Caffeine Consumption Slows Down Brain Development, Rat Study Shows
144 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Reshy;42294072][quote]When the brain then begins to mature during puberty, a large number of these connections are lost.[/quote][/QUOTE]
Wait.... is this really a [I]bad[/I] thing?
Perhaps caffeine could be used as a prescription drug given to autistic children to increase the available time for them to learn the skills they would need as adults to succeed in the world, or help people learn new languages.
More research into this is certainly justifiable!
The key here is it doesn't stop brain maturation, just dela-
wait. Just wait a fucking second. Hold the phone. I actually realized this right in the middle of typing "Delay."
The brain is our consciousness. One of the problems of us living forever is our brains don't regenerate after they age and they develop things like alzheimers.
What if caffeine is, if begun at an early age, the key to preserving the brain indefinitely?
my god
I used to have to wakeup at 4:45am to get to my preschool lifting for football. Then right after school, I had practice until 5pm, that's a 12 hour day right there you fucking tell me I don't need coffee
wot if
wot if
bear with me because this is a radical concept I know, but just try to imagine this
rat studies
aren't human studies
OMG
[QUOTE=The First 11'er;42302961]I don't drink much soda if any at all (besides this one drink I've been drinking daily lately, it's more of a treat) but I drink coffee every morning. Not anything big, just a 7oz~ cup. Hopefully this doesn't apply to humans; I hate how whenever something is tested on rats and it has an effect, everyone automatically jumps to the conclusion that the brain reacts in the human body exactly the same.
Also, to how I read the article and how it was worded, the study affected rats deep sleep, so it sounds like it was before they had to sleep. I doubt the caffeine has an effect for that long if you drink it in the morning, although someone feel free to correct me on this.[/QUOTE]
They also said it effected for months after they stopped giving them caffeine. So no, a day is not enough to stop the effect long term.
Also to those of you going on about how it is on rats, they test on rats because their brain chemistry works similarly to ours. They dont just pick a random animal and test. Of course this will still need human study but its not meaningless just because its on rats.
Only ever drink if i'm tired, wouldn't drink it all the time as I work in a coffee shop and making coffee for hours on end puts me off it a bit
i'd also like to point out that 8 of the 10 highest ranking "world happiness report" countries also rank on the 10 highest coffee consumer scale
[QUOTE=jaegerisacunt;42304582]wot if
wot if
bear with me because this is a radical concept I know, but just try to imagine this
rat studies
aren't human studies
OMG[/QUOTE]
The mammalian brain is incredibly similar to ours. It might not mirror reactions perfectly (due to a slight difference of liver/kidney efficiency), but it is fairly accurate.
[editline]25th September 2013[/editline]
If it wasn't we wouldn't do test on rats in the first place.
[QUOTE=Rhenae;42304736]They also said it effected for months after they stopped giving them caffeine. So no, a day is not enough to stop the effect long term.
Also to those of you going on about how it is on rats, they test on rats because their brain chemistry works similarly to ours. They dont just pick a random animal and test. Of course this will still need human study but its not meaningless just because its on rats.[/QUOTE]
Rat studies rarely translate to humans perfectly.
They use rats not because of their "similar brain chemistry" but because they are a mammal that is cheap, small, reproduces at a notable rate and mature quite fast.
If similarity was the only concerning factor, the vast majority of tests would be done on primates. They are not however, because primates are expensive and do not breed in particularly large numbers, and take much longer to mature.
There are loads of substances that are hugely toxic to other mammals in even the tiniest of doses that are not to humans.
Is the study meaningless? No.
But scare mongering based off one single rat study is idiotic.
[QUOTE=jaegerisacunt;42305056]Rat studies rarely translate to humans perfectly.
They use rats not because of their "similar brain chemistry" but because they are a mammal that is cheap, small, reproduces at a notable rate and mature quite fast.
If similarity was the only concerning factor, the vast majority of tests would be done on primates. They are not however, because primates are expensive and do not breed in particularly large numbers, and take much longer to mature.
There are loads of substances that are hugely toxic to other mammals in even the tiniest of doses that are not to humans.
Is the study meaningless? No.
But scare mongering based off one single rat study is idiotic.[/QUOTE]
As I said, of course further testing is needed, and yes there is multiple reasons but they arnt basing it on an animal nearly as dissimilar from us as people assume.
The guy is saying in the article not to ban coffee or stop drinking it immediately, simply that it is a cause for caution until further testing is done.
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;42296697]yeah i mean they could just grow some people to early development ages and possibly alter their brain chemistry for life
totally ethical[/QUOTE]
Because it's not like we can observe teenagers who consume large amounts of caffeine. That would be too logical.
i only drink coffee before i go to the gym but im 20 so it should be ok
goddamnit because i'm living off coffee right now with 20 hours a week job + 4 Computer sci classes, just got off work and it's 2am and I have to get up for 7 for an 8:30 am 3 hour lab...
Don't see the need for coffee/stims man. Just eat right and get a good nights rest and you'll be gucci in the morning. I'm up from 6am for classes and practice 4-5 hours a day and I never feel the need for a boost.
Like Honey Boo Boo wasn't a big enough tip off
[QUOTE=Onion836;42309372]Because it's not like we can observe teenagers who consume large amounts of caffeine. That would be too logical.[/QUOTE]
yeah it's not like real world people would have variables that would throw off the study or anything
that would just be too realistic
But i need my coffee in the morning :S
[QUOTE=Scar;42303577]Oh man, I started drinking coffee pretty early since it helped with my migraines.
And no, those were not caffeine withdrawals, since I even had them before I started drinking coffee.
And I never drank soda unless it was a special occasion like a birthday or something[/QUOTE]
This is also a reason I drink coffee. The 'caffeine' withdrawal symptom is similar to my migraine headache allergies from pollen, so when I drink coffee it actually relieves the headaches. Works better than any pain medicine.
[editline]26th September 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=woaka;42301758]You got to be joking buddy.[/QUOTE]
Ever tried taking an AP class + after school extra curricular activities? It's extremely tiring.
Doesn't addiction also cause the body to produce the symptoms the substance relieves just to get another 'hit'?
[QUOTE]Physical and psychological addiction can result from excessive caffeine intake. In an interview, Roland Griffiths, a professor in the departments of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said that studies had demonstrated that people who take in a minimum of 100 mg of caffeine per day (about the amount in one cup of coffee) can acquire a physical dependence that would trigger withdrawal symptoms that include [B]headaches[/B], [B]muscle pain and stiffness[/B], [B]lethargy[/B], [B]nausea[/B], [B]vomiting[/B], [B]depressed mood[/B], and [B]marked irritability[/B].[/QUOTE]
At least it sounds like it with the Lethargy, Headaches, Stiffness, and Depression.
[QUOTE=Alxnotorious;42294632]Because (American) school require us to do way too much homework, and we can't go to bed at a healthy time.[/QUOTE]
then stop going on the computer all day and finish your 15 minutes worth of homework????
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;42303657]Massive homework can be drilled through. Extra-curricular activities are a choice, not a must. And a social life is a luxury whether one likes it or not.[/QUOTE]
Now adjust that to the real world, please.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;42303657]Massive homework can be drilled through.[/quote] And in drilling through it you're eating into that sleep you're claiming they should be getting.
[quote] Extra-curricular activities are a choice, not a must.[/quote] For many kids they are a must. Their parents won't have it any other way. Some kids take them to boost their GPA, others take them simply so they won't flunk out.
[quote] And a social life is a luxury whether one likes it or not.[/QUOTE] Unless you want to end up a bitter, cynical hermit with all the social skills of a nuclear detonation, like me, you need a social life. I find the loner life suits me well enough but most people don't, yet if they forego their social life in high school for sleeping they'll end up just like me.
When I was in high school I avoided as much as I could. I never have enjoyed social interaction, and I couldn't have cared less about the extra-curriculars on offer. I wouldn't have been there at all if I wasn't required to be there by law. Even still I barely had enough time to finish my homework and get to sleep before having to wake up at 5 in the fucking morning the next day. Even for me simply 'going to bed early' wasn't an option. To suggest a normal, well-adjusted high schooler with a normal social life and an extra-curricular or two do that just shows you're so highly disconnected from the real world you don't even know what color the sidewalk is anymore.
[editline]26th September 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Death_God;42315919]then stop going on the computer all day and finish your 15 minutes worth of homework????[/QUOTE]
You mean 4-5 hours worth? Surely you mean 4-5 hours worth, because that's roughly the average. None of it's worth doing, it's all pointless busywork that often isn't graded at all(Most of my teachers gave 100% if you did it and turned it in, 0% if you didn't, regardless of whether or not you actually did it correctly), and they base so much of your grade on this busywork that you can't afford to ignore it. I had one class that based 70% of my final score on homework, and most of them were around 30-60% based around homework. It's as absurd as it is pointless.
And finally, tea wins at something other than taste.
Does this apply to tea too?
I don't like coffee at all but I drink tea every day
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;42312602]yeah it's not like real world people would have variables that would throw off the study or anything
that would just be too realistic[/QUOTE]
Then don't pick cocaine addicts as test subjects.
Or we could pick your solution, and just ignore the issue completely. I'm pretty sure people exposed to asbestos and lead would have had other variables affecting studies, so I guess we should have ignored that too.
I really can't fathom why you're so offended by a suggestion for a more conclusive study.
[QUOTE=TestECull;42316363]And in drilling through it you're eating into that sleep you're claiming they should be getting.
For many kids they are a must. Their parents won't have it any other way. Some kids take them to boost their GPA, others take them simply so they won't flunk out.
Unless you want to end up a bitter, cynical hermit with all the social skills of a nuclear detonation, like me, you need a social life. I find the loner life suits me well enough but most people don't, yet if they forego their social life in high school for sleeping they'll end up just like me.
When I was in high school I avoided as much as I could. I never have enjoyed social interaction, and I couldn't have cared less about the extra-curriculars on offer. I wouldn't have been there at all if I wasn't required to be there by law. Even still I barely had enough time to finish my homework and get to sleep before having to wake up at 5 in the fucking morning the next day. Even for me simply 'going to bed early' wasn't an option. To suggest a normal, well-adjusted high schooler with a normal social life and an extra-curricular or two do that just shows you're so highly disconnected from the real world you don't even know what color the sidewalk is anymore.
[editline]26th September 2013[/editline]
You mean 4-5 hours worth? Surely you mean 4-5 hours worth, because that's roughly the average. None of it's worth doing, it's all pointless busywork that often isn't graded at all(Most of my teachers gave 100% if you did it and turned it in, 0% if you didn't, regardless of whether or not you actually did it correctly), and they base so much of your grade on this busywork that you can't afford to ignore it. I had one class that based 70% of my final score on homework, and most of them were around 30-60% based around homework. It's as absurd as it is pointless.[/QUOTE]
What absolutely crazy high school did you go to? Waking up at [I]5 AM[/I] and doing 4+ [I]hours[/I] of homework is completely outrageous by any standard. Unless you are doing some sort of project or every class you go to gives you the entire lesson to re-write from hand, it shouldn't take that long to do homework.
The high schools around here start school around 7:15 with no real need to wake up before 6:15 unless you need to do something beforehand.
I never drink coffee and I can confirm that I am the dumbest student at my Uni. [sp]After Swebonny[/sp] This is false.
[QUOTE=Onion836;42317755]Then don't pick cocaine addicts as test subjects.
Or we could pick your solution, and just ignore the issue completely. I'm pretty sure people exposed to asbestos and lead would have had other variables affecting studies, so I guess we should have ignored that too.
I really can't fathom why you're so offended by a suggestion for a more conclusive study.[/QUOTE]
I wasn't and you're really taking this too far
I made a comment and you're reading WAY too much into it.
So let's just drop it
[QUOTE=The freeman;42317983]What absolutely crazy high school did you go to? Waking up at [I]5 AM[/I][/quote] The only high school within 50 miles of my house. [quote] and doing 4+ [I]hours[/I] of homework is completely outrageous by any standard. [/quote] I agree, but that's about what the average was for my school.
[quote]Unless you are doing some sort of project or every class you go to gives you the entire lesson to re-write from hand, it shouldn't take that long to do homework. [/quote] I totally agree, the homework load was blatantly excessive. But that's what was considered normal at my high school. It wasn't uncommon for honors and AP students to have so much homework they had to do their first and second class's assignments in their third and fourth just so they'd be able to get it all done in time. Even for someone like me who took as many shop classes as possible it was still excessive. 2-4 hours was typically how long it'd take me to actually do what I was asssigned.
Of course I cheated like a motherfucker. Google was my best friend as well. If the teachers aren't going to put any effort into grading it I'm not going to put any effort into doing it. EVen googling it it usually took me half an hour to an hour to do it all.
[quote]The high schools around here start school around 7:15[/quote] Mine started at 7:45 [quote] with no real need to wake up before 6:15 unless you need to do something beforehand.[/QUOTE]
Like find a decent parking spot or catch the bus. I initially had to wake up at 5AM because the school bus ran past my house at ~5:45. I remember many a winter morning when the headlights had to be on [i]because it was still fucking dark out[/i], and quite a few bus rides where I couldn't see an eighth of a mile out of the bus window because of the fog. After I got my license I still had to leave that early or the only parking spots available when I got to school were out in the nosebleed section so far away that I'd be late to class by the time I walked all the way over to the opposite end of fucking campus.
Sounds extreme, but the school was also jam packed 24/7. 1600 kids when I got in, by the time I graduated there were 2200 kids attending. Imagine how many of those are late sophomore, junior and senior kids with driver's licenses and you get an idea of just how big and how jam packed the student parking lot became. You didn't arrive around 7AM you didn't get a good spot that'd let you get to class or get out at the end of the day in a timely manner.
Drinking coffee right now - I enjoy the taste.
I don't like coffee at all anyways but I do drink pop a lot I guess, but not any of those massive and unnecessary energy drinks, those are crazy.
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