Biochemistry of Caffeine's Influence On Exercise Performance
Peter M. Tiidus, Rebecca E. K. MacPherson, Paul J. LeBlanc, Andrea R. Josse in The Routledge Handbook on Biochemistry of Exercise, 2020
In summary, caffeine consumption has the potential to improve all aspects of physical performance, including aerobic and anaerobic competitions, as well as alertness and mental fatigue. Caution is required to ensure athletes are aware of their individual reactions and appropriate dosage and timing. It is also important to emphasize that caffeine is not a food or nutritional supplement, but a drug that can have serious consequences. Although relatively safe in healthy adults, caffeine can be harmful for vulnerable populations and some athletes. Even at recommended doses, caffeine can exacerbate underlying health conditions, including asthma, cardiac arrhythmias, and mental illness. All considered, it is important that coaches and athletes alike be educated about caffeine consumption and test its ergogenic impacts on an individual level.
Caffeine in the modulation of brain function
B.S. Gupta, Uma Gupta in Caffeine and Behavior, 2020
Caffeine is well known for its stimulant properties and is found in foods, beverages, and as a constituent of drug formulations throughout the world. The mechanisms in the brain by which caffeine produces its effects, however, have not been understood until the last decade, with the advent of powerful research tools that have permitted investigators to study the biochemical and neuropharmacological properties of this drug. The intent of this article is to review the scientific literature which is related to the role of caffeine as a modulator of neurotransmission in general, and then to focus specifically on how caffeine affects cholinergic pathways. Finally, a link will be made between the changes in a caffeine-mediated cholinergic neurotransmission and behavioral effects of the drug.
Consciousness, Sleep and Hypnosis, Meditation, and Psychoactive Drugs
Mohamed Ahmed Abd El-Hay in Understanding Psychology for Medicine and Nursing, 2019
Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. It is found in drinks like coffee, tea, cola drinks, and in chocolate and certain over-the-counter medications. Caffeine is usually used to promote wakefulness, mental alertness, and vigilance. Excess caffeine can produce anxiety, restlessness, and increased heart rate and can disrupt normal sleep patterns and can also contribute to the incidence of sleep disorders, including the NREM parasomnias, like sleepwalking (Cartwright, 2004). There is clear scientific evidence that caffeine is physically addictive. If caffeine intake is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms are experienced: headaches, irritability, drowsiness, and fatigue can last a week or longer (Juliano & Griffiths, 2004; Reissig, Strain, & Griffiths, 2009).
Comparative Bioavailability and Benefits on Mental Functions of Novel Extended-Release Caffeine Capsules against Immediate-Release Caffeine Capsules: An Open-Label, Randomized, Cross-over, Single-Dose Two-Way Crossover Study
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2022
Shefali Thanawala, Rajat Shah, R. Abiraamasundari, R. Senthurselvi, Prabakaran Desomayanandam
Caffeine enhances alertness, vigilance, attention, reaction time as well as physical performance. Although research on the enhancement in physical or cognitive performance after using caffeine is still ongoing, it is frequently used in occupational settings that demand optimal physical and cognitive functioning to ensure better productivity (McLellan et al. 2016). Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the benefits of caffeine consumption for military personnel, office-workers, factory workers, and individuals performing day-to-day lifestyle tasks (Doepker et al. 2016). Caffeine exerts its pharmacological/therapeutic effect through antagonism of adenosine A1 and A2A receptors owing to structural similarity with adenosine, the inhibitory neuromodulator of the central nervous system which decreases the release of glutamate, serotonin, acetylcholine, noradrenaline, and dopamine (McLellan et al. 2016).
Evaluation of subchronic toxicity of the compound of diphenhydramine hydrochloride and caffeine after 28 days of repeated oral administration in Sprague-Dawley rats and beagle dogs
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2022
Lijun Ren, Lang Yan, Wenjing Shi, Tiantian Zhang, Bijiang Geng, Jingjing Mao, Jiqianzhu Zhang, Yijun Tian, Haoneng Wang, Fangyuan Gao, Xiaoyu Dai, Jinfeng Li, Jing Gu, Yun Chen, Xiaofang Zhang, Jikuai Chen, Jiangbo Zhu
Through multiple preliminary pharmacological and pharmacodynamic experiments, the proposed human clinical dose of the compound of DH and caffeine is 1.42 mg/kg. Although moderate caffeine intake is considered safe, higher intakes can lead to adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, and tachycardia. Death has also been related to excessive consumption (Musgrave et al.2016). The correlation between serum caffeine concentration and clinical effects has some reference value. In general, toxicological symptoms occur at concentrations above 15 mg/L (e.g., irritability, nervousness, palpitations, tremors, perspiration), while a concentration of 50 mg/L is considered ‘toxic’ and concentrations of 80 mg/L or higher are considered fatal (Willson2018). Radovanovic et al. conducted a retrospective and prospective study of patients taking diphenhydramine alone. The data showed that diphenhydramine above 1.0 g can cause toxic reactions such as confusion, delirium, seizures, and coma (Radovanovic et al.2000). According to the results of our previous acute toxicity study, the median lethal dose (LD50) of the compound by gavage in rats was 287.1 mg/kg. Moreover, preliminary experimental results showed that SD rats died after 28 days of repeated gavage at a dose of 255 mg/kg. Therefore, in the rat study, the compound high-dose group was administered 204 mg/kg, and the compound medium- and low-dose groups were halved sequentially. At the same time, separate administration groups of DH and caffeine were established for comparison.
Caffeine and energy drink use by combat arms soldiers in Afghanistan as a countermeasure for sleep loss and high operational demands
Published in Nutritional Neuroscience, 2019
Tom M. McLellan, Lyndon A. Riviere, Kelly W. Williams, Dennis McGurk, Harris R. Lieberman
In addition to collecting demographic information such as age, rank, years of service, military occupational specialty, and history of deployment and tobacco use, the survey assessed sleep quality and use of caffeinated beverages. Soldiers indicated how many energy drinks were consumed each day during their current deployment and when not deployed. Questions assessing consumption of 12-ounce (355 mL) servings of coffee, and caffeinated tea and soft drinks were also included. Daily caffeine intake was calculated using 160 mg of caffeine as the caffeine content for each 16-ounce (475 mL) energy drink, 128 mg for a 12-ounce cup of coffee, and 52 mg of caffeine for a cup of tea or soft drink consumed.3,28,29 For all analyses, soldiers were divided into three categories defined as non-users and very low caffeine users (≤52 mg or the equivalent of 1 cup of tea or soda), moderate users (>52 and <400 mg or up to two energy drinks and one soda, or three cups of coffee) and heavy daily consumers (>400 mg). The use of 400 mg to separate moderate and heavy consumers of caffeine is consistent with a conservative upper limit for caffeine consumption proposed by Nawrot et al.30 and confirmed by Wikoff et al.31 for lack of adverse health effects associated with daily caffeine intake.
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