What About the Caffeine?

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Caffeine has positive cognitive and physiological effects at moderate doses.

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Yes, coffee may reduce cancer risk, but what about the caffeine? Oh, you mean the substance that increases energy availability and expenditure, decreases fatigue and the sense of effort associated with physical activity, enhances physical, motor, and cognitive performance, increases alertness, wakefulness, and feelings of energy, decreases mental fatigue, quickens reactions, increases their accuracy, increases the ability to concentrate and focus attention, enhances short-term memory, the ability to solve problems, the ability to make correct decisions, enhancing cognitive functioning capabilities and neuromuscular coordination, and, in otherwise healthy, non-pregnant adults, is safe. That caffeine?

What do they mean by moderate amounts, though? Up to 1,000 milligrams, about 10 cups of coffee a day. What about this, though? “A case of fatal caffeine poisoning.” 21-year-old woman; 10,000 milligrams of caffeine; by swallowing a bottle of caffeine pills. The equivalent to about hundred cups of coffee at one time is, indeed, too much.

The non-pregnant is an important caveat, though. New advice has been issued to restrict caffeine intake in pregnancy to under just 200 milligrams a day.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Image thanks to Benjah-bmm27 via Wikimedia Commons

Yes, coffee may reduce cancer risk, but what about the caffeine? Oh, you mean the substance that increases energy availability and expenditure, decreases fatigue and the sense of effort associated with physical activity, enhances physical, motor, and cognitive performance, increases alertness, wakefulness, and feelings of energy, decreases mental fatigue, quickens reactions, increases their accuracy, increases the ability to concentrate and focus attention, enhances short-term memory, the ability to solve problems, the ability to make correct decisions, enhancing cognitive functioning capabilities and neuromuscular coordination, and, in otherwise healthy, non-pregnant adults, is safe. That caffeine?

What do they mean by moderate amounts, though? Up to 1,000 milligrams, about 10 cups of coffee a day. What about this, though? “A case of fatal caffeine poisoning.” 21-year-old woman; 10,000 milligrams of caffeine; by swallowing a bottle of caffeine pills. The equivalent to about hundred cups of coffee at one time is, indeed, too much.

The non-pregnant is an important caveat, though. New advice has been issued to restrict caffeine intake in pregnancy to under just 200 milligrams a day.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Image thanks to Benjah-bmm27 via Wikimedia Commons

Doctor's Note

The “coffee may reduce cancer risk” is a reference to Coffee and Cancer. There are additional cognitive benefits afforded by the phytonutrient theanine in green tea; see Dietary Brain Wave Alteration. Note that the caffeine and pregnancy study is publicly accessible, so you can download it by clicking on the link in the Sources Cited section, above.

Also, check out my associated blog posts for more context: Coffee Caveats; Is Caffeinated Tea Really Dehydrating?; and Treating Parkinson’s Disease with Diet.

If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. Read our important information about translations here.

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