Caffeine Anhydrous vs Caffeine – Benefits, Side Effects, Differences

Caffeine Anhydrous (CA)

It is a pure, powdered version of caffeine, that is normally a crystalline-like substance. Anhydrous means “without water” or “free from water,” hence, CA means just caffeine without water.

CA belongs to a group of stimulants called xanthines, which naturally occur mostly in coffee, cocoa, and tea. It is synthesized by boiling plant parts (beans, stems, and leaves) in water. After the water evaporates and the plant parts are removed, what is left is a dry, white, crystalline powder.

Benefits

Weight Loss

It helps to reduce your food cravings temporarily. Therefore, it can control hunger and lower daily food intake. Also, it is involved in fat breakdown. This process is known as lipid oxidation (the process in which free radicals steal electrons from the fat cells), and it has the greatest impact on obese and overweight people.

Moreover, its diuretic properties are also a plus since excess water can be removed from the body purifying it as diuresis (increased formation of urine by the kidney) also removes metabolic wastes.

Metabolism

CA is structurally similar to adenosine (a chemical in the body and brain which belongs to a class of substances called neurotransmitters), however, CA raises cell activity rather than lowering it.

The inhibition of this neurotransmitter can influence the activity of serotonin, dopamine (a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers), adrenaline, and acetylcholine. This results in a higher level of wakefulness that boosts metabolism and energy levels.

Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels in the context of an inability to secrete insulin or insulin resistance. It is a huge health problem, currently afflicting over 335 million people worldwide.

Individuals who increased their caffeine intake over a 4 year period had an 11% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus than those who didn’t increase their caffeine consumption, according to a 2014 study conducted at Harvard.

Athletic Performance

Using CA as a supplement before any type of physical exercise can considerably improve results, performance, and recovery. This makes it an excellent supplement to any pre-workout regimen. For marathon runners, maybe the most important benefit of CA is that it boosts the body’s use of fat as a fuel source, hence, conserving glycogen (a readily mobilized storage form of glucose).

Athletes that took CA as a supplement burned 15% more calories for 3 hours after physical activity than those who were given a placebo, according to a recent Spanish study. Additionally, CA reduces the perception of muscle pain and soreness during moderate to intense physical exercise. This means that you can practice exercise for longer without feeling exhausted or breaking down in the middle of the session.

The amount of caffeine that is required to see its performance-boosting effects is in the range of 3 to 6 mg per kilogram of body mass.

Liver Health

Chronic liver diseases are frequent disease-related causes of death in the United States and worldwide. For instance, in the US, more than 31,000 individuals die every year from cirrhosis (a progressive and chronic scarring of the liver).

Caffeine may reduce fatty liver in people suffering from non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease, as per a study that was done at Duke University. Also, when taken in the form of caffeine enema, it cleanses the colon and detoxifies the liver. More importantly, observational studies have concluded that it may have beneficial effects for patients with hepatocellular cancer (a primary malignancy of the liver).

Parkinson’s Disease

It has been shown to reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (symptoms include tremors, muscle rigidity, and changes in speech), plus, it can be used to reduce some of the motor problems which are associated with this neurodegenerative disorder.

Side Effects

It interacts with some prescription or nonprescription medications, such as – depression and psychiatric drugs, thyroid medication, the heartburn drug Tagamet (Cimetidine), and the antibiotic Cipro.

Too much intake of CA may cause calcium to be removed from the body via urine. In addition, it impacts the absorption of calcium, ultimately leading to weaker bones and osteoporosis.

It may also disrupt sleep patterns and increase anxiety, leading to an unhealthy cycle of restless sleep, relying on this stimulant to help with daytime sleepiness.

Note – more than 85% of American adults intake this stimulant every day (in one form or another), and scientists established that many individuals who have an intense dependence on this stimulant experience withdrawal symptoms. Interestingly (and worrying), scientists reported that these people wouldn’t quit intaking caffeine even if it put them at higher risk of cardiovascular conditions or during pregnancy.

Caffeine

It is the most widely consumed psychoactive compound in the US and worldwide. It has a similar structure to xanthine, theobromine, and theophylline. Its stimulating effects can start as early as 15 minutes after intake and may last up to 6 hours, according to the University of Michigan Health Service.

It is estimated that the average daily intake is as high as 4 mg/kg of body weight in American adults. This compound is most frequently consumed in the form of coffee, tea, soft drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends a maximum intake of 400 mg per day. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid intaking too much of this stimulant. According to studies, an intake of 300 mg or more a day might contribute to miscarriage. Also, some experts recommend limiting its intake to under 150 mg a day while pregnant.

Caffeine Anhydrous vs Caffeine – Differences

CA is a potent form of caffeine supplied as a white crystalline powder. It is typically used as:

  • weight loss supplements;
  • energy accelerant supplements;
  • pain reliever medicines;
  • stay awake pills.

In conclusion, the only difference between CA and caffeine is that CA is without water. Also, the use of CA in pills is more efficient than caffeine obtained from coffee because there are variations in the caffeine content in different cups of coffee, depending on how the beans were roasted and the quality of the coffee beans.

Image credit – Shutterstock & Getty

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References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3616086/
https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/indexablecontent/uuid:206ae5c7-9b0c-454d-88ce-da0d4cd17024
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-12-S1-P57
https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/caffeineUNM.html

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