Should Christians be drinking caffeine

[Colin Stolzer]

Caffeine's Effect is Long Lasting and Compounds Stress

DURHAM, N.C. - - A study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center shows that caffeine taken in the morning has effects on the body that persist until bedtime and amplifies stress consistently throughout the day. These results show for the first time that the effects of caffeine last considerably longer than originally thought, said the scientists, and that caffeine exaggerates stress in people who consume it every day.
The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, appears in the July/August 2002 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

"The effects of coffee drinking are long-lasting and exaggerate the stress response both in terms of the body's physiological response in blood pressure elevations and stress hormone levels, but it also magnifies a person's perception of stress," said James D. Lane, Ph.D., associate research professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke and lead author of the study. "People haven't really accepted the fact that there could be a health downside to caffeine consumption, but our evidence ? and that of other studies ? shows that this downside exists and people should be aware of it in order to make the best possible health choices."

To determine the effects of caffeine on people as they go about their normal activities, the researchers enrolled 47 healthy, habitual coffee drinkers in a double blind, placebo-controlled study. That is, neither the participants nor the researchers knew when the participants were receiving caffeine or the placebo.

To qualify for the study, the coffee drinkers were asked to fill out a daily diary of caffeine intake for a period of one week. They kept the diary in order to determine the average amount of caffeine they consumed on a daily basis, the type of caffeinated beverages they drank, and the variation from day to day, all of which helped verify the participants as habitual coffee drinkers.

Once the coffee drinkers qualified for the study, their responses to caffeine were measured on two different, randomly chosen days. On one day, the coffee drinkers were given a 250-milligram dose of caffeine in the morning and again at lunchtime. On the other day, they were given identical capsules containing a placebo at the same time interval. The doses of caffeine -- equal to four cups of coffee -- and the dosage times were chosen to reflect normal patterns of coffee drinking in adults. Half of the study participants received caffeine on the first day of study and the others received it on the second day. The coffee drinkers were given, on average, two to three days off between study days during which they could consume as many caffeinated beverages as they normally desired.

On both study days, coffee drinkers wore a portable monitor that measured blood pressure and heart rate four times an hour from early morning until bedtime, while they went about their normal daily activities. They were asked to collect urine samples so that the researchers could measure the amount of stress hormones they had produced that day. They were also asked to keep a diary to record their perceived stress levels as well as their physical position ? standing, sitting or lying down ? each time the monitor was activated.

When the researchers compared the caffeine days to the placebo days they discovered that caffeine consumption significantly raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure consistently throughout the day and night, and adrenaline levels rose by 32 percent. The researchers found that the elevated levels persisted as the evening progressed to bedtime.

The study also showed that while caffeine increases blood pressure and heart rate, it also amplifies those effects at the times when participants report higher levels of stress during their day, said Lane. The caffeine appears to compound the effects of stress both psychologically in terms of perceived stress levels and physiologically in terms of elevated blood pressures and stress hormone levels -- as if the stressor is actually of greater magnitude, he said.

"The caffeine we drink enhances the effects of the stresses we experience, so if we have a stressful job, drinking coffee makes our body respond more to the ordinary stresses we experience," he said. "The combination of stress and caffeine has a multiplying, or synergistically negative effect.

"Everyone accepts that stress can be unhealthy. Our results suggest that drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks can make stress even more unhealthy."

The researchers noted that while habitual coffee drinkers might be expected to demonstrate tolerance to the effects of caffeine, they still showed significant responses to the drug.

"Our findings indicate that eliminating coffee and other caffeinated beverages from the diet could be a helpful way to decrease blood pressure and other stress reactions," said Lane. "I think that people who feel 'stressed out' should at least consider quitting caffeine to see if they feel better. Quitting caffeine could be particularly beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure, just as diet and exercise can help keep blood pressure under control.

The researchers said that despite the perceived safety of overwhelmingly popular caffeinated beverages such as coffee, the drug does show short-term negative health effects that, if continued over a period of years, could increase risk of heart attack and stroke.

"While today's cup of coffee might not, by itself, cause you much harm, the cumulative effects of drinking it day after day over a lifetime could really be unhealthy," Lane concluded.

Other authors on the study are Carl Pieper, DrPH, Barbara Phillips-Bute, Ph.D., John Bryant, Ph.D., and Cynthia Kuhn, Ph.D., all of Duke.

www.HealthNewsDigest.com

also: http://www.caffeinedependence.org/caffe ... dence.html

And the category with examples that caffeine falls into:
Stimulants
Effects
*
Speeds up the central nervous system.
*
Desired effects would include a sense of well being or euphoria, or an enhanced ability to think and function.
*
Other effects include anxiety, paranoia, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, reduced appetite, restlessness, insomnia, and a feeling of being ?shaky.?

Examples:
Cocaine
Dexedrine
Methedrine
Tenuate
Ionamin
Ritalin
Fastin
Tobacco
Caffeine

In Gal 5:20 one of the works of the flesh that is listed is witchcraft. According to Strong's the definition is:
G5331
?????????
pharmakeia
far-mak-i'-ah
From G5332; medication (?pharmacy?), that is, (by extension) magic (literal or figurative): - sorcery, witchcraft.

Caffeine clearly falls into the category of a drug, and according to research it has short and long term negative effects, yet christians use it daily without regard. I was just wondering what you all thought?

C

[Psalms18_28]

and allergy medicine.. That stuff make me jittery.

My asthma inhaler does too.

[deputydog530]

Very valid point Cowboy. Caffene is infact a drug. Tylnol has a lot of caffene. People take a lot of drugs for various health reasons.

I know I recently quit having anything with caffene and noted that my high blood pressure went down several points, and my stomach quit hurting.

One of those questions we have to ask ourselves.

:smile

[Kubel]

I think the best verse for this is:

1 Corinthians 6:12
All things are lawful unto me,
but all things are not expedient:
all things are lawful for me,
but I will not be brought under the power of any.

[Marcus2Israel]

As christians we have a responsibility to take care of our bodies! We should treat it as a temple of God and not pollute it with vile drugs and things that harm it. There are some things that are unavoidable, but coffee, fast food, soda, candy, and popping meds isn't good for you! Organic food, vegetables, water, excersize... Oh, I forgot... Were Baptists... We don't excersize. lol It can be hard to eat right and excersize but it is God's will because that is how He designed our bodies. You certainly don't hear anyone preach on this one though...

[MilkmanDan]

Didn't Oliver Greene and Lester Roloff engage in this same argument??

I am Bro. Steve and I am a coffee junkie :sad . Perhaps I shouldn't?

I'll be the first too admit I have never studied it enough to come to a logical conclusion.

[dwayner79]

Coffee is good for you: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9105892/

[Jerry]

Desired effects would include a sense of well being or euphoria, or an enhanced ability to think and function.

Sounds good! Time for a refill... :coffee

[kevinmiller]

Like in anything else, moderation is key. In small doses, caffeine is good for you and enhances your brain functions. In high doses, it causes addiction and stress on the body. I love coffee, but I can't drink it because it bothers my stomach. Therefore, it's easy for me to say that it's best to stay away from consuming too much caffeine. :wink

[Guest Guest]

I am a coffee fiend. I live in the south, and therefore sweet tea is as common as water. I don't much care for soda (pop) or soft drinks, as the sugar content is outrageous - plus when I worked at Pepsi Corp., it was stored in huge tanks marked "corrosive".

All that being said, caffeine is a drug - and can be a dangerous one. I used to drink four or five cups of coffee a day, and then finish it up at dinner with a glass or two of iced tea. I began to notice my dependency on the drug, and if I did not drink enough of it - massive headaches would ensue. I quickly realized this was not best for my body. I am now down to 1 cup of coffee in the morning, as I believe that in small amounts, caffeine actually gives you a boost (as shown earlier in this thread). Water is now the mainstay of my liquid diet, mingled with some herbal or green tea occasionally.

As far as caffeine being morally wrong, I would put it on the same level as other "moderation" items. Plus, the fact that is socially acceptable and normal makes it even more widely used. We all know that no one likes to condemn things that are prevalent in their own lives. I would compare it to smoking, which has been socially condemned. It's health effects are disastrous, but its nicotine is very much a stimulant. Used in small doses, one could even argue that it boosts their productivity and functionality. It would, however, invoke a much less favorable response from the general public due to its social condemnation.

I am not condoning tobacco use, merely making a comparison (albeit a little hyperbolic). :Green

[Psalms18_28]

I went three days without coffee since today, and I feel nothing. sometimes I don't remember to make coffee unless I want to make a nice breakfast to go with it. I don't really like the taste of water (bland), milk (more for children than adults), OJ (burns my throat), soda (too sugary), etc for breakfast.

coffee used to keep me up at night, but it haven't done that anymore.

[HappyChristian]

I don't drink coffee anymore because it really aggravates my acid reflux. I do drink tea, mostly decaf and herbal. I also get migraines often. When I feel one coming on, I reach for the caffeine. It opens the blood cells to the brain, which helps ease the migraine. It doesn't go away, but bewteen that and Tylenol with aspirin, it eases it enough to function, and I don't have to get stronger meds.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with it - as long as it's not abused. A pot a day would be too much, imo. Even when I drank coffee, I didn't drink that much. I always knew I had too many cups when I began to shake. Two was my normal limit. I really liked it, and I miss drinking a cup in the morning (even went to decaf and that bothers me!), but the tea is good, too.

[Jerry]

A couple of days ago, I got a Chai Tea Latte, which the attendant put way too much chai syrup in there by accident. My friend asked her to put a little extra in there, but as a newbie she overdid it. The taste was a little bit stronger - and I didn't think too much about it, until about an hour later - I started to get a fever and feeling really ill for a couple of hours. Of course it also affected my nerves. A regular amount wakes me up - but I am never going to get them to put in the amount again that they did that day! :eek

[Psalms18_28]

I used to put sugar in my coffee, I stopped now, and drink it black.

Now that I think about it, I think it was the sugar that may have kept me up at night.

[Anon]

When you think about it..

Alcohol harms yourself AND others.

Smoking harms yourself AND others.

Caffiene is negligible as far as effects to yourself and definitely does not harm others.

Cell phones are possibly harmful to oneself but does not harm others.

Definite line there. The first two are definitely out. The second two are between the user and God.