Caffeine

mlinton_mesapark

I'm sure this has been discussed at some point in this group before, so I apologize if it's ground you've already covered.

I have been moderately addicted to caffeine for most of my adult life. Not a big problem, since my addictions have always been unsweetened coffee and iced tea... or is it a big problem? There is a lot of conflicting information out there about caffeine.

I limited caffeine to no more than 1 cup of coffee per day, and usually is was half-caf, during pregnancy. I think my kids turned out okay.

After baby #3 was born, my caffeine use went up considerably, to about a pot of half-caf coffee per day, for a while there.

These days, I have a cup of full-strength coffee in the morning, then try to wait until the afternoon to drink caffeinated tea, stopping at about 4-5PM, to avoid sleep problems.

What's your experience? Do you know of good studies supporting a particular range of caffeine use? Should I nix it entirely?

DianaElena76

Recent studies are actually showing that there are health benefits associated with drinking coffee. Also, in regard to caffeine during pregnancy, I was "bad" and drank several cups (two travel mugs plus a regular mug at home) a day during all of my last three pregnancies. My pregnancies all went to term (or beyond) and are happy and healthy little ones now. I'm pretty sure the research at the time basically said there are no ill effects associated with caffeine use during pregnancy until you exceed about 4 cups per day.

Edited to say: I don't believe anyone is saying you *should* drink two pots of coffee a day, but moderate consumption doesn't seem to be too big of a problem. That said, I have reduced my caffeine intake lately because I feel energetic enough (now that I'm not having carb crashes) that I don't need it, and I feel better without as much coffee in my system.

Someone here has mentioned several times that caffeine increases cortisol, though, so that does have an impact on weight loss sometimes. Sorry I can't remember who.

professionalHobbyist

Yes please

I drink it often

Seem ok. I know I'm slow starting without

Suzmp88

Mayo Clinic is a good reputable source; they have a ton of pages on caffeine. This one says it's safe for adults to have 400mg (4 cups of coffee) a day, and high caffeine levels (500-600+mg) will start causing muscle tremors, restlessness, fast heartbeat etc. I've found this to be fairly accurate for myself. I usually stick to 2 cups in the morning, but if I start to slam around 4 cups and get those bad side effects, I will dial back a half cup every week till I'm back down to two.

mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678?pg=1

If we are talking about coffee, I've seen most studies encouraging moderation (never fails, eh?). Here's a quote from the below link: Recent studies have generally found no connection between coffee and an increased risk of cancer or heart disease. In fact, most studies find an association between coffee consumption and decreased overall mortality and possibly cardiovascular mortality, although this may not be true in younger people who drink large amounts of coffee.

mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/coffee-and-health/faq-20058339

Surely, your intake of coffee and tea are comparably better than getting caffeine through soda, frappuccino etc. IMO

mlinton_mesapark

Thanks y'all! I think I'll put this concern on the far back burner for now.

@Mami1976D, it's good to know you're feeling energetic enough to effortlessly lower your caffeine intake. I hope to get there, too.

@Suzmp88 thanks for the Mayo Clinic links!

I figure if it's supporting good decisions in other areas of my WOE, it's a naturally occurring substance and I'm not adding sugar to it or going bonkers with it, it's probably okay for me. My only misgiving is hat I do get headaches if I try to skip my morning cup, but maybe even that will get better without a whole lot of effort on my part.