Caffeine Compared Against Guarana
Caffeine is a commonly consumed stimulant found in coffee and tea amongst other products and has mixed reviews with some claiming it has a performance boost and others stating it’s dangerous. My own feelings are that taken in moderation, caffeine is OK – just like many other food items we are warned about. Nevertheless, there are benefits and negative effects to take into account and caffeine clearly will not suit many people.
Many of us will class caffeine a nutrient due to the prevalence in everyday foodstuffs, however it happens to be classed as a drug. Amongst Caffeine’s unwanted effects include the links with digestive ulcers, increased heart rate, infertility, headaches, arrhythmias, dehydration, raised blood pressure level, anxiety, insomnia, heartburn, cancer, osteoporosis, birth defects, miscarriage, cardiovascular disease, and the list goes on.
Caffeine can often be taken as a supplement for those wanting to boost perfomance during sport. It’s a stimulant promoting wakefulness, and is also linked to improved mental alertness and exercise performance. Even so, there is a maximum dose for this and too much could actually be counter-productive. An average mug of coffee provides about 80mg caffeine and 80mg is sufficient to give a performance boosting effect for many. However, some find a 200mg dose optimal; I’d never advise more than 200mg in a single dose though.
Supplements offer caffeine on its own as simply caffeine and also from herbal supplements like kola nut or guarana which have caffeine naturally. Indeed, some supplements may be labelled as containing kola nut or guarana as they make the supplement sound more ‘healthy’ than just saying ‘caffeine’ which does get bad press and is frequently maligned.
What we must consider is there’s 22% caffeine within Guarana extract – it is just a source!. There is 200mg found in 910mg of Guarana. Kola nut is 20% caffeine and it is common in ergogenic supplements.
So, despite what herbalists and clever marketers would have you think, guarana is no better than caffeine as a supplement. Both have equal benefits and both must be used with equal caution.
Liam Carey has been bodybuilding for quite a few years now. If you are looking for more training advice or a good bodybuilding forum he recommends MuscleTalk
Processing your request, Please wait....
