A Little Stimulating Conversation

Dated: 10 Feb 2010

Posted by Kevin Weiss

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If you read my last blog you know two things

1) Kevin loves coffee

2) Coffee has no downside

OK I admit it, I am stretching it a little with #2. Lets revise that statement and say coffee has fewer downsides than many people have been lead to believe by previous studies. Yes dear reader, I have put coffee in bold letters for a reason. You see many people who swill sweet java by the bucket assume that coffee and caffeine go hand in hand down the merry path to health benefits. This may not be the case. It seems many of the studies that found positive effects from drinking regular coffee found similar benefit when decaf was used. To quote Mr. smarty pants professor Rob van Dam from Harvard “Most of the benefits associated with coffee are not attributed to caffeine.” It seems the beverage, regular or decaf, contains antioxidants and quite a number of vitamins and mineral.

So lets review. Coffee good, caffeine bad. Well its not quite that black and white. In my over 25 years of bodybuilding caffeine remains near the top of my list of substances that I believe actually does something. Although it will contribute very little to your bulging biceps and six pack abs directly, the mood boosting effects alone make it worth the minuscule price. Muscle is built and fat is lost by long term intensity and effort in the gym. If a double espresso helps you haul your carcass into the gym at 5 am or after a mind numbing 10 hour day of working for the man (I am either too old or too young to know what that even means) I say bottoms up, As long as you are not going to get overly sensitive on me. Follow me a little further down this rabbit hole Alice.

Some people should never or rarely have caffeine. I am not talking about the obvious candidates like pregnant women, people with anxiety disorders, or high blood pressure issues. I am talking about normal healthy people who have one cup of coffee in the afternoon and can’t sleep until Halley’s comet makes it next appearance. Even researchers that came out very pro coffee recommended people monitor intake and evaluate how they react to the stimulant. If you experience symptoms of jitteriness, anxiety, tremor, or difficulty sleeping, even with small amounts, caffeine is not for you. Some people are so sensitive that they can experience migraine like symptoms from the smallest amounts. NO COFFEE FOR YOU! Unless its decaf of course.

Another group that should limit or avoid caffeine is children and teenagers. Somewhat surprising is the fact that this age group is one of the largest consumers of the stimulant. With the massive consumption of soft drinks, frappuccinos, and energy drinks among todays younger generation, the amount of caffeine that can be ingested in a day is staggering. Daniel Evatt of the department of psychiatry at John Hopkins University School of Medicine had this to say about young people high intake of caffeine. “They already have enough ups and downs with emotions as it is; when you add caffeine into the mix, its a problem. Their bodies are just not equipped to handle it.” He also notes that energy drinks are regulated as supplements. This means unlike soft drinks there is no limit on how much caffeine they can contain. Many of these drinks can contain 2-3x the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee, and because they taste sweet this only ups the consumption. You would think with all this extra energy these drinks are suppose to provide they would have enough energy to pull their pants ups! Scene shoots to me, sitting on the porch, shaking my fist at the young whippersnappers in the neighborhood.

OK lets wrap this up. My stance on coffee has not changed. I sip on one while I write this. I should say, like everything else in life, moderation is key. I am one of those individuals who has really no sensitivity to caffeine. I can drink coffee a couple hour before bed and sleep just fine. Some say this is because I have become immune to the effects of caffeine. Maybe that is true. My point is I have no noticeable negative side effects. Also I almost never drink soda or energy drinks. My caffeine comes from black coffee. No studies have ever found any health benefit from where a large percent of the caffeine is consumed. So if you enjoy a cup or two in the morning or one before your workout, good for you. Continue on quilt free. If you are some one who does not tolerate caffeine, its OK. We can still be friends. I will order you a decaf. If you want a frappaccino I might have to rethink our friendship though.

kevin@kevinweiss.com