What’s The Deal With Caffeine ?

The majority of us have caffeine everyday. We have our morning coffee or tea, sometimes three, then a mid day coffee and some even take caffeine pills.

Caffeine is found in over 60 types of plants!

During our time of being awake before any consumption of caffeine a chemical called adenosine binds with adenosine receptors (which makes you tired). When we consume caffeine it blocks adenosine from binding to the receptors and releases dopamine which gives us that feel good mood.

The more coffee we drink the more of a tolerance that we build.This means that the effects of caffeine will slowly start to diminish and we won't feel the effects as much as we once did from just 1 cup of coffee so then we feel we need more. More caffeine is not the answer! The best thing you can do for yourself is lower your caffeine amount and maybe even take a break from it.

Physical Performance:

If you are going to consume caffeine before a workout it is best to do so 30 minutes before your workout. Caffeine can help increase performance and reduce the feelings of fatigue.

Brain Function:

Studies have shown that 3-5 cups of coffee a day could help reduce the risk of brain disease by 60%.

Fat Burning (thermogenic):

Caffeine is a thermogenic, it has fat burning properties. The main ingredient in most fat burning supplements is caffeine. A thermogenic increase heat production which makes you burn calories. Will the results of fat burning be great? Probably not, but it can help! Consuming roughly 300mg of caffeine a day could help you burn an extra 70 calories.

How much should we have per day?

3-5mg per 2.2lbs of bodyweight.

Let's say someone weighs 175lbs then they could safely consume 200-400mg of caffeine per day. Not saying more than your recommended amount will harm you, but you might not benefit as much as someone who consumes their recommended amount.