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RE: Not surprising
By MrBlastman on 8/29/2008 11:52:10 AM , Rating: 1
I haven't consumed alcohol or any other substance for 12 years now. I also have been caffein free for about as long.

It is amazing how your body adapts to a caffein free diet. All of a sudden your sleep schedule is normal, you wake up normally and your stress level decreases substantially. Like you, the only exposure of it I subject myself to is chocolate. I haven't been able to kick that urge yet. :)

RE: Not surprising
By FITCamaro on 8/29/2008 1:41:18 PM , Rating: 3
Uh...there's absolutely nothing unhealthy or wrong with drinking alcohol or coffee. Like anything else, if you don't abuse it, its fine. I drink from time to time, I just don't get shitfaced. And I'll have a soda some days. Some days not. In fact many doctors say having a drink a day is good for you. Wine is best but there's nothing wrong with a beer or a shot.

I sleep fine at night. Different people handle it differently as well.

RE: Not surprising
By Seemonkeyscanfly on 8/29/08, Rating: 0
RE: Not surprising
By pertsa on 8/29/2008 4:47:45 PM , Rating: 2
Can't see why this was rated down. Health statistics show that moderate alcohol consumers live slightly longer than complete abstainers. Yes, it could have something to do with ex-alcoholics being complete abstainers after liver or other malfunctions, but not to the extent we are seeing in the statistics. Caffeine has many positive effects (again in moderation) through neurochemical ways (try doing a search on e.g. PubMed).

RE: Not surprising
By aos007 on 8/29/2008 8:15:16 PM , Rating: 2
Likewise, cannot see which idiot modded him down. There's nothing immoral or unhealthy about moderate consumption of coffee, in fact apparently the opposite. The last place I'd expect downmodding of such comment would be an IT website...

RE: Not surprising
By Fnoob on 8/31/2008 10:30:59 PM , Rating: 2
That's because there are those among us who consistently downmod viewpoints that they disagree with. The rankings simply ask whether or not it was worth reading. If you disagree, a reply is more appropriate than a downmod.

RE: Not surprising
By StevoLincolnite on 8/30/2008 12:27:15 AM , Rating: 4
Problem with Caffeine (Like Redbull and Coffee) while gaming, is that one of the side effects is insane toilet desires, so it could probably damage your "Pro Gaming" match more than help them if you suddenly had to get up and rush.

RE: Not surprising
By Fnoob on 8/31/2008 10:20:29 PM , Rating: 3
That's why all the 'real' Pros use Huggies pull-ups.

RE: Not surprising
By General Disturbance on 8/30/2008 10:36:59 PM , Rating: 2
Actually Fit, you'd be surprised. Read a book called "Caffeine Blues" is written by a doctor who's done tons of research on the effects of coffee (i.e., caffeine, that's found in the quantities consumed in coffee) on the is poisonous stuff, and definitely inflicts many many types of disturbances on the body and its rhythms.
I hear many people use the excuse "I drink it, and I'm fine, so therefore "it" must be fine also and that study must be wrong". The assumption is that the person thinks they're fine, but perhaps they are actually not.
When I stopped coffee it was like a veil being lifted from my head. Whenever I try it now for old time's sake it actually knocks me out cold, right to to sleep, in the middle of the day or morning or whatever. A curious response given that most people think coffee "gives them energy". The caffeine actually stimulates an immune response in a temporary increased rate of metabolism, as the body actually tries to excrete and clean the caffeine from the system. This is why coffee can give you the sweats, make you need to use the washroom, etc. Once you've become acclimated and addicted to this response you may not notice it or feel it as much, but rather than thinking of that as an "adaptation", one must ACTUALLY appreciate the stress their body must by under in order to NOT be having this response anymore. It is not a healthy bodily state. There is no "getting energy" involved, and this immune response is ACTUALLY a VERY enervating (as in energy depleting) process.
Alcohol, of course, obviously has many similar effects on the body. So the question I have, is, if this is the effect caffeine and alcohol have on the body, how is it good to do this to your body at ANY frequency? The truth is, it isn't; THOUGH we can certainly DO IT and still live long lives, if one chooses to do those things.
In regards to wine, and the benefits of the anti-oxidants found in it for your heart: those same anti-oxidants can be found in many, many types of raw fruits and vegetables, obviously including raw grapes, which everyone loves to eat.

Anyway, just wanted to point out that there actually is quite a bit of UNhealth in coffee and alcohol etc.

RE: Not surprising
By Fnoob on 8/31/08, Rating: 0
RE: Not surprising
By jtemplin on 9/3/2008 10:36:40 AM , Rating: 2
Your explanation of the mechanism by which caffeine exerts its stimulant effects is completely wrong.

When taken in moderation caffine is considered to be ergogenic. You can check the wiki for more info but research consistently shows moderate doses of caffeine improve athletic performance, both aerobic and anaerobic.

Any substance that artificially increases your heart rate (tachycardia) is not good for your heart in the long run. But used in moderation (as FIT was saying) caffeine is pretty safe. There was a widely publicized study recently released suggesting coffee consumption is associated with increased longevity.

You can begin your reading on the pharmacological mechanism of action here:

Coffee study link:

RE: Not surprising
By General Disturbance on 9/3/2008 1:03:30 PM , Rating: 2
Yes I've already done that reading. And no, the explanation is not wrong, it actually fits perfectly with what you said. I know many athletes who consume coffee before working out or training, and it is specifically because of the increased rate of metabolism (i.e., increased heart rate, etc...) that is induced. There is a REASON that coffee stimulates that response, and the REASON is that the body is trying to metabolize and excrete the caffeine. It is not some magic drug that just gives you energy...there is a REASON why the body reacts to it, and it is because it is a poison taken in small quantities.

The best thing to increase longevity is to not drug your body at all and eat all raw natural foods, with small amounts of cooked meat, and light exercise. However, WE CERTAINLY CAN live a long, productive and happy life not doing this, smoking and drinking and eating at McD's, so I'm not preaching!!!! Please, eat and drink what you want!

There is a very common misconception, coined I think by various industry organizations, that "moderation" is the key to health. Well, no one knows what the hell moderation means, it only serves as a keyword for people to think "well my level of consumption is moderate and therefore I must be fine". How can everyone feel this way since everyone has different consumption habits? The truth is, moderation typically SHOULD mean hardly ever, not more than once a month. As others have pointed out, it can take several days for the body to correct itself after a caffeine ingestion, and so once a week would be too frequent in the case of a cup of coffee.

But whatever, as I said we can put all sorts of things in our body and still stay alive and feel happy and be productive and live until we have great-grand children, so really we needn't worry.

But for some, living in a physically and mentally highly optimized state can have certain rewards, and that is certainly worth exploring too.

RE: Not surprising
By jtemplin on 9/4/2008 8:09:43 PM , Rating: 2
I think me and you see eye to eye. I live the life you describe...

I do however find your wording a bit strong. Caffeine is not a poison, not by any reasonable standard.

From Wiki... LD 50 of: Caffeine Animal:rat Administration Route:oral LD50 192 mg/kg

It is definitely not a poison. The healthy lifestyle is whats up, but it needs to be guided by reason, not fear.

What originally stood out to me was you saying immune system. Its through the autonomic nervous system by which the effects are achieved, not the immune system. The nervous system (which controls the endocrine system) is in control of the immune system. So technically wrong. But like I said. I agree with your message. Healthy living is the key to happiness!



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