Caffeine not the best study aid, expert says

Though it might be convenient to buy a large coffee or an energy drink to perk up, experts say… Though it might be convenient to buy a large coffee or an energy drink to perk up, experts say caffeine might not be the best way to stay going during this hectic, finals-filled time of year.

According to one dietitian, Nadiya Timperman, the most effective way to stay  alert for the day is to adopt a surprisingly simple concept: just eat an apple. She was quick to add that it’s not so much the apple that’s magical, but more the simple act of eating breakfast that can help students push though the end-of-semester rush.

Timperman is a registered dietitian and nutrition educator in Ohio. She related eating breakfast to starting a fire.

Timperman said eating healthy foods like an apple or other fruits or vegetables is like building a fire with good firewood: The fire will burn strongly and give off light and heat — in other words, energy.

Eating a healthy breakfast will make the fire burn steadily for a long time, she said, whereas drinking coffee or eating a donut or a muffin for breakfast is like building a fire with newspaper. It will burn bright and fast, giving your body a burst of energy that doesn’t last.

Members of Pitt’s student body reported a wide variety of practices to stay awake and alert while studying, but few reported relying on fruit for these purposes.

Pitt junior Gabriel Cutler admitted to skipping breakfast and opting for a cup of coffee daily, and although he does make a point of eating “a good amount of fruit,” he does not do so to keep alert.

Senior Matt Timko said that he steers clear of coffee but relies on energy drinks like Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy to stay awake when he needs to cram. Timko admitted that these drinks can be tough on the body, even in moderation.

Freshman Amanda Amen takes a healthier approach to staying awake. Amen said that she refrains from drinking coffee and energy drinks both because she wants to avoid the crash that goes along with them and because she doesn’t want to rely on a substance. Instead, she eats a good amount of fruit and takes vitamins to help her stay awake during crunch time.

Speaking of tempting treats like donuts, muffins and lattes, Timperman said that she is baffled by people who rely on sweet foods to start their day.

What confuses Timperman is that “these same people walk up to the counter and order a 20-ounce mocha frappuccino with whipped cream and caramel and think that they’re making a smarter choice than just ordering the donut that they were drooling over.”

Timperman said “there’s hardly any difference in calories between the donut we don’t eat on principle and those specialty drinks we order every day.”

She continued, asking, “why not just get the donut and be happy?”

Timperman did, however, stress the fact that she does not completely condemn coffee as the root of all evil. She admitted to “needing her morning cup of coffee just like everybody else.”

She also took the time to explain how coffee can be both good and bad for the body.

Coffee is a diuretic, meaning that it shuts off a hormone in your body — aptly named the antidiuretic hormone — which helps cells retain water. Drinking coffee causes the body to get rid of water, which can lead to dehydration, headaches and muscle pain.

Timperman said the entire process is actually very similar to drinking alcohol, another popular diuretic which works biologically in the same way.

“While caffeine is a drug, it is a benign drug, and people regard it as such,” Timperman said. “It’s the lesser of two evils.”

She added that studies have shown that low doses of caffeine daily can ultimately lower risks of diabetes, kidney stones and even Alzheimer’s disease.