Caffeine (from Guarana Seed Extract)
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].* Paullinia cupana (i.e., guarana) has been cultivated in the Amazon river basin in South America for centuries, having a long history of use by Amazonian tribal people to promote wakefulness and help maintain alertness. Guarana seeds are a source of caffeine and other methylxanthines, saponins and tannins. Because of its caffeine content, guarana has been used for its energy-enhancing benefits. Guarana has been popularly used to support memory and to soothe mental and physical stress and fatigue [3,4].*
TOP BENEFITS OF CAFFEINE FROM GUARANA SEED EXTRACT
Supports healthy brain function and cognition*
Supports mood*
Supports mental and physical stamina*
QUALIA’S CAFFEINE FROM GUARANA SEED EXTRACT SOURCING
Guarana seed extract is standardized for 50% caffeine.
Guarana seed extract is a non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan ingredient.
CAFFEINE FROM GUARANA SEED EXTRACT 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 [2]. 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 use a combination of organic Coffeeberry®, guarana seed extract, and anhydrous caffeine to supply 100 mg of caffeine in a suggested serving of QUALIA MIND. So, think of these three ingredients as our caffeine blend or caffeine stack. The amount of caffeine supplied by the blend is what would be 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.*
KEY MECHANISMS
CAFFEINE
Supports brain function*
Supports optimal adenosine receptor function* [5]
Optimizes, via adenosine receptor antagonism, the levels of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine, glutamate, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine* [6,7]
Supports healthy acetylcholine signaling* [7–10]
Supports healthy dopamine signaling* [7,11–16]
Supports healthy serotonin signaling* [7,10,17–20]
Supports healthy glutamate signaling* [7,11,12]
Supports healthy GABA signaling* [7,10]
Supports healthy noradrenaline signaling* [7,19]
Supports healthy cortical activation in the brain* [5,7]
Supports healthy cerebral metabolism* [5,7]
Promotes wakefulness* [21]
Supports cognitive function*
Supports cognitive performance* [2,7,22–25]
Supports executive function* [26–28]
Supports information processing rate* [5,29,30]
Supports simple and sustained attention* [2,26,30,31]
Supports vigilance* [2,31]
Supports reaction time* [2,24,25,30]
Supports reasoning* [23]
Supports creative thinking* [27]
Supports resistance to mental fatigue* [29,31]
Supports healthy neuroprotective functions* [32,33]
Supports a healthy mood*
Supports positive affect* [7,24,25,28,34]
Supports physical performance*
Supports healthy resistance to physical fatigue* [22,25,26,35]
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* [36–38]
Supports healthy phosphodiesterase balance* [39]
Complementary ingredients*
L-Theanine to support cognitive performance* [29,40–43]
Choline donors (e.g., citicoline, alpha-GPC) to support attention, concentration, and working memory* [44]
L-ornithine to support enhanced mood and cognitive performance* [45]
Alpinia galanga to support cognitive performance* [46,47]
GUARANA
Supports cognitive function*
Supports cognitive performance [48–52]
Supports alertness [48]
Supports attention [50,52]
Supports contentedness [48,52]
Supports exercise performance*
Helps combat exertion during exercise (consumed 1 h prior to exercise)* [51]
Helps combat physical fatigue* [53]
Supports healthy aging and longevity*
Supports healthy cardiometabolic parameters* [54–56]
Supports healthy antioxidant defenses and helps combat oxidative stress* [54,57–59]
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