Effects of Caffeine during IF

daniel doiron · 11-09-2009, 06:44 AM

I have seen comments about caffeine increasing cortisol 'too much' during IF, but does it really have that much of a negative effect? What about 1 mug for the day?

I feel more sensitive that is sure, but what would you see as the negative effects (hormonal or other)?

Thanks.

Steven Low · 11-09-2009, 07:08 AM

1 cup of coffee isn't going to kill you...

Although if you're drinking 4-5+ then you might want to admit you have a problem and drink more water.

Mike ODonnell · 11-09-2009, 10:48 AM

IF should help decrease your "need" for caffeine....or lessen the amount you have....as tea is all the jolt I really need anymore (otherwise I go into SNS overload).

As far as cortisol and caffeine.....here's an interesting study about how your morning response actually drops off if you are are consistent....yet PM response is much more prominent. So one cup in the AM....isn't much to worry about....and avoid the later spikes.

Quote:

Objective
Caffeine increases cortisol secretion in people at rest or undergoing mental stress. It is not known whether tolerance develops in this response with daily intake of caffeine in the diet. We therefore tested the cortisol response to caffeine challenge after controlled levels of caffeine intake.

Methods
Men (N = 48) and women (N = 48) completed a double-blind, crossover trial conducted over 4 weeks. On each week, subjects abstained for 5 days from dietary caffeine and instead took capsules totaling 0 mg, 300 mg, and 600 mg/day in 3 divided doses. On day 6, they took capsules with either 0 mg or 250 mg at 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 6:00 PM, and cortisol was sampled from saliva collected at 8 times from 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM.

Results
After 5 days of caffeine abstinence, caffeine challenge doses caused a robust increase in cortisol across the test day (p < .0001). In contrast, 5 days of caffeine intake at 300 mg/day and 600 mg/day abolished the cortisol response to the initial 9:00 AM caffeine dose, although cortisol levels were again elevated between 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM (p = .02 to .002) after the second caffeine dose taken at 1:00 PM. Cortisol levels declined to control levels during the evening sampling period.

Conclusion
Cortisol responses to caffeine are reduced, but not eliminated, in healthy young men and women who consume caffeine on a daily basis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2257922/

George Mounce · 11-17-2009, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Low

1 cup of coffee isn't going to kill you...

Although if you're drinking 4-5+ then you might want to admit you have a problem and drink more water.

Whats the problem? I actually very much enjoy the taste, smell, texture, aroma, and downright goodness of premium well brewed Peet's coffee. 5 a day isn't out of the picture as its a wonderful drink to have on a cold day.

I don't buy good coffee as this evil drink, its got a 1000 years of backing. Now, those energy drinks are horrible for you, but good coffee? Nah....

Steven Low · 11-17-2009, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Mounce

Whats the problem? I actually very much enjoy the taste, smell, texture, aroma, and downright goodness of premium well brewed Peet's coffee. 5 a day isn't out of the picture as its a wonderful drink to have on a cold day.

I don't buy good coffee as this evil drink, its got a 1000 years of backing. Now, those energy drinks are horrible for you, but good coffee? Nah....

Shrug.

Derek Weaver · 11-17-2009, 05:14 PM

I'm with George. I do tend to cycle my intake though. Not on purpose, I just go through periods when I don't want to drink as much. Maybe this is my body saying it's had enough and needs some downtime from the caffeine intake.

When I am fasting, which isn't as often as it used to be... I get wired. I can drink 5+ cups as well/day, but the effect is certainly more intense when fasted.

Garrett Smith · 11-17-2009, 06:29 PM

I'm in the process of giving it up right now. I'll still use it for meets, have it on occasion with a breakfast.

I need to make my coffee intake like my beer...not an every day thing, not even close.

Mike ODonnell · 11-18-2009, 08:24 AM

Caffeine is one of those things...the more you drink, the more you adapt to it. Hence why chronic drinkers need more and more coffee to get the "buzz" over time. Everyone has their own sensitivity level (which mine has gone way up since doing IF). Best idea is to cycle on and off, and watch high intake while fasting (to try and keep cortisol response minimal during a time where it may only increase more amino acids being used for fuel).