finals and all.


just, i don't know. something that raises heart rate AND constricts your blood vessels.
just sounds fishy.

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 11:49 AM. Reason : aha vasoconstrictor is one word. heh. my b.]

7/26/2009 11:48:35 AM

tea is a much better source of caffeine because it's a slow release.

7/26/2009 11:57:22 AM

^ahhhhhh did not know that.

I lovvvvvvvvvvve tea. not like sweet tea, but like a hot cup
that could explain a lot.

I'm gonna have to research this a little more in the next few weeks.


I will report my findings.

7/26/2009 11:59:21 AM

i could take a look in the NCSU library articles and see if there's anything obvious

or not...

[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 12:01 PM. Reason : SERVER NOT FOUND]

7/26/2009 12:01:16 PM

sure if you want to!

7/26/2009 12:06:05 PM

This has probably been said- but it seemed pretty obvious to me its not that caffeine is whats bad for you. It's all the sugar/carbonation/other crap that they put into energy drinks and soda. Drinking so much soda a day will rot your teeth, totally wear down the enamel on them. The reason I usually don't drink drinks with caffeine is I really hate dependency, and having broken my caffeine dependency last semester, I don't want to become redependent if that makes sense.

7/26/2009 12:10:58 PM

^ i agree


but what about caffeine pills? some hard-core fitness individuals swear by them.

7/26/2009 12:14:49 PM

Caffeine makes you retain toxins in your body. It also seems to go hand in hand with stress/high blood pressure. I rarely drink caffeine and never coffee but when I do it makes me feel really good so in a sense it is good for you.

7/26/2009 12:20:52 PM

Yeah I mean I have friends who would take this supplement called Jet Fuel before Ultimate practice/tournaments and they'd swear by it. I feel like its cheating, but to each their own I suppose. It's not something I would do.

But I prefer the natural way with most things.

7/26/2009 12:22:57 PM

Quote :

"I feel like its cheating"

yeah, i sorta think that way too

7/26/2009 12:24:01 PM

Caffeine for life!!!

7/26/2009 12:29:35 PM

I usually have about two cups of coffee (and nothing else) before I go workout in the morning. And I usually have great workouts...which I attribute to the coffee...because it sure as fuck isn't coming from that great breakfast I just had.

I guess I consume a decent amount of caffeine per day...but it comes just from a couple cups of coffee and occasionally sweet tea when I'm working. No soft drinks here.

7/26/2009 12:37:56 PM

Quote :

"toxins"

7/26/2009 1:09:48 PM

Caffeine is good for me because it keeps me from being a complete bitch to my coworkers and students in the morning. Don't know about it for normal people though.

7/26/2009 1:22:15 PM

Quote :

"but i've never seen it on a run-of-the-mill soda"

check a can or bottle of coke. it's on there.

7/26/2009 1:22:37 PM

it was seriously a good little tidbit - you should check it out
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/best/caffeinebrain.shtml

and...

Quote :

"It is thought coffee users perform better after they have imbibed a cup of coffee. But is this due to a net benefit of caffeine or might it be that coffee addicts have an impaired mental performance before drinking coffee because they are in a state of withdrawal? "

7/26/2009 2:39:10 PM

Quote :

"but what about caffeine pills?"

Quote :

"Caffeine makes you retain toxins in your body"

as a good rule of thumb, anytime someone refers to "toxins" in your body they probably don't know what they are talking about

7/26/2009 3:21:07 PM

Quote :

"Interesting thread, I've suspected either caffeine (or coffee) or some sort of vitamin defficiency has lead to me feeling like I am 15 years older than I was 3 years ago, let me explain... ...For whatever reason, I've been unable to replicate the training effort I could put in for 2006. It's like I have aged 15 years going from 26 to 29."

I've declined a lot from about 24-25 to 29 in terms of amount of energy, etc, and also have stepped up my caffeine intake tremendously over that period of time, but I don't think the caffeine has any causal relationship. i think it's just getting older.

that, and having less energy and not getting the same results in the gym just due to working a lot and not getting as much consistent sleep.



[Edited on July 26, 2009 at 3:30 PM. Reason : ^agree about the "toxins" thing]

7/26/2009 3:26:23 PM

what? a black man can't enjoy an energy drink?

7/26/2009 3:36:24 PM

II LLOOVVEE CCAAFFEEIINNEE!!

7/26/2009 3:38:31 PM

1 gallon of diet soda a day? holy aspartame

7/26/2009 4:26:07 PM

yeah, that's fucking RIDICULOUS. That's pretty much TWO 2-liters per DAY. I find it very hard to believe that's not a significant exaggeration, but even if it's only half that much, it's still an absurd amount.

7/26/2009 4:34:34 PM

Quote :

"caffeine"

Quote :

"toxins"

Quote :

"ice"

Quote :

"what critics"

7/26/2009 4:38:31 PM

http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/caffeine/caffeine_effects.shtml

7/26/2009 4:46:54 PM

set em up

7/26/2009 4:47:07 PM