Millions of people rely on fresh coffee and its caffeine every day to wake up faster in the morning, get through the night shift or simply recharge. In fact, this natural stimulant is one of the most used ingredients in the world. Caffeine is often talked about for its effects on sleep and anxiety. But studies also show that it has many health benefits. In this article, you will learn what caffeine is and what its health effects are. Let’s start!
What is caffeine?
Caffeine is a natural stimulant commonly found in tea, coffee, and cocoa plants. It works by stimulating the brain, the central nervous system, raising blood pressure to help you stay alert and prevent fatigue. Nowadays, around 80% of the world’s population consumes caffeine-containing products every day.
Effects of caffeine on exercise performance
When it comes to exercise, caffeine can increase the use of the adipose layer for energy. This is beneficial as it can help glucose stored in the muscles to last longer, potentially delaying the time it takes for your muscles to reach exhaustion. Caffeine can also improve muscle contractions and increase tolerance to fatigue. This is why you see a lot of sportspeople taking a caffeine supplement, such as a nasal spray or a protein bar infused with caffeine. Lastly, caffeine can also reduce fatigue during exercise by up to 5%, which can make workouts easier.
Caffeine effects on mood and brain function.
Caffeine can block the brain signalling molecule adenosine. This leads to a relative increase in other signalling molecules such as dopamine and norepinephrine. This change is thought to be beneficial for your mood and brain function. One review reported that participants’ alertness, short-term memory and reaction time improved after drinking 37.5-450 mg of caffeine.
Caffeine can speed up metabolism and fat burning.
Caffeine can speed up metabolism by up to 11% and fat burning by up to 13% due to its ability to stimulate the central nervous system. In practical terms, consuming 300 mg of caffeine per day can allow an additional 79 kcal per day to be burned. This may seem small, but this caloric surplus leads to an annual weight gain of about 1 kg.
Protection against heart disease and diabetes
Despite what you may have heard, caffeine does not increase the risk of heart disease. In fact, studies show a 16-18% lower risk of heart disease in men and women who drink 1-4 cups of coffee every day, thus getting around 100-400 mg of caffeine.
Caffeine may also protect against diabetes. A study found that those who drink the most coffee have up to a 29% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers observed a 12-14% reduction in risk for every 200 mg of caffeine consumed.
It should be kept in mind that caffeine may slightly raise blood pressure in some people. However, this effect is usually small (3-4 mmHg) and tends to disappear for most people when they consume caffeine regularly.
