The Truth Behind Caffeine Awareness Month

March 1st, 2010

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Our friend Big Red Boots over at the Caffeine Examiner and PossessedbyCaffeine.com has put out a great article on what is really behind this PR push. Also check out the link at the end to read EnergyFiend’s equally great article about the same thing. Stay educated and STAY UP!

By Big Red Boots:

Let’s say that there was a book written about the dangers of sugar. This bookno_caffeine1 wrote how sugar is addictive, and too much of it can lead to all sorts of serious health problems, like tooth decay and obesity. This book then goes on to link the serious medical dangers of diabetes – and urged the public to give up on their sugar addiction. It even mentions how a person should stay away from eating foods with natural sugars, such as apples and grapes. There could even be a chapter on the hidden dangers of corn.

Almost no person would be surprised by this. The fact that too much sugar could be bad for you is widely known to children and adults alike. Still, this has not slowed down the purchase of candy, chocolate or even fruit. There are no Sugar Anonymous groups, no fructose treatment centers and no one blaming a sugar rush for the cause of accidents and bad behavior, running to the hills hiding from gangs of schoolchildren with Slurpees in their veins.

There certainly is no Sugar Awareness Month. Although this March is the National Play-the-Recorder Month, so Sugar Awareness .

However, there is a Caffeine Awareness Month this March, call attention to the dangers of caffeine dependency and intoxication. 3 states have instituted this awareness month, are Nebraska, Connecticut, and Oklahoma. The 4 cities that have issued proclamations so far have been Euless and Grapevine Texas, Roanoke Virginia, and Buffalo New York. Other states and cities are expected to issue similar proclamations.

Marina Kushner, an author of two books on the “hidden” dangers of caffeine, is the woman behind Caffeine Awareness Month. In the 2 books that are featured prominently for sale on her non-profit website, caffeineawareness.com, she reveals “frightening evidence” that caffeine can produce mood swings and insomnia, increased muscle tension, impair digestion and nutrition, restrict blood circulation to the brain, raise blood pressure and accelerate the heart rate.

Of course, the “frightening” evidence that caffeine can keep you awake at night, make you grumpy if you don’t have your morning cup of Joe, and that too much can make your tummy sour must be revelatory. Caffeine is the world’s most used drug, and found in substances all over the world. People have been drinking caffeine for thousands of years, and the effects of caffeine addiction are common knowledge.

What is revelatory is how a woman who wrote an easily dismissed book on the “dangers” of a non-dangerous drug has somehow managed to work herself a nice public relations gig, driving people to her website to buy her books and subscribe to her e-newsletter on the dangers of green tea and decaf coffee. Not that this is the only “month” for march, as the list of awareness month groups have piled on.

This march is also Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month, Clean Up Your IRS Act Month, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Craft Month, Credit Education Month, Eye Donor Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month, Kidney Month, Listening Awareness Month, March into Literacy Month, Poison Prevention Awareness Month, Red Cross Month, Save Your Vision Month, Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month.

But that’s not all. Other Dubious awareness groups are celebrating their months as well. March is also Ethics Awareness Month, Employee Spirit Month, Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month, Frozen Food Month, Humorists Are Artists Month, Music in our Schools Month, On-Hold Month, Optimism Month, Peanut Month, Sing with Your Child Month, Small Press Month, Social Work Month, Spiritual Wellness Month, and of course, who can forget National Umbrella Month.

Rather than have another reason to stress out that even your coffee has nefarious plans to turn you into a zombie, celebrate your caffeine addiction at work with safety goggles, be optimistic while drinking your Coke and meditating, and enjoy your energy drink while singing with your kids in the rain.

for more information on the siliness of Caffeine Awareness Month, click to energyfiend.com.

Caffeine Metablolism

January 17th, 2010

<<Great blog post from Energyfiend.com>>

Have you ever thought about what is actually going on in your body when you throw back that energy drink or sip that coffee?

How is caffeine broken down and how does it affect your metabolism? How long does caffeine stay active in your system and why do people crave the stuff?

We’ll try to answer those questions and more in the simplest terms possible so you can be an educated consumer when it comes to caffeine metabolism.

Caffeine From the First Sip

Caffeine easily passes through body membranes so from the first sip the caffeine is entering your blood stream through the lining of your mouth, throat, and stomach. It only takes 45 minutes for 99% of the caffeine to be absorbed through these membranes. In humans the half-life for caffeine is anywhere from 2.5 to 4.5 hours in humans which explains why the average energy drink or coffee’s effect lasts about 2 to 3 hours. Things like age, medical conditions, and drug interaction can have an affect on the half-life.

Caffeine in the Blood Stream

While most research on caffeine has been conducted using animals, the data has been converted to show the most likely effect in the human body. As soon as the caffeine enters the body it is metabolized by the liver and broken down into theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine.

From there these chemicals travel throughout the body where they effect various body functions. The most studied of these is the way caffeine is similar to the molecule adenosine in the brain. The molecules bind to the adenosine receptors in brain cells and block adenosine from binding. This causes elevated levels of adenosine in the blood which is believed to cause feelings of alertness and energy. The compounds also interact with the dopamine system in the brain which influences mood and prevents dopamine’s calming effect.

There also has been research into the way adenosine may play a role in the sleep-wake cycle. Caffeine doesn’t replace the person’s need for sleep, but just covers up drowsiness symptoms.

Theophylline relaxes smooth muscles which has been beneficial to those with asthma and is the reason why after drinking caffeine the person often feels the need to use the bathroom as it is affecting the smooth muscle of the colon. Theobromine increases the amount of oxygen and nutrients that can be used by the brain and muscles.

There have been many other researched effects of caffeine covered by Energy Fiend, but the above represents the most researched and common.

Caffeine’s Exit from the Body

The caffeine metabolites are then filtered by the kidneys and they exit the body with the urine. Caffeine has been shown to have a diuretic effect on the body which basically causes the body to release more water in the urine. However, new research suggests that this is only in people who have not built up tolerance to the caffeine molecule.

When caffeine has exited the body or has been used by the various cells of the body the person can experience a “crash” which is caused by elevated levels of adenosine and dopamine finally being able to attach to brain cell receptors, causing feelings of tiredness and fatigue. Prolonged use of caffeine also causes withdrawal symptoms.

I think it’s time for another coffee or energy drink to keep the caffeine metabolism process going don’t you think?

Sources:

Biology Online

Wikipedia

2010 Begins

January 15th, 2010

Wow, we had a great New Year’s celebration – hope you did as well. It’s finally here for real now – 2010. We’re a couple of weeks into it and things are already starting with a bang . It’s going to be a big year!

Just to show you we wanted to announce a few great partnerships that have popped up and are taking us into the second decade of the new millenium.

MMAValor.com

MMAValor.com – the best up and coming opinion blog on MMA today. MMAValor has a genuine point of view that represents what most of us are thinking but haven’t said. We are a proud sponsor of the blog and what he is doing for the MMA community.  Check out his picks, fighter interviews, and take on MMA today.

MMAScrapsRadio.comMMAScrapsRadio.com – the premiere weekly MMA radio show with hosts Travis McPherson and Pat “HD” Barry. These guys have fighters on weekly with reviews of the latest fights all with the inside commentary from one of the up and coming Heavyweight’s in the UFC.

There is more coming up for 2010 but this is an amazing start. Look for more unique caffeinated products and more caffeine kits.

STAY UP!

~King

Fresh Powder

December 8th, 2009

HelixWhat?! It is Winter – but we’re not talking that kind of powder. We have a bunch of new powdered energy products in stock and some great new innovations.

The classics

One of the leaders in this unique caffeinated industry is Zipfizz a powdered energy drink mix that took the energy world by storm about 5 years ago.

Phix is packed with vitamins and has some great tea based flavors. Get a great daily vitamin packed with a Yerbe Mate boost.

The new guy on the scene has a ton of flavor and a ton of caffeine.  Zizzazz has 200mg’s of caffeine and great sweet choices.

Another lesser known powdered drink is Helix. It only comes in Orange now, but it has a nice boost and good flavor as well.

Also we’re still trying to get a hold of some Blow.  No, not that kind of blow, but the energy drink mix that was forced out of the country due to its choice of name and marketing techniques.  We’ll keep you updated.

The Pixie sticks

Powders have also gone another way that we can almost all relate to – the Pixie Stick approach.  There are several new products on the market that are pioneering the straight to mouth approach to caffeine.  With these you pour it in and start to fly, no water needed.

Diesel Stix started by going after the body-building market but after realizing how much people loved their product they are launching for the world.

Then our friends over at EnergyFiend.com turned us on to the new caffeine-packed powder out of the UK called Firestar. With 200mg of caffeine this is another power packed one. We are the only ones outside of the UK that carry this – so get it here, get it now!Firestar

The darling of the category might end up being the Encaff Energy Stix.  Partnered with a well known food scientist they have included their soon to be famous “tasteless” caffeine. These really do remind you of Pixie Sticks, candy-like flavor with a kick.

Get your powder for the winter and STAY UP!

~King

Can Caffeine Really Build Muscle and Burn Fat?

November 30th, 2009

This is a great article by brian at BuiltFit.com:

Caffeine: Backed By Research

Caffeine has been proven in several studies to accelerate the body’s ability to burn fat andbuild muscle. In fact, a study published by the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism showed that people who had caffeine prior to working out had a 15% greater strength gain than the group who took traditional carbohydrate/electrolyte drinks. Caffeine works so well that it’s actually is banned by the International Olympic Committee.

So how does caffeine work as a fat burner and muscle builder? Caffeine is a potent stimulant of the central nervous system which increases metabolism –the body’s ability to burn calories and fat.

Caffeine also increases oxygen uptake, which helps the body to workout harder and longer. Not only that, but caffeine also helps you incorporate more muscle fibers, increases alertness, concentration, and spares glycogen.

All of this adds up to you being able to work out harder than you normally would. When you can work out harder that means you burn more fat and push your body harder so it can build more muscle.

How To Use Caffeine

Since caffeine can help build muscle and burn fat that doesn’t mean you should start chugging down pots of coffee.

A good way to do it is drink a black cup of coffee about 30 minutes prior to working out. That way it gets in your system and will kick start your body into overdrive when you start working out. Just think what a 15% increase in strength would do for your workouts. The caffeine study mentioned earlier also showed that time to exhaustion increased by 18% while intensity went up by 24%.

Those numbers stack up well with any of the most expensive nutritional supplements that contain all the fancy ingredients. Caffeine also works as a mild diuretic so it helps the body to get rid of excess water. It will also suppress your appetite helping you to restrict caloric intake leading to weight loss.

It’s no wonder that caffeine is one of the main ingredients in many of the top fat burning supplements. So, the next time you think about ditching coffee in order to be healthier, think again.

We got it!

[King of Caffeine has a ton of products that give this boost while working out.  Try some Phix, a tab of EQ or chew some Buzz Bites and you will get 80-100mg of caffeine to boost your workout. Thanks brian!]

STAY UP!

~King

Wakey, wakey

November 25th, 2009

Nemesis

Nemesis

Caffeine vs. Tryptohpan

Well we all know what is going to happen tomorrow. Most of us are going to a spend time with our friends and family, and eat. We may do it to avoid those awkward conversations or simply because we looovve stuffing! But none the less we are all going to eat and drink till we are in a tryptophan-induced coma. And sleep is fine for people… when their DEAD!

Let’s not forget its the holiday season people we gotta a lot of crap to do before then! We gotta STAY UP! We need our energy and our lists to keep us going. So when you come out of your coma, grab your list, and head to the one place you know you can get your fix – the King of Caffeine.

We’re going to have FREE SHIPPING through New Years! So pick up some stocking stuffers and don’t forget your parties for the new year.

Free Shipping

Starting Black Friday through December 31st there’s free shipping on all orders over $5. So come get yours!

STAY UP!

~King

Whew!

November 19th, 2009
Pile of samples

Pile of samples

I know that it took a bit, but we are getting the last of the samples out this week. Thanks to everyone that signed up for them and we hope you enjoy – it is a pretty nice sampling of our wares.

There is some gum, mints, energy gummies, and a powder that you put on your tongue.  Make sure you try them that way and don’t put them in water. Think Pixie Sticks not Kool-Aid.

Try them out and even let us know what you think.  You can comment here or better yet you can rate the product on the store. Every item has a some stars you can click to give your opinion.

Warez

Warez

Don’t forget that the holidays are coming up. King of Caffeine is your energy source to keep you up while you are shopping. Also our products make great stocking stuffers.

Take care of yourselves. And don’t forget

STAY UP!

~King

Rocky Road

November 3rd, 2009

Well we hit some bumps in the road this last week – the flu hit! Yeah we were trudging along getting things going and the flu started to rip through the company (or family if you will). So we are moving a lot slower than planned, but we’re still moving.

The King Tweets

We have been making some progress serious progress in the Twittersphere. We have a bunch of new friends and fans on Twitter which is great. If you tweet follow us @kingofcaffeine. The King tweets about what’s going on in the company, MMA, and caffeinated products of course.  Come join the conversation.

Caffeinated Ice Cream?

That’s right we got word about some caffeinated ice cream.  Now the question is how do we ship the stuff? Well we are working on it and we will let you know as soon as we can.

As well as a whole new group of products.  There are just tons of stuff out there and we are scouring the planet trying to get it all on the site.  So over the next couple of weeks you should see more products popping up on the site.  We’ll let you know.

Fan us

We’ll make it worth you while.  We are creating some special codes for our Facebook fans to help get them through the holidays. We will get you some great discounts so you can STAY UP on your shopping, holiday partying, and gift buying capabilities (I know I’m sick, it’ll get better).  Facebook.com/KingofCaffeine

Again let us know if you see any products that you want on the site, or anything else for that matter.

Hope your Halloween was safe and STAY UP!

~The King

Hello my caffeinedom!

October 18th, 2009

Yes that is right the King is blogging!

We know that things have been a little hectic lately and we have fallen behind. But we are getting things back in order, and the site will be up really soon.

In the meantime here’s what we’re working on:

  • Shipping your samples!
  • Getting in more products – great unique stuff you can’t get anywhere else.
  • Kaffeine Kits – don’t know what to try? We will help you, with the Kings unique Kits. There will be a selection of prices and products so you can try different things and see what you really like.

Also we have been meeting and talking to many amazing entrepreneurs who created these products. They’re excited that there is a marketplace focused on what they do. In turn they have been invaluable with helping us get things off the ground. We’re going to interview a lot of them for a series of posts to see what it’s like behind the scenes and other inspiration they may have.

So what’s the King going to blog about you ask? This fun and crazy world of caffeine, great entrepreneurs and their journeys, as well as what it takes to make this thing go.

Should be fun.  Stay tuned and STAY UP!