As many people already know, caffeine is a stimulant that gives energy to the central nervous system which essentially “wakes” up the body. Many people turn to coffee, sodas or other soft drinks containing caffeine to get their “caffeine fix” for the day. So what is the most effective drink containing caffeine that can provide benefits to the body?
According to Livestrong, the two most effective and healthy drinks containing caffeine are coffee and tea, especially green tea, which may not surprise any of the nutritionists in here. But what makes these drinks more effective than a caffeinated soda?
The Mayo Clinic lists how many milligrams of caffeine are in a serving of coffee, tea and soda. It may come to no one’s surprise that coffee is the king of caffeine levels with a brewed, 8 oz. cup ranging anywhere from 95-200 mg.
The more interesting comparison is tea and soda. The two most popular teas, green and black, range from 24-45 mg in green tea and 14-70 mg in black tea. Compare this to popular soda brands like Coke, Diet Coke and Pepsi which range from 23-35 mg, 23-47 mg and 32-39 mg respectively. So depending on the batch or brand of tea and soda, the amount of caffeine can basically be equal. But what are the health benefits of drinking coffee and tea?
Well, coffee and tea come from natural substances like beans and leaves, which eliminates unhealthy artificially made substances from being the base of the drinks. Researchers have found many benefits in drinking coffee and tea according to Greatist.
Coffee has been found to improve memory loss and help with diseases like Alzheimer’s, Heart Disease, Gout, Type 2 Diabetes and for only men, Parkinson’s Disease. Coffee also increases calorie burning, which has many health benefits as well.
Green Tea is full of antioxidants which reduces the risk Breast, Lung and Stomach Cancer. It also prevents arterial clogging, allowing more fat to be burned, decrease the chance of having a stroke and improve cholesterol levels. Black tea lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke by allowing the blood vessels to dilate correctly.
With all the health benefits of coffee and tea, it’s hard not to drink a cup or more a day when needing the “caffeine fix.”
Sources:
http://www.uhs.umich.edu/caffeine
http://www.livestrong.com/article/545383-healthy-ways-to-drink-caffeine/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372?pg=1
http://greatist.com/health/why-coffee-tea-are-amazing-you-infographic
I definitely think the pros of drinking coffee outweighs the cons. I have never been a big proponent of drinking coffee, but through extensive research on this subject, I have found that coffee gets a very bad reputation even though the evidence is clear there are great health benefits to drinking coffee. Many people add sugar like you said, which does make coffee less healthy than if it was consumed just black. In my opinion (judged off of research) drinking coffee, even with sugar added, is much more healthy and a smarter choice than drinking a soda.
I’m really glad that I came across this article because I actually just posted a comment on someone else’s blog about scary movies being healthy for you because you can burn calories while watching them and I found an article that said drinking coffee can help you burn calories as well. I then questioned the writer, if scary movies are healthy for you because you burn calories does this mean drinking coffee is healthy for you? Although you were able to find that coffee helps with memory loss and various diseases, do you think the pros of drinking it out way the cons? Take a look at this pro con article I found on drinking coffee, what do you think? Many people do not drink coffee without adding in those extra calories of sugar and all that good stuff, do you think you need to drink coffee alone for it to have the positive effects that you stated?
I really liked your blog and it got me thinking, are there any other natural energy boosters other than caffeine? I found that taurine has also proven to boost energy levels, as well as provide other healthy benefits. For one, taurine carries antioxidants and also supports neurological development as well as regulate the level of water and mineral salts in the blood. Studies suggest that taurine combined with caffeine improves mental performance, although this finding remains controversial and is still unclear. However, this explains why taurine can be found in many energy drinks, as well as caffeine. B-vitamins also help your energy, but in a different way. B-vitamins are essential for quickly transferring food into energy at a cellular level. B-vitamins are literally essential for the human body; you can’t do anything without them. All in all, it seems that besides coffee, there are plenty of options if you need a quick fix.
Works Cited:
Reinagel, Monica. “Do B Vitamins Give You Energy?.” Quick and Dirty Tips. N.p., 21 May 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. .
Zeratsky, Katherine . “Nutrition and healthy eating.” Taurine in energy drinks: What is it?. Mayo Clinic, 27 May 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. .
I love green tea. It gives me a caffeine boost and as you stated many more health benefits. But here are some benefits you might not be aware of. It promotes weight loss because it increases the metabolism and the polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories. It also reduces the risk of diabetes by regulating glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. It can prevent depression because of Theanine–which is is an amino acid that naturally relaxes and tranquilizes the body. Lastly green tea is beneficial to skin health by reducing the signs of aging with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. I found these benefits on this website http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-of-green-tea-that-you-didnt-know-about.html
Waking up in the morning is a challenge! I am always tired for my early morning classes and need a little pick-me-up, but the problem is, I don’t drink coffee and I rarely wake up early enough to get myself tea. Fortunately, I always keep apples in my room for a quick snack. Did you know that apples give you the same amount of energy as coffee or tea would? No, apples do not have any caffeine in them, but they do contain natural sugars, which happens to be a lot healthier than all the sugars that people are pouring into their coffee. The natural glucose gradually raises sugar levels and gives people more energy without the crash at the end of the caffeine rush. Coffee and tea are definitely healthy drinks and give us that extra boost, but the healthier snack alternative would most definitely be an apple!
http://haveanamasteblog.com/2011/08/apples-vs-caffeine-how-apples-can-help-keep-you-awake/
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If the end goal is to get a boost from caffeine, why not cut out the middle man and just take caffeine pills? Caffeine pills can have many benefits over coffee, green tea, and other caffeinated drinks.
One advantage is that the amount of caffeine in a pill is explicitly defined, while the amount of caffeine in coffee can vary based upon the type of coffee and the serving size. Also, taking pills gets rid of some of the negative effects of coffee, such as yellow teeth. It is also much more economical to buy pills in bulk. A bottle of 200mg caffeine pills are currently $9.99 on Amazon, while coffee is much more expensive.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/277499-caffeine-pills-vs-coffee/
If the end goal is to get a boost from caffeine, why not cut out the middle man and just take caffeine pills? Caffeine pills can have many benefits over coffee, green tea, and other caffeinated drinks.
One advantage is that the amount of caffeine in a pill is explicitly defined, while the amount of caffeine in coffee can vary based upon the type of coffee and the serving size. Also, taking pills gets rid of some of the negative effects of coffee, such as yellow teeth. It is also much more economical to buy pills in bulk. A bottle of 200mg caffeine pills are currently $9.99 on Amazon, while coffee is much more expensive.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/277499-caffeine-pills-vs-coffee/
http://www.amazon.com/ProLab-Caffeine-Maximum-Potency-100-Count/dp/B0011865IQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1413909490&sr=1-1&keywords=caffeine+pills