I subscribe to several health newsletters or magazines and this month the topic was coffee, tea and caffeine. It is amazing how much study and research has been done on this subject. And to make matters worse, the effects of drinking coffee or tea are both good and bad. It comes down to choosing how much of the good effects you are willing to consume versus dealing with the bad effects. An example in the Bottom Line Health newsletter had a short paragraph that stated a person should consume less than 100 mg of caffeine a day (about one 10 oz. cup of coffee) if you want a good night’s sleep. A few pages later there was an article that mentioned that 300 to 400 mg. of caffeine can benefit the body and the brain. Drinking three cups of coffee lowers the risk of multiple health problems including high blood pressure, heart failure, early death, Alzheimer’s disease and inflammation of the nervous system. That makes drinking coffee one beneficial product. The down side is you may lose sleep and the negative side effects of not having enough sleep.
Consumers Report On Health writes caffeine is a stimulant and gives a person a boost of energy in as little as 10 minutes time. It is reported that it improves memory in some people. While 300 – 400 mg. of caffeine seems to be beneficial, if the consumption increases to 600 mg. the negative effects increase. And as a person gets older, a lesser amount of caffeine has the same negative effects, so it is advised to cut back on the amount as you age. Symptoms such as the jitters, insomnia and anxiety become more prevalent. It is recommended if you want to get a good night’s sleep to not drink any coffee or tea at least six hours before you go to bed. The time it takes for half of the caffeine to leave the body is five hours. If you plan on going to bed at 10 o’clock that means no more coffee or tea after four or five o’clock. One other point that was written was that coffee and tea are also rich in compounds called polyphenols. This compound is beneficial because it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that can protect against various diseases.
For runners it is a mixed bag of benefits.The energy boost is a good thing just before a race. The problem is caffeine is also a benefit for constipation and loosening things up inside. The solution to that is no breakfast or energy bar snacks before the race. And a trip to the restroom has to be timed just right as drinking that cup of coffee or tea may cause problems as the starter for the race calls the runners to the starting line. In Texas the state drink is a glass of sweet iced tea. And the size of a typical glass of iced tea in a restaurant is around 20 ounces or more. We drink iced tea year round. I visited my sister in Maine one spring. I asked the waitress for a glass of iced tea for my lunch. She responded that “it isn’t in season yet.” And if you do get a glass of iced tea a typical serving is about 10 ounces. I ordered a cup of hot tea and a large glass of ice for my lunch.
When I went on long bike rides, I filled my water bottle with sweet iced tea. I figured the caffeine would help me with an energy boost and the sugar would give some extra energy. That along with the fact that I liked the flavor better than water worked well for me. The one difference is that tea only has 55 – 60 mg. of caffeine versus the 100 – 247 mg. for coffee. Energy drinks range in the amount of caffeine in a can from 40 – 245 mg. It pays to read the label. I read the label of a popular drink at the gym, and it advised only one helping as it increases the heart rate and adding the effects of working out just increased that number. One of the side effects listed from consuming too many cans and working out was death. I stuck to sweet iced tea for an energy drink.
While it is interesting reading about drinking coffee and tea, I started to analyze the different methods of brewing these drinks. You have loose leaf, brewed K-cups, powdered mixtures and drinks in a can or bottle ready to drink. It is hard to imagine that the different methods of preparing a drink are the same. And add different flavors and organic versus mass production, location of where the coffee or tea was grown, and that simple cup of coffee in the morning, or a glass of iced tea at lunch, becomes very complicated. My solution to all this information was if I enjoy drinking it, I drink it.
