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Caffeine: Can It
Be Used to Our Advantage? Caffeine is the subject of ongoing research...year after year various studies reveal the pros and cons of caffeine. The common theme, revealed by organizations such as The Centers for Disease Control and the American Medical Association, is that moderate intake of caffeine does not contribute to disease in an otherwise healthy person. It won't cause cancer. It won't cause high blood pressure. But it just might facilitate fat burning. Caffeine speeds up our metabolism. (Maybe that's why is the most active ingredient in most diet pills.) It also breaks down fat, freeing fatty acids which are immediately burned during exercise. Conversion of fat to energy is about 30 percent more efficient when caffeine is consumed prior to exercise. Does this mean that caffeine burns fat? Not exactly. The caffeine-enhanced fat burning can occur only while we're exercising. While the fat is being burned, glycogen and glucose (blood sugars) are being reserved, allowing blood sugar levels to remain higher for longer. Higher glucose levels ward off hunger. This is why coffee is popular among students and think-tankers. The brain functions exclusively on glucose, and higher blood sugar levels facilitate thinking. (Source 1) If you're not big on coffee, try the new caffeinated waters on the market. Water Joe is a great alternative to coffee and soda -- no calories, sugars or coffee stains! (Source 2) Now I'm not advocating everyone should run out and pump themselves with mega doses of caffeine. I'd just like to offer my opinion and some research to show that it doesn't necessarily deserve the bad rep it so often gets. As always, if you have any medical problems - check with your doctor about using caffeine. And, of course, cut down if you're pregnant. Without my coffee, the participants in my morning exercise classes would get a cranky instructor, leading them through their routine with half-closed eyes. With coffee, they get a blast of energy from me that gets their day off to a great start. And when I'm done leading the class, I've know I've burned fat...and I still have the energy to do some strength training or additional cardiovascular work. Sources: Article reprinted with permission from Shannon L. Entin of http://www.fitnesslink.com. |
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