positive versus negative effects of Caffeine

i try not to take in caffeine, unless i'm doin an ECA stack cos i know that it has a negative effect on protein synthesis

i have heard that it has some effect on blood sugar too - raises it somehow - can someone confirm or correct me on this

however there are also benefits eg.

eases water retention
anti-oxidant (in coffee)
accelerates fat loss]
stops u falling asleep at work (somethin i deal with daily)

so do the positives out weigh the negatives?

or shoul we (like me) just reserve it for ECA combos?

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-Force

i try not to take in caffeine, unless i'm doin an ECA stack cos i know that it has a negative effect on protein synthesis

i have heard that it has some effect on blood sugar too - raises it somehow - can someone confirm or correct me on this

however there are also benefits eg.

eases water retention
anti-oxidant
accelerates fat loss]
stops u falling asleep at work (somethin i deal with daily)

so do the positives out weigh the negatives?

or shoul we (like me) just reserve it for ECA combos?

I personally feel as if Caffiene's positives out weight the negatives. Caffiene's effects on blood sugar seems to be centered around insulin. Caffiene administered during an oral glucose load, showed that it increased the insulin response. Which is hypothesized to lead to insulin resistance. Since we weight train and do other many beneficial things, we should not worry about insulin resistance, unless it is a concern in your family. However here you will see many benefits of taking caffiene for athletes and BB's:

Caffeine and exercise: metabolism, endurance and performance.

Graham TE.

Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. [email protected]

Caffeine is a common substance in the diets of most athletes and it is now appearing in many new products, including energy drinks, sport gels, alcoholic beverages and diet aids. It can be a powerful ergogenic aid at levels that are considerably lower than the acceptable limit of the International Olympic Committee and could be beneficial in training and in competition. Caffeine does not improve maximal oxygen capacity directly, but could permit the athlete to train at a greater power output and/or to train longer. It has also been shown to increase speed and/or power output in simulated race conditions. These effects have been found in activities that last as little as 60 seconds or as long as 2 hours. There is less information about the effects of caffeine on strength; however, recent work suggests no effect on maximal ability, but enhanced endurance or resistance to fatigue. There is no evidence that caffeine ingestion before exercise leads to dehydration, ion imbalance, or any other adverse effects. The ingestion of caffeine as coffee appears to be ineffective compared to doping with pure caffeine. Related compounds such as theophylline are also potent ergogenic aids. Caffeine may act synergistically with other drugs including ephedrine and anti-inflammatory agents. It appears that male and female athletes have similar caffeine pharmacokinetics, i.e., for a given dose of caffeine, the time course and absolute plasma concentrations of caffeine and its metabolites are the same. In addition, exercise or dehydration does not affect caffeine pharmacokinetics. The limited information available suggests that caffeine non-users and users respond similarly and that withdrawal from caffeine may not be important. The mechanism(s) by which caffeine elicits its ergogenic effects are unknown, but the popular theory that it enhances fat oxidation and spares muscle glycogen has very little support and is an incomplete explanation at best. Caffeine may work, in part, by creating a more favourable intracellular ionic environment in active muscle. This could facilitate force production by each motor unit.

Nutritional strategies to influence adaptations to training.

Spriet LL, Gibala MJ.

Department of Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. [email protected]

This article highlights new nutritional concerns or practices that may influence the adaptation to training. The discussion is based on the assumption that the adaptation to repeated bouts of training occurs during recovery periods and that if one can train harder, the adaptation will be greater. The goal is to maximize with nutrition the recovery/adaptation that occurs in all rest periods, such that recovery before the next training session is complete. Four issues have been identified where recent scientific information will force sports nutritionists to embrace new issues and reassess old issues and, ultimately, alter the nutritional recommendations they give to athletes. These are: (1) caffeine ingestion; (2) creatine ingestion; (3) the use of intramuscular triacylglycerol (IMTG) as a fuel during exercise and the nutritional effects on IMTG repletion following exercise; and (4) the role nutrition may play in regulating the expression of genes during and after exercise training sessions. Recent findings suggest that low doses of caffeine exert significant ergogenic effects by directly affecting the central nervous system during exercise. Caffeine can cross the blood-brain barrier and antagonize the effects of adenosine, resulting in higher concentrations of stimulatory neurotransmitters. These new data strengthen the case for using low doses of caffeine during training. On the other hand, the data on the role that supplemental creatine ingestion plays in augmenting the increase in skeletal muscle mass and strength during resistance training remain equivocal. Some studies are able to demonstrate increases in muscle fibre size with creatine ingestion and some are not. The final two nutritional topics are new and have not progressed to the point that we can specifically identify strategies to enhance the adaptation to training. However, it is likely that nutritional strategies will be needed to replenish the IMTG that is used during endurance exercise. It is not presently clear whether the IMTG store is chronically reduced when engaging in daily sessions of endurance training or if this impacts negatively on the ability to train. It is also likely that the increased interest in gene and protein expression measurements will lead to nutritional strategies to optimize the adaptations that occur in skeletal muscle during and after exercise training sessions. Research in these areas in the coming years will lead to strategies designed to improve the adaptive response to training.

very intersting

yes very

Speaking of caffeine... do you know what the definition of panic is? being stuck in morning traffic and realizing you just had two cups of coffee and a bran muffin! :eek:

'er sorry, didn't contribute much to the conversation did I?

ive always heard its not good. regular caffiene in your diet lowers your sensitivity to insulin. that would make those attempts at insulin spikes throughout the day harder to put to good use. theres no way caffiene stays in your system long enough to keep you awake for more than an hour. ive gone weeks without it and gotten to where i dont take in any caffiene and stay awake fine, and i work midnight to 8am. i think its the same as any other addiction, there are positives and negatives and different people have a different number of each.

Caffiene

Quote:

Originally Posted by spittin' 'n cussin'

ive always heard its not good. regular caffiene in your diet lowers your sensitivity to insulin. that would make those attempts at insulin spikes throughout the day harder to put to good use. theres no way caffiene stays in your system long enough to keep you awake for more than an hour. ive gone weeks without it and gotten to where i dont take in any caffiene and stay awake fine, and i work midnight to 8am. i think its the same as any other addiction, there are positives and negatives and different people have a different number of each.

I think a little is productive. I have 1 cup of coffee a day. About 1 hour or so before I lift or do cardio. Moderation is key with caffiene.

If I drink to much coffe during a period of maby a month or so I start to get heart palpations. So I limit myself to 1-2 cups a day so I can stay awake at uni. Its a neccesary evil imo but not a big evil :)

also I think caffiene an low to moderate doses is a vaso-constrictor

nice one Giantz

i try and limit my intake but do take with eph, and sometimes i actually NEED it to stay awake at work

anyone use caffeine with clen?

I was taking 2 pills of caffeine pre-workout. After every intese work-out, I was getting dizy and sick. Come to find out it was the caffeine. Guess it was messing with my blood sugar. Didn't work well for me though.

I am a caffiene junky. I drink about a half a pot of coffee every morning, I get monsters before I work out, I would say that I take in close to 1000 mg a day. Hell and even after all this I am tired, it sucks but gotta stay awake somehow.

Im a big fan of diet coke w/caffeine and even though im bulking, this was a very interesting topic, i never even thought about it...