[pct-l] caffeine article

[rellinwood at worldnet.att.net (Robert Ellinwood)]

FWIW:

In a stack of items to review before hiking this summer, I just found an
article on Caffeine in National Geographic, Jan. 2005, pp.2-32.  Since there
have been recent postings on caffeine and since I tend to boost afternoon
hiking performance, with hard miles ahead, with some caffeine intake, I
re-read the article and found:

*	"Extroverted people are less sensitive to caffeine's effects than
introverts."
*	One MIT grad student mixes 50 mg of caffeine (1/4 of a Vivarin) in a
bottle of Gaterade.
*	"Frequent small amounts of caffeine maintain mental alertness better
than the classic morning jolt from a big cup of coffee."
*	"Military studies of subjects who hadn't slept for 48 hours showed
that 600 mg of caffeine improved alertness and mood as much as 25 mg of
amphetamine."
*	"We use caffeine to make up for a sleep deficit that is largely the
result of using caffeine." (Charles Czeisler, neuroscientist and sleep
expert, Harvard medical School)
*	"Studies at the University of Connecticut's Human Performance
Laboratory suggest that caffeine does *not* cause dehydration in moderate
amounts. Contrary to popular belief, our bodies retain as much fluid from
caffeinated liquids as they do from water."
*	"It is also a diuretic, though recent studies show that it is not
dehydrating in moderate amounts, even in athletes, as has been widely
believed. Caffeinated drinks do increase urine output, but only about the
same as water. Caffeine boosts blood pressure, too, but this effect is
temporary." 

I guess my surprise was at the last 2 points about dehydration.  That's good
news.  My doctors have preached to the contrary for years.

Dr Bob