Coffee or tea?  Red Bull or 5 Hour Energy?  Coke or Pepsi?  Capsules or tablets?

All of us know someone who absolutely cannot get their day started without their cup of joe, soft drink, or caffeine shot.  Many fitness enthusiasts use caffeine supplements for a pre-workout jolt.  And students use various forms of caffeine to cram for finals.  As a matter of fact, one needs to look no further than the ubiquitous Starbucks/Caribou/(insert favorite coffee shop) retail locations.  Tea cafes are starting to grow in popularity as well.  So it’s easy to see how caffeine, in all it’s permutations, has grown to become the world’s most popular psychoactive drug.

Our ancestors used daylight and their circadian rhythms to govern their sleep patterns.  Once the Industrial Revolution became a way of life, we had no choice but to adapt.  Moving indoors cut us off from our natural environment and disrupted sleep patterns.  The electric light tricked the brain into thinking that it was time to be awake.  And the popularity of caffeinated beverages gave workers another weapon in the arsenal that enabled them to bypass normal bedtimes.  And so it persists today.

Although I don’t drink coffee or soda (I do drink tea on occasion), caffeine in small doses is generally accepted as safe.  However, people these days tend to have some issue with moderation.  Some research suggests that some of the side effects of excessive caffeine consumption include addiction, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, jitters, diarrhea, plethoric amounts of urination (diuretic effect), tolerance (which leads to overuse) and its ability to block some nutrients from entering the bloodstream.

So, what’s a viable, natural alternative?

Many people have started using sublingual (Latin for “under the tongue”) B12 as another option for a natural ‘pick-me-up’.  The difference between sublingual B12 and traditional forms (anything ingested) is that the sublingual method enables the substance (B12 in this case) to be quickly absorbed into your bloodstream thereby providing a quicker and more intense energetic effect.  Ingesting supplements subjects it to the hostile environment of the digestive tract, which can alter its effectiveness.  Typically, I suggest that you get your macro/micro nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from clean whole food sources.  But, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not practical to have that approach all the time – schedules get out of whack and life gets a little crazy.  Plus, certain groups of people (eg – vegans) tend to be deficient since the best food sources are meat and dairy.

I tend to have pretty good natural energy levels.  However, like every one of you, life gets hectic and that can wear me down.  So, I have used B12 (coupled with chlorophyll) before workouts or sporting events with very good results and none of the side effects of caffeine.  If you are a caffeine junkie, I highly recommend that you slowly ween yourself off of it, and give sublingual B12 a try.  And as an added benefit, you’ll enjoy the other positive, long-term effects of B12 on your health as well.

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Women’s Health

A cup of joe has never been my “cup of tea,” but I’ve read numerous studies on the subject over the years.  In the past, there had been concerns about women’s health and drinking coffee.  While there are studies that suggest that eliminating caffeine can affect PMS, fibrocystic breasts, and mineral absorption, none have have produced any causative, conclusive clinical link.  Females during their child-bearing years and those that breast feed should exercise caution, as should be done with any chemical that you ingest since it’s passed to the fetus/infant.   Proponents of coffee tout a wide array of benefits such as reduced risks of Type 2 diabetes risk, cirrhosis, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.  Some even used it to aid in weight loss.  Again, all of this is circumstantial and there are much more effective ways to improve your health, so take it with a grain of salt (or sugar).

Designer Coffee

When I hear about some of the menu options at popular coffee shops these days, the ingredients sound like the dessert section of a restaurant menu.  I guess coffee with cream got too boring (or the profit margins were too slim for manufacturers).  Vanilla bean frappuccino and pumpkin spice latte not only sound like Italian pastries, but they can negatively affect your health if consumed in excess.  High calories ingredients like HFCS and dairy won’t do your heart or waistline any favors.  I’ve written about the dangers of HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) in a previous post, and will continue to write more as this is a controversial topic.  So, use some moderation as these beverages contain sneaky calories that can derail an otherwise healthy lifestyle.

Caffeine

Caffeine, coffee’s principal ingredient, is an addictive stimulant, and can result in full-fledged addiction in some people.  How many co-workers do you know who simply cannot get their day started without their cup of joe?  In low amounts, it does produce a sense of alertness, well-being and even euphoria.  In some, it can cause insomnia, however.  Although it doesn’t present the same risks, caffeine sounds eerily similar to other substances.  This is because, it crosses the blood-brain barrier and increases dopamine which affects the pleasure centers in your brain.  Again, its effects are not as insidious as illicit drugs , but the mechanism is the same.  Also, once the “high” from caffeine wears off, consumers tend to fight fatigue and even depression.  Taking all of this into consideration will hopefully make you think twice about drinking any caffeinated beverage in high amounts.

Bottom Line

A recent Harvard University study research suggests that one or two cups of coffee a day is probably not harmful.  Higher amounts over a long period of time can have a negative impact on your health though.  Adding sugary, high fat, high calorie ingredients coupled with a poor diet will turn your harmless cup of coffee into something altogether different and invite all the associated risks that come with it.

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