Caffeine
Caffeine is a methylxanthine compound used to combat fatigue and promote alertness. It’s found in the seeds, fruits, nuts, or leaves of a number of plants native to Africa, East Asia, and South America. These include coffee beans (as well as coffee cherry fruits), cocoa beans, guarana berries, kola nuts, and leaves from tea, guayusa, and yerba mate. Caffeine is quickly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and is able to easily cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain, where it typically has stimulating and invigorating effects. Caffeine can help us perform physically and mentally by promoting healthy arousal (wakefulness), which is an important part of being able to pay attention and react quickly. Not surprisingly, this has led to caffeine being one of the most widely used and studied substances for supporting both sports performance and brain function [1,2].*
TOP BENEFITS OF CAFFEINE
Supports cognitive performance*
Supports exercise performance*
Supports mood*
QUALIA’S CAFFEINE SOURCING
Anhydrous caffeine is a dehydrated form of caffeine (the word “anhydrous” means without water) that is highly concentrated.
Caffeine is classified by the US Food and Drug Administration as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
Caffeine is non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan.
CAFFEINE FORMULATING PRINCIPLES AND RATIONALE
We consider caffeine to follow hormetic dosing principles (see Qualia Dosing Principles) and to have a hormetic range (i.e., a dosing range below and above which results would be poorer). Caffeine is one of the most used, and best studied nootropic and ergogenic compounds. As a nootropic (i.e., to promote alertness, focus, reaction time, etc.) caffeine is typically used at amounts ranging from 50 to 200 mg. As an ergogenic (i.e., for sports performance) just prior to exercise, the upper end of the serving range can be as high as 600 mg [1]. In both of these cases, responses to caffeine tend to follow a hormetic curve, with low-to-moderate doses of caffeine supporting better cognitive and sports performance, but serving above the higher end of the range hindering performance. We have selected a serving of caffeine at the amount found in a small cup of coffee. This is in the middle of the range for nootropic purposes and on the lower end of what’s used for ergogenic purposes.*
CAFFEINE KEY MECHANISMS
Supports brain function*
Supports optimal adenosine receptor function* [3]
Optimizes, via adenosine receptor antagonism, the levels of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine, glutamate, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine* [4,5]
Supports healthy acetylcholine signaling* [5–8]
Supports healthy dopamine signaling* [5,9–14]
Supports healthy serotonin signaling* [5,8,15–18]
Supports healthy glutamate signaling* [5,9,10]
Supports healthy GABA signaling* [5,8]
Supports healthy noradrenaline signaling* [5,17]
Supports healthy cortical activation in the brain* [3,5]
Supports healthy cerebral metabolism* [3,5]
Promotes wakefulness* [19]
Supports cognitive function*
Supports cognitive performance* [2,5,20–23]
Supports executive function* [24–26]
Supports information processing rate* [3,27,28]
Supports simple and sustained attention* [2,24,28,29]
Supports vigilance* [2,29]
Supports reaction time* [2,22,23,28]
Supports reasoning* [21]
Supports creative thinking* [25]
Supports resistance to mental fatigue* [27,29]
Supports healthy neuroprotective functions* [30,31]
Supports a healthy mood*
Supports positive affect* [5,22,23,26,32]
Supports physical performance*
Supports healthy resistance to physical fatigue* [20,23,24,33]
Supports healthy resistance to perceived exhaustion* [2]
Supports muscle endurance and strength exercise activities* [2]
Supports speed, power, and agility during intense exercise* [2]
Other actions*
Supports optimal metabolic rate* [34–36]
Supports healthy phosphodiesterase balance* [37]
Complementary ingredients*
L-Theanine to support cognitive performance* [27,38–41]
Choline donors (e.g., citicoline, alpha-GPC) to support attention, concentration, and working memory* [42]
L-ornithine to support enhanced mood and cognitive performance* [43]
Alpinia galanga to support cognitive performance* [44,45]
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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