Are You Immune to Caffeine?
by Nathanael Curtis
How does caffeine affect you? Some veteran coffee drinkers will claim that caffeine has little to no effect, whereas some casual drinkers feel that an afternoon cup of decaf leads to sleepless nights. In fact, some studies have corroborated this pattern. This led a team of researchers in Portugal to ask a specific question. Does a cup of coffee affect the brain chemistry of a regular coffee drinker? To find out, they found some habitual coffee drinkers and scanned their brains, before and after a single cup of coffee. In addition to some fascinating results, they discovered something unique about your morning cup of joe that can’t be found anywhere else.
Past Research
The caffeine found in coffee is the reason why you’re more alert, but it’s also why you return for another cup the next day! Many studies indicate that once caffeine’s magical effects wear off, symptoms of withdrawal occur for the next eight hours. Symptoms which can only be cured by another cup of coffee! However, many studies indicate that beneficial effects subside in routine coffee drinkers.
We know that caffeine affects our brains. That was never in doubt. These researchers sought to study how caffeine affects the brains of habitual coffee drinkers. Do we really gain an immunity to caffeine? Does a cup of coffee change your brain chemistry after years of daily use? These researchers setup an experiment to find out. They not only found answers, but they stumbled on a surprising truth as well.
How Does Coffee Change Your Brain?
The researchers laid out a rather simple experiment. They recruited a pool of 77 habitual coffee drinkers, people who drink coffee at least once a day. In the recruitment process, they excluded candidates with neurological disorders and frequent users of mind-altering substances.
Each candidate was told to abstain from caffeine or food for three hours leading up to the study. They were each given an MRI scan right away. Then, they were scanned a second time 30 minutes after drinking either coffee or diluted caffeine. While being scanned, the researchers told the participants to close their eyes, relax and let their mind wander.
The experiment found two notable effects.
First: Decreased drowsiness. Coffee and caffeine decreased activity in the part of our brains that keep us in a restful state. This chemical alteration allows us to jump quickly into our days, even after a long night of sleep.
Second: Memory, attention and focus. After drinking coffee, the MRIs showed increased activity in the regions of the brain associated with these effects.
You can see the powerful combination of chemical effects. Even in habitual drinkers who may think they are immune, coffee was shown to decrease drowsiness AND increase memory, attention and focus. No wonder it is such a powerful beverage.
Surprise: Something Special About Coffee?
Don’t forget that the researchers separated their participants into two groups. One group was given a cup of coffee, while the other was given diluted caffeine. To their surprise, they discovered that each group did not have quite the same reactions.
The coffee drinking group experienced both chemical reactions. Their MRI scans showed a decrease in drowsiness and an increase in memory, attention and focus. However, the caffeine only group showed a decrease in drowsiness but no appreciable increase in memory, attention or focus. It seems that coffee can make us sharper and more focused, but that may have little or nothing to do with the caffeine.
The researchers hypothesized what else could cause these effects. They suggested that the association of drinking coffee and wakefulness is what makes us sharper. Perhaps the look and smell of a fresh cup of coffee is enough of a placebo to stimulate our brains. Of course, there could be a different chemical that causes this reaction as well. Since this finding was not the original purpose of the study, more research will have to be done!
The Bottom Line
The beauty of science is that each new discovery leads to even more questions. These researchers sought out answers. Does coffee have a chemical effect on people who drink it habitually? It turns out, the answer is yes. Even for those of us who drink it every day, coffee helps us wake up quickly, and it makes us sharper. The twist? Not all of those effects are due to the caffeine. Perhaps it’s a placebo. Perhaps it is something else entirely. Thus, the journey of greater human knowledge continues.
Some unanswered questions aside, the science is in. A daily trip to Solid State Coffee is great for your mental acuity.