Before you reach for that pick me up, it is important to thoroughly understand how caffeine affects your body. Coffee can have many positives benefits to health. It is a great source of protective antioxidants, and increases the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine which enhances delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and brain. Coffee also increases workout endurance and increases insulin sensitivity. Unfortunately, this is where the benefits of coffee end.

Caffeine intake triggers your adrenal glands to release adrenalin, the hormone responsible for the body’s stress response known as fight or flight. Although stress is natural for us to experience when it long term it affects all systems in your body and that comes at the expense of increased blood pressure, heart rate, elevated blood sugar, increased triglycerides, weight gain, lack of energy, slower recovery and loss of muscle. This is due to the increase of cortisol in your body from the adrenal fatigue. Cortisol has many negative affects on the body the most common are weight gain /weight loss resistance and muscle / bone weakness and slower recovery and healing. While useful under physical exertion, our bodies were not designed to chronically secrete adrenaline frequently. Drinking a cup of coffee in the morning sets the body up for a roller coaster of energy highs and lows. After a few hours of drinking caffeine, the energy crash begins, which often sends the drinker reaching for another cup to cancel out this inevitable fatigue, irritability and brain fog. This leads to energy spikes and crashes all day long, eventually ending in adrenal burnout or adrenal fatigue.

Also of note is coffee’s acidic effect on the body. Coffee raises the acidity of the blood which leads to calcium being pulled from your bones and teeth for use as a buffering agent. Because of this, there is a very clear and established link between coffee consumption, osteoporosis, and hip fractures. This also leads to slower recovery after workouts, ligament damage and repetitive injuries as it stops the body’s natural healing response.

The safe amount of caffeine for you is less than 150mg a day. To make this clear an shot of espresso from Starbucks has 75mg, so a tall Americano will have 150mg of caffeine a grande coffee has 330mg and a venti has 415mg. So your best choices are an Americano, and ask for less shots, or a Cappucino that has 150 mg. If you are already experiencing the effects of chronic caffeine use and adrenal fatigue, then now is the best time to wean yourself from this artificial energy booster during Project Jacked. Once the caffeine withdrawal symptoms subside and your adrenals have recovered, it is time to enjoy the normal, natural, abundant energy levels of a healthy body. This cannot be achieved without providing your body with the proper nutrients. For questions or help with anything else email me at dr.rj@igic.co. Dr. RJ – I GET IT Chiropractic A Maximized Living Health Center www.igic.co