Caffeine and the brain | Ross Grant

Summary

Dr. Landis explores the effects of caffeine on the brain and overall health, emphasizing it's not a nutrient but a psychoactive drug. He discusses its impact on alertness, mood, and cognitive functions, while cautioning against its potential to increase stress, anxiety, and negatively affect sleep quality and brain development, especially in adolescents. The talk questions whether caffeine aligns with a healthy lifestyle, suggesting it may hinder the development of Christ-like minds and characters.

Takeaways

• 📅 Caffeine has been used since around 400 BC by the Olmecs civilization and has a long history of consumption.
• ☕ Caffeine is the most popular psychoactive drug, found in coffee, tea, chocolate, and energy drinks, and is widely consumed in Western societies.
• 🧠 Caffeine affects the brain by blocking adenosine receptors, which can lead to increased alertness but also anxiety, jitteriness, and impaired sleep.
• 🚫 Caffeine does not improve memory or creative thinking; it can actually decrease blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, affecting executive functions.
• 💔 High caffeine intake may be associated with increased heart disease risk, particularly for those with slow caffeine metabolism.
• 🦴 Caffeine can lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis, especially in women, due to increased calcium excretion.
• 🤰 Caffeine consumption during pregnancy has been linked to lower birth weights in babies and may affect brain development.
• 🔄 Caffeine may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, but this benefit must be weighed against its potential negative effects on overall health.
• 🌱 Caffeine's effects on the body and brain are complex, with both positive and negative outcomes that can vary depending on factors like metabolism and age.
• 🙏 The speaker concludes by questioning whether caffeine contributes to the development of a Christ-like mind and character, given its potential to increase stress and reduce sleep quality.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the speaker's discussion on caffeine?

The speaker's primary focus is to explore whether caffeine, as a psychoactive drug, is a positive addition to a healthy lifestyle, particularly within the context of the Adventist Church.

According to the speaker, what is caffeine's role in social and health contexts?

Caffeine is used for social engagement, leisure enhancement, and work performance. It is consumed across a broad demographic, from children to the elderly, and is associated with a wide spectrum of health benefits and risks.

What are some potential health benefits of caffeine mentioned in the script?

Some potential health benefits of caffeine include a reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer, stimulation of the migrating motor complex aiding bowel movement, and possibly a slightly protective effect against certain diseases like Alzheimer's.

What are the potential negative health effects of caffeine discussed in the script?

Potential negative health effects of caffeine include increased heart disease risk, especially for slow metabolizers, increased risk of fractures and osteoporosis in women, anxiety, jitteriness, upset stomach, poor sleep quality, and reduced birth weight in babies born to mothers who consumed caffeine.

How does caffeine affect cognitive functions such as memory and creativity?

Caffeine does not improve memory formation and may actually decrease creative thinking and problem-solving by reducing blood flow to the frontal lobe, which is crucial for higher-order functions.

What is the role of adenosine in the body, and how does caffeine interfere with it?

Adenosine is a molecule that signals the need for more energy by binding to adenosine receptors, promoting sleep and increasing blood flow to the brain. Caffeine blocks these receptors, tricking the body into thinking it doesn't need to rest or increase blood flow, which can lead to a perception of increased alertness without actual energy replenishment.

How does the speaker relate the effects of caffeine to the development of a 'Christ-like mind'?

The speaker suggests that caffeine, by increasing stress and reducing sleep quality and cognitive functions, may hinder the development of a Christ-like mind, which is characterized by intellect, love, problem-solving, and composure.

What is the speaker's concluding remark about caffeine?

The speaker concludes by emphasizing that caffeine is a drug, not a nutrient, and questions whether its consumption aligns with the goal of fostering a healthy and Christ-like mindset.

What are some of the historical uses of caffeine mentioned in the script?

Historically, caffeine has been used by various civilizations, such as the Olmecs, who used cacao, and Sufi monks who drank coffee to stay awake during prayers.

How does the speaker suggest that caffeine might affect brain development in adolescents?

The speaker suggests that caffeine might negatively affect brain development in adolescents by disrupting the construction and activity of cortical networks, which are crucial for cognitive and emotional development during this period.

Outlines

00:00

📅 Introduction to Caffeine's Role in Daily Life

The speaker, Dr. Landis, begins by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to speak at the conference and emphasizes the importance of time management. He clarifies his intention not to dictate actions but to aid understanding, allowing the audience to make informed decisions. The speaker highlights caffeine's prevalence as a psychoactive drug, referencing a National Geographic article and a British Journal of Nutrition comment by Jay Doria. Caffeine's uses range from social engagement to work performance enhancement. The speaker humorously notes an observed scenario of a baby being given Coca-Cola, questioning its health benefits. The focus is on caffeine's impact on health, particularly within the Adventist Church, differentiating between caffeine and its sources like coffee, tea, and energy drinks. Historical uses of caffeine are mentioned, from the Olmecs to modern-day beverages, and the speaker outlines the varying caffeine content in different products.

05:01

🔍 Caffeine's Health Impacts: Benefits and Risks

The speaker delves into meta-analyses and studies that explore caffeine's health effects. A 2010 study suggests heavy coffee drinking reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 13%, potentially due to caffeine's stimulation of the migrating motor complex, aiding bowel movement. However, caffeine's impact on calcium excretion raises the risk of osteoporosis, especially in women. The relationship between caffeine and heart disease is complex, with some studies indicating risks, particularly for slow metabolizers. The speaker expresses a desire for a more interactive session to discuss these nuances. Caffeine's effects on diabetes are also complex, with some studies showing reduced risk and others indicating increased blood sugar levels. The speaker transitions to discuss caffeine's neurological impacts, noting its ability to increase dopamine release, elevate mood, and improve reaction times and vigilance, but not memory formation.

10:01

🧠 Caffeine's Effects on Brain Function and Sleep

The speaker explains how caffeine works at a biochemical level by blocking adenosine receptors, which normally bind to adenosine molecules when the body's energy stores are low, promoting sleep and blood flow to the brain. Caffeine's blockade of these receptors tricks the body into thinking it has energy, leading to increased arousal and wakefulness without providing additional energy. This mechanism can lead to anxiety, jitteriness, and an exaggerated stress response, including increased heart rate and blood pressure. The speaker also discusses caffeine's impact on sleep quality, particularly in middle-aged and older individuals, and its potential to disrupt deep sleep, which is crucial for bodily restoration and repair. The effects of caffeine on adolescents' sleep patterns and brain development are also highlighted, with concerns about its potential to disrupt the formation of neural networks during critical growth periods.

15:02

👶 Caffeine's Impact on Growth, Brain Development, and Cognitive Function

The speaker addresses the effects of caffeine on newborns and pregnant mothers, citing studies that link maternal caffeine consumption to lower birth weights and potential impacts on brain wiring. The discussion then shifts to the impact of caffeine on brain development in adolescents, particularly affecting the prefrontal cortex, which is critical for decision-making, moral reasoning, and creativity. Studies suggest that caffeine can reduce blood flow to the brain, particularly affecting the prefrontal cortex, which is linked to executive functions. The speaker also discusses the potential negative effects of caffeine on creativity and problem-solving, as well as its impact on dementia and memory. The speaker concludes by questioning whether caffeine consumption aligns with the development of Christ-like minds and characters, given its potential to increase stress, reduce sleep quality, and affect cognitive functions.

20:03

☕ Final Thoughts on Caffeine as a Drug

In the concluding remarks, the speaker summarizes caffeine's effects, highlighting its temporary mood elevation and potential slight protective effects against colorectal cancer. However, the speaker also underscores the negative impacts, such as increased risks of heart disease, osteoporosis, anxiety, poor sleep quality, reduced executive function, and no benefits for memory. The speaker emphasizes that caffeine is a drug, not a nutrient, and leaves the audience with a thought-provoking question about whether caffeine aligns with the development of a Christ-like mind and character. The talk ends with applause, indicating the speaker's impactful delivery and the audience's appreciation.

Keywords

💡Caffeine

Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in coffee, tea, and other beverages. It is considered the most widely consumed psychoactive substance globally. In the video, caffeine is discussed extensively in relation to its effects on brain function, health, and behavior. The speaker mentions that caffeine is used for social engagement, work performance, and well-being, but also cautions about its potential negative impacts, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, and its interference with sleep.

💡Adenosine

Adenosine is a neuromodulator in the brain that plays a role in promoting sleep and suppressing arousal. The script explains how caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors, thereby tricking the body into thinking it does not need to sleep, even when it is low on energy. This mechanism is central to the discussion on how caffeine affects alertness and sleep patterns.

💡Metabolizer

A metabolizer refers to an individual's genetic ability to process substances like caffeine. The script mentions 'slow metabolizers' who may be more susceptible to the negative effects of caffeine, such as an increased risk of heart disease. This concept is important for understanding how different people can react differently to the same substance.

💡Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward and pleasure centers. The video script indicates that caffeine can increase dopamine release, which may lead to temporary mood elevation and a feeling of increased energy. This is related to the broader discussion on the psychoactive effects of caffeine.

💡Stress Response

The stress response is the body's reaction to a stressor, which can include increased heart rate and blood pressure. The script suggests that caffeine can exacerbate this response, even in the absence of other stressors, potentially leading to increased anxiety and negative health outcomes.

💡Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by weak and brittle bones, which increases the risk of fractures. The video discusses how caffeine may contribute to an increased risk of osteoporosis, particularly in women, due to its effect on calcium excretion.

💡Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer refers to cancer of the colon or rectum. The script mentions a meta-analysis that found heavy coffee drinkers may have a reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer, suggesting a potential positive effect of caffeine in this context.

💡Executive Function

Executive function refers to higher-order cognitive processes such as decision-making, attention switching, and inhibiting inappropriate responses. The video script discusses how caffeine can negatively affect these functions by reducing blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, which is critical for executive functioning.

💡Hippocampus

The hippocampus is a region of the brain associated with memory formation and spatial navigation. The script suggests that caffeine may reduce neuronal growth in the hippocampus, which could have implications for memory and learning, especially in the context of Alzheimer's disease.

💡Adolescence

Adolescence is the transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood. The video highlights the importance of this period for brain development and how caffeine intake during adolescence might affect neural networking and emotional intelligence, potentially impacting cognitive and emotional development.

Highlights

Caffeine is the most popular psychoactive drug, more popular than any other in the West.

Coffee drinking impacts a broad demographic from children to the elderly with a wide spectrum of health benefits.

Caffeine can increase dopamine release, potentially elevating mood and sociability.

Caffeine decreases reaction times and improves vigilance but does not improve memory formation.

Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors, tricking the body into thinking it doesn't need to rest.

Caffeine can produce anxiety, jitteriness, and an upset stomach, and exaggerate the body's stress response.

Caffeine use can increase the risk of heart disease, particularly for those with slow caffeine metabolism.

High caffeine intake may slightly protect against colorectal cancer.

Caffeine can increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially in women.

Caffeine use during pregnancy has been linked to lower birth weights in babies.

Caffeine affects the construction and activity of cortical networks in the brain, potentially impacting neural development.

Caffeine reduces blood flow to the frontal lobe, affecting executive function and the ability to think.

Caffeine intake can lead to poor sleep quality and reduce deep sleep, which is crucial for regeneration and repair.

Caffeine may reduce hippocampal neuronal growth and has no benefit for memory.

Caffeine's effects on the brain do not improve creative thinking or problem-solving.

Caffeine is a drug, not a nutrient, and its use should be considered in the context of developing a Christ-like mind.

Transcripts

well thank you very much dr. Landis for

the the privilege of being able to speak

at this conference and taking one of

these sessions now I've only got 20

minutes and I've been encouraged to make

sure I try and finish on time so I'm

trying to look at that clock and

hopefully we'll make it now as I look at

it probably one of the things that some

of the people in the audience will be

doing is thinking it's about time for my

coffee mid-morning

had the first one they'd wake up second

one coming around about the ten o'clock

mark the before I start one of the

important things to mention this morning

is that I want to help you understand

the topic what I'm not interested in

doing is telling you what to do does

that make sense if I can help you

understand that then you can make the

decision yourself and it was interesting

as I was sitting up the front here and I

won't take too much in terms of the sort

of background introduction but I was

just hearing some comments about the

talk as it was coming up and it is one

of those things that I'm I'm really

conscious that I'm not here to tell you

what to do and I'd love to sort of take

that off at one stage and show you

Christ was not here to tell you what to

do either but he identified what the

issues are and where you can find help

and where the best path ways are so

let's have a look at that this morning

caffeine is it good for your brain and

I'm gonna wander around a little bit but

this was just a comment from TR read

from an article that was in the National

Geographic slurped in black coffee or

sipped in green tea gulped down in a

soda or knock back in a headache pill

caffeine is the most popular

psychoactive drug it's true

more popular than pretty much anything

else particularly in the West this is a

comment by Jay Doria published in the

British Journal of nutrition a good

journal coffee drinking is used for

social engagement leisure enhancement of

work performance and well-being

unlike other functional food

the wide use of coffee drinking impacts

a broad demographic from children to the

elderly with a wide spectrum of health

benefits it's interesting as I was

catching a train not so long ago coming

from one of our western suburbs through

into the city and the western suburbs

tend to be a little bit lower in terms

of socioeconomic status scuse me and I

saw a mother with her child in the pram

and in the baby's bottle was coca-cola

now if it is as this particular academic

says that it is actually a wide range of

benefits for children and elderly she

was doing a good thing we'll see whether

or not we all should be doing that so

the question is and it is an important

issue particularly within the Adventist

Church is caffeine a positive addition

to a healthy lifestyle now notice I

didn't say coffee and I didn't say tea

and I didn't say Red Bull I've said

caffeine and I think that this is where

some of the confusion comes in so what

I'm going to be focusing on is caffeine

and of course you know where it comes

from from all of those different places

so a couple of things just with the

background first started as far as we

know about 400 BC the Olmecs American

civilization they used cacao and yes

cacao the coffee bean does actually have

caffeine it's got more theobromine but

that's another talk for another time tea

was consumed in China in the sixth

century AD coffee drinking in the Middle

East from about the 15th centuries to

the 1400s Sufi monks in fact drank

coffee to stay awake during prayers now

I wonder whether that's why some of our

pastors are encouraging it into their

churches keep people awake for the

sermon the question is is it keeping

them awake and able to think and worship

we'll follow that a little bit later and

carbonated beverages coca-cola back in

1866 here in the United States just as a

little bit of background you can have a

look if you've got an instant coffee

around about 80 milligrams percolated

coffee that can go up to 200

decaffeinated coffee essentially none

decaffeinated tea essentially none tea a

little bit less than coffee generally

and there's a difference between green

teas which tend to be quite low

up to about 10 to 20 and the black teas

coca-cola around about the same as a tea

there is some in milk chocolate that

would be a Mars bar and then the energy

drinks like Red Bull about the same as a

coffee and it's interesting that the

energy drinks don't necessarily have

more per per shot but because the shots

are smaller and there is a tendency

particularly for some in the population

the younger ones generally to have more

of them they can be more risky so we're

going to talk about the brain mostly but

I'll just give a little bit of

background to some of the other areas in

which caffeine might be of benefit so

there is and in terms of a meta-analysis

published in 2010 and that's looking at

a whole range of different studies it

identified that in terms of colorectal

cancer you've got around about a 13%

reduced risk of developing colorectal

cancers if you are a heavy coffee

drinker now there are some negatives

we're gonna look at those a little bit

later but that's interesting now one of

the things that it's probably associated

with is that caffeine stimulates what's

called the migrating motor complex which

is that kind of peristaltic movement

that gets the bowel moving now for

people who aren't having a particular

good diet that can be a positive thing

and I know it was popular some time ago

I don't know about now but caffeine

enemas in in Hollywood was something

that people were reporting a lot and

that was to do this kind of unblock the

thing now that's a medicinal use and if

you have a good vegetarian or at least

if you have a good vegetable and fiber

rich diet and make sure that you get

plenty of fluid in there as well you're

not going to have a problem with

mobility in that part of the body but a

medicinal possibly osteoporosis

meta-analysis again increased risk of

fractures in women we know it increases

calcium excretion and so for

particularly women there seems to be a

risk for heart disease particularly if

you are what's called the low

metabolizer and this is one of the

concerns or frustrations I have with a

talk like this with 20 minutes what

would be fantastic if we had opportunity

for questions afterwards or even a

breakout session but unfortunately

that's not possible today so you'll just

have to hold your questions for me

afterwards but yes there is an increased

risk of myocardial infarction diabetes a

really confusing one for a lot of people

and what's interests

is that one of the studies that came out

in 2014 showing that there was a reduced

risk of developing diabetes but it was

both for caffeinated and decaf innate

'add coffee drinkers so it wasn't

actually the caffeine more what was in

the coffee bean which was interesting

and if I go further there was another

study that showed that in fact if there

was sugar put in either the coffee or

beet the coffee or decaffeinated but

then it negated that and in fact a

further study that came out a little bit

more recently in 2017 which showed that

caffeine actually increases your blood

sugar level if you're a diabetic and

actually makes your diabetes worse so

overall probably not a positive thing

but let's step away from now the whole

body and let's have a look at what it

affects and how it effects the mind and

the brain so caffeine can increase this

is the positives increases the dopamine

release so some of this is positive

potentially acutely or get augmenting

the serotonergic system so this is

actually making you feel positive

elevates your mood sociability makes you

feel like you've got energy I'm going to

touch on that energy bit a little bit

later on it actually doesn't give you

energy it just makes you feel as if

you've got some caffeine decreases

reaction times and improved vigilance

now what that means is that if you're

doing something that you need to react

then you can do that a little bit

quicker which is why it's not allowed in

sport but it improves vigilance or

attention we'll see a little bit more of

this later on intention but it means

that now I'm awake the question is you

can be awake but is anybody home

can you actually think so tasks

requiring speed are more sensitive to

caffeine benefits than tasks requiring

intellectual power so yes if you're just

reacting to something you can react

pretty quick even verbally or physically

but if it requires you to think there's

another bigger problem and we'll look at

that a little bit more caffeine

increases arousal same sort of thing

attention but it does not improve memory

formation so it doesn't improve memory

at all and there's been a lot of

confusion over that more recent studies

showing behavioral and functional met

MRIs results are consistent with

detrimental effects of caffeine on

working memory it's not surprising

because caffeine actually has an effect

on what we call the stress response

which is something I'll look at a little

bit later let me tell you how caffeine

works now there will be a number of

people in the audience here who know

about adenosine or adenosine

triphosphate now I'm gonna give you a

little bit of biochemistry and some

neurophysiology now you're gonna be able

to follow it but you have to get this

first bit this thing of adenosine

triphosphate it's just an adenosine

molecule with three phosphates that's

what the Tri is so it's an adenosine

molecule with three phosphates it'll

make sense in a minute what you had for

breakfast particularly the the

carbohydrates the sugars and the little

bit of fat which I'm sure most of you

didn't have but those three or at least

that that is converted by the body with

the oxygen a couple of other things and

so amazing biochemistry it converts it

into a currency the body uses for

storing energy and that's this molecule

ATP that's your energy molecule in the

body and when the body needs a bit of

energy it'll pull off one of these and

it will become adenosine diphosphate

when it needs a bit more it pulls off

another one that denna seen mono

phosphate and when it pulls off another

one its adenosine on its own let's just

have a look at that briefly so adenosine

triphosphate that's what the body is

made out of your breakfast and in fact

you make about your body weight in

adenosine triphosphate a day so denison

triphosphate need a bit of energy to do

lots of different cell functions pulls

that phosphate off it becomes a Dennison

diphosphate a little bit more pulls

another one off for Denison mono

phosphate and then pulls a bit more you

left with adenosine no more energy left

now let me just pause for one second and

just say to those people who are

biochemists in the audience I recognize

that there are ecto enzymes and other

things that will actually produce

adenosine but essentially this is pretty

much the the main gist of it so when

we've got adenosine what's that telling

us we've essentially need to get some

more adenosine triphosphate don't we and

we need to make some more reconvert it

body's got a brilliant way of doing it

so it's now down to adenosine going I

need some more energy so adenosine goes

from there and binds on to adenosine

reset

does that are actually floating around

the body in multiple different places

binds on to those adenosine receptors

and then puts you to sleep so there's a

couple of things that what's called a 1

and a 2 a but don't get too tied up with

that but it has a sedative effect in the

brain so when you're running out of

energy and you need more it activates

these adenosine receptors and so the

brain actually goes oh it's going to

it's protecting the brain and it's going

I need to suppress some of that neural

activity and I need to increase blood

flow to the brain why is it doing that

increasing blood flow because that's

where you're going to get more of the

nutrients and more of the things more of

the oxygen that's required in order to

make more of your adenosine triphosphate

does that make sense ok so it's a good

thing the only trouble is that sometimes

you'll get that you know when you're

tired you've been working too hard and

you start - your head starts to throb

that's because of exactly this the

adenosine triphosphate has adenosine has

gone up and it's increased that blood

flow and now you're getting a little bit

of a headache from the blood flow most

of you would know that if you took

caffeine at that point that actually

that headache would go away and there

are some people and let me just step off

a little bit - if people have migraines

that are caused by this increase in

blood flow and it's not all of them that

taking caffeine can sometimes work again

in a medicinal way so what's happened

alright so adenosine goes up now if we

take caffeine caffeine actually blocks

those adenosine receptors if it blocks

those our denison receptors then the

body thinks that in fact oh there's no

adenosine around so instead of being

asleep you're wide awake but has the

body got more energy it doesn't have any

more energy at all it's like driving

along and you're seeing the light come

on the gas light that says oh I'm

running out of gas I'm running out of

petrol and so instead of stopping over

to a petrol station and getting them to

a gas station and filling up in fact you

keep driving you put your hand over it

and just go no I'm okay thanks

eventually you're going to run out now

in fact this is

exactly what caffeine is doing it's not

giving you anything it's just tricking

the body to think that you actually

don't have a problem so studies indicate

that caffeine can produce anxiety

jitteriness upset stomach

caffeine exaggerated s' the body's

response to stress by increasing heart

rate and blood pressure for a lot of

people that's not a good thing and I

would argue that for most caffeine can

also induce this stress response

adrenocortical response even during rest

and that's outside of having any other

stressful challenge you just feel more

stressed and anxious because you've

taken the caffeine caffeine is linked to

an increased anxiety and depression even

in children and particularly in

adolescence I'll look at that a little

bit more so caffeine unquestionably

exacerbates or increases stress what

about sleeping

unfortunately it actually makes it

longer for you to get to sleep and it

seems to be worse even for those in

middle-aged and older age than it is for

those who are younger so if you're

taking caffeine and the next one will

show that even just if that's anywhere

within six hours of when you would

normally go to sleep so it is a problem

if you're taking it after lunch

increased caffeine use in adolescence

increases the the there in fact they

don't get to bed as early and they don't

stay in bed as long and unfortunately it

also decreases this thing called

slow-wave sleep which is a marker of

deep sleep now is deep sleep important

deep sleep is sleep is the one of the

times and again it's a great other talk

because sleep is one of the times that

the body is actually essentially doing a

lot of your regeneration restoration and

repair now adolescents are doing also

they're growing in that period of time

well look at that shortly but this

particular author makes the comment

because deep sleep is involved in this

recovery or regenerative process may be

caffeine and it's affecting their

capacity to go into deep sleep so they

don't go into deep sleep quite as much

that it might affect their development

of neural networking now why is that

important it is a very important time in

adolescence let me just show you a

little bit in terms of the brain

development

so the green is immature the blue is

mature and you can see that it's

maturing from the back to the front the

frontal lobes are the ones that we do

all the thinking and that's the ones

that actually help you control your

decision-making that's your moral

decision-making your intelligence your

creativity all happening in the

prefrontal cortex notice that it's still

developing in that adolescents starting

around about here and moving forward not

really finishing until around about the

ages of well for girls it tends to be in

the 20s for boys it may be uh even as

far as 30 and people have argued that's

because girls are smarter and I say well

no that's because boys have bigger

brains but a discussion we can have

later on but the point is there's a

really important time during adolescence

the two times is when the first couple

of years after birth the second time is

during adolescence where is this

incredible synaptic explosion happening

where the body is trying to rewire

itself and it's rewiring in relation to

a whole lot of inputs and particularly

in adolescence us all those secondary

sex characteristics with the hormones

and everything so you're trying to wire

that brain up if you give it something

that's going to prevent that wiring can

you affect not only their intellectual

ability but also their emotional

intelligence and I would argue possibly

even the emotional intelligence more so

what about caffeine and newborns it's

been known for quite a while this is a

study published quite some time ago

showing that the more caffeine a mother

had the smaller the baby so low for

birth weight and in fact depending on

how much you had it was sort of a

dose-response a more recent study being

published in just this just this year

showing in a larger cohort of women in

in Norway sixty-seven thousand showing

exactly the same thing so the more

caffeine you have the smaller the baby

tends to be and the argument has been

that this has been something associated

with developing the child overall but

there's papers that have come out within

the literature particularly animal

studies showing that exposure to

caffeine during pregnancy affects the

construction of activity of those

cortical networks in other words again

the brains wiring

and it actually significant reduces it

now the ethics of doing that on newborn

babies and on mums is actually probably

insurmountable so we may be able to

never answer that question directly

within the adult but or at least in the

human but I think that the argument is

fairly strong that you almost certainly

we know that the babies aren't growing

as big and it would be naive to think

that that's not affecting the central

nervous system as well

what about executive function what about

the prefrontal cortex this study that

was published back in 2015 asked the

question does acute caffeine ingestion

just a cup of coffee

alter brain metabolism and they looked

at young adults in this particular case

and a couple of things they found that

yes there was a pronounced decrease in

what's called cerebral blood flow so the

blood flow to the brain was decreased as

soon as you have that cup of coffee now

you're thinking alright well does it

matter if the Bloods not getting to the

to the brain if you don't get blood to

the brain do you think as well you don't

and this is exactly what's happening and

in fact they thought they saw that it

wasn't just the whole brain there were

areas that were affected even more so in

this area the dorsal lateral prefrontal

cortex which is particularly vulnerable

it actually occurred there fastest and

earliest and let's just have a look and

see some of the things that that dorsal

lateral prefrontal cortex does it's

involved in those higher-order

functionings things like switching

attention from one thing to another

choosing maintaining abstract rules in

other words thinking about abstract

principles and then applying them and

inhibiting inappropriate responses now I

work in a university young people there

it's always nice to have something that

is going to inhibit inappropriate

responses and I think if caffeine is

having an effect to reduce the capacity

of of a person young or any age to

inhibit their inappropriate responses

then I suspect it might not be positive

but what about all of these creative

people who seem to use caffeine in order

to enhance their creativity in fact

there's some fairly recent studies that

were done in order to demonstrate that

in fact coffee drinking or caffeine

intake was going to increase create

every one was done so creativity just

problem-solving in a novel way and you

need that frontal lobe to do that one

came out of one of the universities in

Texas and what did they find

contrary to what they thought they would

find a decrease in creative thinking

identified by a decrease in fluency

scores overall originality and

elaboration scores were seen in

individuals who received and they just

used a caffeinated gum compared to

placebo in other words they were less

creative when they had the caffeine

there was another study that came out of

advances in consumer research back in

2014 and they were looking at the same

thing thinking again this time they used

coffee thinking that it would increase

their creativity instead the results

were that it led to overall levels or

lower overall levels of creativity than

non caffeinated beverages not surprising

when you'll realize as I've shown you

just before that taking caffeine

actually reduces blood flow to the very

part of the brain that you want to be

thinking well what about caffeine and

dementia and we hear people talking

about and I know a couple of

neurologists who are suggesting that

caffeine is good for people with

Alzheimer's now unfortunately the data

is coming out and so that it actually

reduces particularly the generation of

neurons within the part of the brain

that's particularly vulnerable in ours

arm is associated with memory and that's

the hippocampus it's been known in

animals for some time but in humans it's

also being demonstrated in addition to

that we think that caffeine may actually

inhibit an exercise induced development

of this brain derived neurotrophic

factor now we're actually doing that

study at the moment and I wish I had the

results to show you I won't have those

until probably October so it'll be

fascinating to be able to present those

but what we do think is happening we

know that when you blocked it we know

that the adenosine receptor is needed

for this neuro traffic factor this

molecule that goes up in the brain

really important hormone that actually

stimulates not only synapse connections

but also increase in neuronal growth in

areas like the kippah hippocampus if you

block the adenosine receptors animal

studies have shown that it actually

reduces that BDNF products

so we're having a look at it in humans

and seeing whether it's there now some

of the confusion might come in because

if you do give caffeinated beverage to

somebody who has a disease like

Alzheimer's you will find that again

they may be more attentive and we've

said that caffeine actually increases

your attention

it just means their eyes are open

they're looking at you they can respond

in a linear fashion but they cannot

think and it doesn't improve their

thinking nor their memory it's a little

bit like as I've said the lights are on

the eyes are open but nobody's home

alright caffeine adenosine receptors a

little bit more just essentially this

this one it attenuates frequency induced

long-term potentiation that's another

one basically saying caffeine is

unlikely to improve memory in the aged

so in summary caffeine can increase your

perception of being awake elevates your

mood temporarily high intakes maybe

slightly protective against colorectal

cancer but it can also increase heart

disease particularly for those with slow

caffeine metabolism increased risk of

osteoporosis particularly in women

increase the risk of low birth weight

babies probably neuronal development is

along with overall growth increase your

participation in anxiety produce poor

asleep quality reduce blood flow to the

frontal lobe which is going to affect

your executive function your ability to

think and reduce creative thinking and

problem-solving reduce hippocampal

neuronal growth and no benefit at all

for memory let me just make a quick

spiritual link and I realized that my

time has gone

we're admonished by Paul and the

Philippians to let this mind be in you

which was also in Christ Jesus and think

about what Christ did he was somebody

who showed incredible intellect

maintained unreserved love for all solve

complex problems I love the way he dealt

with the women at the well as well as

the way he dealt with the questions from

the text you know about text from the

the the lawyers etc maintained mental

psychological composure and extremely

difficult circumstances are we assisting

the development of christ-like minds

christ-like characters by induced by

including a substance

increases our stress reduces our sleep

quality and quantity and probably

neuronal development at least in the

young and reduces our capacity to think

broadly and control emotions and

behavior I'm not saying we can't think

normally and behave normally essentially

within a norm but the norm is actually

very broad and we need to be way above

that so let me just put to you that

caffeine is actually a drug it's not a

nutrient and I'll leave you with that

final comment

[Applause]