I want to respond to point 14... "Avoid substances that harm your brain, including caffeine, excessive sugar, alcohol, and nicotine."
It's important to note that not all drinks that contain caffeine "harm your brain"...and in particular, not all of them increase stress--some can actually decrease it. While excessive caffeine can increase stress levels, disrupt sleep, and negatively impact health in a number of ways, there is a growing body of evidence that tea, which contains moderate amounts of caffeine, can actually reduce stress.
I've been researching and gathering information together into my page on the health benefits of tea and I would encourage people to check out that page. Another relevant article that I have been working on is tea and sleep.
A randomized, double-blind study on humans (link is to the abstract--it's not public access; a summary of the article is available to anyone) found that drinking black tea (which often has the worst reputation as being highest in caffeine--which is not necessarily true) actually lowers stress. That study was of men (no women were included), but the point is...universally avoiding caffeine-containing substances isn't necessary, and may not even be the best thing to do.
The key is moderation. Avoid excessive caffeine (just like one should avoid excesses of anything), and if you're going to consume caffeine, do it by drinking unsweetened tea or other healthy sources, rather than soda, energy drinks, or other highly-caffeinated and over-sweetened processed drinks.
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I want to respond to point 14... "Avoid substances that harm your brain, including caffeine, excessive sugar, alcohol, and nicotine."
It's important to note that not all drinks that contain caffeine "harm your brain"...and in particular, not all of them increase stress--some can actually decrease it. While excessive caffeine can increase stress levels, disrupt sleep, and negatively impact health in a number of ways, there is a growing body of evidence that tea, which contains moderate amounts of caffeine, can actually reduce stress.
I've been researching and gathering information together into my page on the health benefits of tea and I would encourage people to check out that page. Another relevant article that I have been working on is tea and sleep.
A randomized, double-blind study on humans (link is to the abstract--it's not public access; a summary of the article is available to anyone) found that drinking black tea (which often has the worst reputation as being highest in caffeine--which is not necessarily true) actually lowers stress. That study was of men (no women were included), but the point is...universally avoiding caffeine-containing substances isn't necessary, and may not even be the best thing to do.
The key is moderation. Avoid excessive caffeine (just like one should avoid excesses of anything), and if you're going to consume caffeine, do it by drinking unsweetened tea or other healthy sources, rather than soda, energy drinks, or other highly-caffeinated and over-sweetened processed drinks.
May 7, 2010 - 11:44amThis Comment
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