Students across the country rely on caffeine to keep them awake during long days and late nights.
Although preliminary studies have suggested drinking coffee or tea may be unhealthy, some studies are proving these drinks are beneficial.
Frank Greenway, LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center medical director, said there have been studies conducted that show both tea and coffee have health benefits
Greenway said there has been concern about coffee because of its acute effects, but when studies have looked at the long term effects of coffee drinking, there are no real threats to one’s health.
“A single dose [of coffee] makes the heart and pulse rate go up or more insulin to be produced in the body and many people have associated that with heart disease and diabetes,” Greenway said. “But chronic use actually protects people from that.”
He said people who drink coffee on a regular basis and students who drink coffee to stay awake should not worry about health problems.
“[Students] presumably have healthy cardiovascular systems and a cup of coffee might raise their heart rate for a little while, but it’s likely to have little effect,” Greenway said. “If you run up a flight of stairs you would get the same results.”
Tea, an alternative to coffee, has been the subject of studies at many universities, and health benefits vary, Greenway said.
He said there are three main types of tea – english or black tea, oolong tea and green tea – that are good for the body, but green tea has shown the most benefits.
In studies done at Pennington, Greenway found green tea has antioxidants, such as a phytochemical compounds known as catechins, that can speed up the heart and metabolism, Greenway said.
“Caffeine and catechins have been associated with maintaining a low weight,” he said.
Greenway said green tea has more benefits compared to other teas because the leaves are not dried out as long.
“If you set green tea in the sun it will turn black, much like an apple will turn brown,” he said. “When tea is oxidized, the leaves lose nutrients.”
A study from the Harvard Medical School linked tea with strengthening the immune system, according to a Sept. 8 article from the Health Day News.
The article said the study compared results from people who volunteered to drink five to six cups of black tea or instant coffee for two to four weeks.
At the end of the study, researchers found the tea drinkers were able to react against cold-causing bacteria “five fold” because their bodies made interferon gamma, a bacteria fighting protein.
Julie Hupperich, Student Health Center associate director, said there have been more studies showing green tea contains important antioxidants and vitamins that can prevent cancer and help with weight loss.
She said one or two cups is fine, but when students use other means of caffeine on top of coffee and tea, they could experience uncomfortable side effects.
“Many students stack things on top of their coffee by taking metabolife or NoDos in mega doses,” Hupperich said. “It’s beneficial in helping to stay awake for studying, but it affects the central nervous system. When you’re finally ready to sleep it’s not restful sleep, and it can also cause heart palpitations.”
She said there is more preliminary research being done around the country about health benefits of green tea concerning prevention of cancers, but research is still in early phases.