Drinking coffee boosts brain performance

Undeniably, we are a nation of caffeine junkies and the psychoactive drug profoundly affects our brains. At least 80 percent of adults in Western countries regularly consume caffeine in amounts large enough to affect brain functioning, say experts. And that doesn’t count the mil­lions of children who are hooked on caffeine-spiked colas and other soft drinks.
The major question: Is caffeine good or bad for the brain? It all depends on how your brain reacts to caffeine. Most people feel more cheerful and alert, more clear-headed and focused, more energetic and productive, even euphoric, after a dose of caffeine, say experts. Others become jittery, anxious, headachy, even at risk of panic attacks after drink­ing coffee or taking caffeine. It’s mostly a matter of inher­ited biological individuality. It is also true that most people who use caffeine regularly tend to get mildly addicted, including children. In a small way caffeine has some of the qualities of “upper” drugs without the profound hazards, say some experts.

“There’s no question caffeine is a mild psychomotor stimulant that produces effects qualitatively similar to very low doses of cocaine and amphetamine, providing classic stimulation—feelings of increased energy, well being, decreased sleepiness, talkativeness, more sociability and better ability to concentrate.” —Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., leading caffeine researcher, Johns Hop­kins University School of Medicine

Why Caffeine Gives Your Brain a Jolt

Surprisingly, caffeine is not a typical stimulant; it does not prod brain cells to perk up, hop to, become alert, and per­form better. Caffeine, rather, works in a roundabout way. Instead of triggering release of “up” chemicals, it blocks the action of the neurotransmitter adenosine that ordinar­ily tells the brain to quiet down and go to sleep. Since the caffeine molecule chemically resembles adenosine, it can plop down on brain cell receptor sites, displacing adeno­sine. This prevents adenosine from stifling the enthusiasm of “upper” neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. Thus, caf­feine, masquerading as adenosine, fools brain cells into remaining in a persistent state of excitability. A little caf­feine goes a long way. Experts say that the caffeine in a couple of cups of coffee can knock out half the brain’s adenosine receptors for a couple of hours, keeping your brain on high alert.

How Much of a Brain-Kick?

Even small amounts of caffeine increase alertness and con­centration, relieve fatigue, and speed up reaction times. This was established by classic studies done at the Massa­chusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1980s by Har­ris R. Lieberman, Ph.D., and Richard Wurtman, M.D. In a group of men, they found that caffeine ranging from 32 milligrams in a carbonated cola to 256 milligrams in a ten-ounce mug of brewed coffee boosted performance on tests requiring alertness, concentration, and fast reactions. The conclusion: Even small amounts of caffeine are psychoac­tive, but the optimal dose appears to be 100 to 200 mil­ligrams—one to two five-ounce cups of coffee—taken in the morning and again in late afternoon when caffeine wears off. Higher doses of caffeine did not rev up brain power further.

BOTTOM LINE: To boost brain performance, all you need is the caffeine in a cup of coffee in the morning and again at midday. Trying to further hype up your brain with more caffeine is usually futile and counter­productive.

A Cup of Tea Does the Trick

Surprisingly, even drinking a single cup of tea, containing about 60 milligrams of caffeine—roughly half that of cof­fee—can give your brain an instant boost, speeding up reaction time and performance on mental tests. British researchers recently had subjects drink a cup of tea, or a cup of hot water spiked with 60 milligrams of caffeine, or the same beverages with no caffeine. Immediately after­ward, investigators administered an 80-minute battery of mental performance tests. Amazingly, within minutes of drinking the caffeine, the subjects’ reaction times speeded up, as evidenced by their quicker responses to the battery of tests. Their answers were also more accurate.

Indeed, drinking tea (or coffee) several times a day helps keep you alert and at higher mental performance levels, finds other recent British research. Drinking a cup of tea or coffee at 9 A.M., 2 P.M., and 7 P.M. preserved alertness and good cognitive performance throughout the day, which oth­erwise typically declines. When subjects drank only water during the day, their alertness and performance fell steadily. Also the beneficial impact on the brain was quick—evident within ten minutes. Further, researchers suspect the brain-boost was not entirely due to the caffeine alone, but to other biologically active ingredients in the tea or coffee.