Editor’s note: On Tuesday, the Deseret News will take a look at caffeine use in sports.
SALT LAKE CITY — When Tilly Uribe feels the first sting of a migraine coming on, some of her headaches are severe.
Her doctor recommended caffeine as an easy way to at least try to quell the pain before it gets too bad. It turns out that caffeine works pretty well, since it constricts blood vessels in the brain, easing the pain. So when she sees flickering lights or experiences aura symptoms (sure signs of an impending migraine), she says she reaches for the nearest caffeinated drink, whether it’s coffee, tea, or soda.
Meanwhile, Uribe, a kindergarten teacher in West Jordan, typically can’t have caffeine after 4 p.m.; for many, it keeps her up at night. And for decades, Uribe has had peripartum cardiomyopathy, a rare form of heart failure that can occur later in pregnancy, so she has to be careful about how much caffeine she consumes; stimulants can have adverse effects on the heart.
For Uribe, caffeine is both a blessing and a curse.
For many people, caffeine is a mystery. There is a lot of research, with sometimes conflicting results. Caffeine-containing products are often labeled with positive words like “energy” and “focus,” while the potential downsides are ignored. In fact, caffeine can be both a positive and a negative, depending on how it’s used.
It also depends on how you metabolize caffeine and whether you are particularly sensitive to its effects. There are a lot of different factors that go into how caffeine affects an individual. Here are some things I learned after asking various health professionals about caffeine:
What is Caffeine?
Caffeine is a stimulant found naturally in 60 different plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, guarana fruit, yerba mate leaves, and cocoa beans. Caffeine can also be produced in a formula with 8 carbon atoms, 10 hydrogen atoms, 4 nitrogen atoms, and 2 oxygen atoms. Caffeine is often found in this formula in supplements, foods, beverages, and medicines.
Caffeine is a stimulant, which is why it’s most often used as a performance-enhancing drug in sports, “work and everyday life,” says Brett Tresdahl, M.D., a board-certified sports medicine and family medicine physician who is also an associate professor and director of research in the Department of Orthopedic Sports Medicine at the University of Utah Health. Caffeine, he says, “reduces fatigue and increases alertness.”
Most people get their caffeine from drinking, but different types of caffeinated beverages can vary widely in the amount of caffeine in a serving. According to Medline Plus, an 8-ounce can of coffee typically contains 95 to 200 milligrams of caffeine, and a 12-ounce can of cola contains 35 to 45 milligrams. An 8-ounce can of green or black tea contains 14 to 60 milligrams of caffeine. Energy drinks come in many varieties, ranging from 70 to 100 milligrams per 8 ounces, according to Medline Plus. However, when I went to buy a caffeinated energy drink, I found one that listed 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12 ounces. This is just the added caffeine. If the product also contains natural caffeine from coffee, tea, or other plants, the amount may not be listed on the label.
“I think it’s important for people considering or reconsidering their caffeine intake to understand that drinks come in different concentrations,” says Tresdahl. “Sodas, energy drinks, and different brewing methods for coffee can all have very different caffeine levels, so it’s important to be aware of your cumulative caffeine intake.”
Caffeine can also be found in some surprising places: “Caffeine can be found in some products you wouldn’t expect, like gum, energy bars, pain relievers, sports drinks, flavored waters, and even ice cream and yogurt,” says Chris Moore, fitness and nutrition advisor at Fortune Recommended Health. “Always read the labels carefully and avoid consuming too much, as too much can have unwanted side effects.”
Caffeine also has some unexpected effects that aren’t related to health. Marketing Journal They found that consuming caffeine before shopping makes people buy more items and spend more money. The effect is stronger for “hedonic products” like scented candles, colognes, and decorations. Caffeine doesn’t affect whether people buy a notebook or a laundry basket.
How much caffeine is too much?
Caffeine affects different people in different ways, says Sarah Dehaney, a neuropharmacist at the University of Utah Health School: Some people can have a cup of coffee right before bed, while others can have even a small amount early in the morning that keeps them up at night.
“Everyone metabolizes it differently, so some people are more sensitive to the side effects than others. We say, ‘start with a low dose and slowly increase it,’ and see how it goes. If you’re very sensitive, you might feel your heart racing. You might feel anxious or nervous, you might become very irritable. You might feel hungry, like you have hypoglycemia, you might have trouble sleeping, you might have an upset stomach or you might need to urinate more. These are signs that you’re taking too much of the drug or your body isn’t clearing it quickly enough, and you should take a lower dose next time,” Dehaney said.
Because amounts and individual tolerances vary so much, there are conflicting views on whether caffeine is beneficial or harmful, said Michelle Routhenstein, a cardiovascular nutritionist and author who founded New York-based Entirely Nourished. The caffeine in coffee can spike heart rate and blood pressure or cause palpitations in some people, while another person can drink a couple of cups of coffee without experiencing those effects or stomach problems.
“There’s a sweet spot in terms of how much caffeine helps you,” says Tresdal, “and there’s a line where everyone has a different tolerance to caffeine, where it’s no longer helpful.” Caffeine can cause dehydration, she says, especially when exercising outdoors in the heat. Caffeine can also make people feel anxious and jittery.
