According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, between 80% and 90% of Americans consume caffeine in some form every day. Recent studies have even suggested that caffeine brings a host of long-term health benefits!

In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into America’s favorite drug: What it is, what it does, its benefits, and its drawbacks.

What is caffeine and how does it work?

Caffeine is a natural stimulant of the central nervous system. It is often referred to as a psychoactive drug because it affects your brain (by promoting alertness and focus).

Caffeine can be found in:

• Black, green, and white teas
• Yerba mate
• Energy drinks
• Some soft drinks
• Chocolate and hot cocoa
• Guarana seeds and beverages
• Some protein and energy bars
• Some pre-workout drinks and powders
• Appetite suppressants

Once consumed, caffeine gets absorbed into your bloodstream, then travels to your liver where it is broken down. It can take effect in as few as 20 minutes and reaches full effectiveness in about an hour, staying in your system for up to 6 hours.

Caffeine works by blocking the effects of adenosine. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that builds up in your body throughout the day, relaxing your brain and making you feel tired. So rather than making you feel awake, caffeine really works by preventing you from feeling tired!

What are the health benefits of caffeine?

Since it’s a stimulant of the central nervous system, it’s no surprise that studies reveal some of the main health benefits of caffeine involve brain function.

Drinking coffee can enhance cognitive function, boost long-term memory, and slow the mental decline that comes with aging. Some studies suggest that it may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Drinking caffeine is also associated with:

• A lower risk of developing kidney stones
• Decreased risk of cirrhosis of the liver
• Lowered risk of stroke
• Protecting against eye damage that can lead to cataracts

Caffeine can also enhance athletic performance by increasing your tolerance to fatigue, and help with weight loss by suppressing your appetite and stimulating thermogenesis (when your body produces heat and energy from digesting food).

The THRIVE Experience–comprised of Premium Lifestyle Capsules, Ultra Micronized Lifestyle Mix, and Premium Lifestyle DFTs–contains a proprietary blend of caffeine! That includes Guarana Caffeine, Green tea Caffeine, Green Coffee Bean, White Tea Extract, and Caffeine from Black Tea. So what are these ingredients that make up THRIVE’s 3 Simple Steps?

Guarana Caffeine

A mature guarana fruit is about the size of a coffee berry. It resembles the human eye, with a red shell encasing a black seed covered by a white aril. Guarana extract is made by processing the seeds into a powder.(1) Guarana contains caffeine, theobromine, tannins, saponins, catechins and other compounds that have antioxidant properties.(2)

Green tea Caffeine

Green tea is a type of tea that is harvested and then quickly preserved. Whereas black tea leaves are allowed to oxidize after they are picked, green tea leaves are immediately heated to prevent oxidation. Oxidation is a natural process. It’s the same thing that happens when you slice an apple and it begins to turn brown and taste sweeter as it is exposed to oxygen. (1) Although it’s a common myth that green tea is naturally caffeine free, green tea does contain caffeine. A cup of pure green tea usually contains around 25 milligrams of caffeine per 8-ounce serving.

Green Coffee Bean

Green coffee comes from the same beans people use for brewing coffee. The only difference is that the coffee beans are unroasted–they are raw. The roasting process seems to destroy some of the healthy, natural chemicals in the beans. (3)

White Tea Extract

White tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant, like the popular green tea and black tea. (4) The different processing methods give them their unique flavors and aromas. White tea is the least processed of the three teas. Because of this, it retains a high amount of antioxidants (5).

Caffeine from Black Tea

Black tea is the most common type of tea. Black tea’s processing is different from other types in that it is fully (or almost fully) oxidized. Generally, the flavors and aromas of tea become fuller and deeper during oxidation. (1)

So go ahead and enjoy the THRIVE Experience and the caffeine benefits that come with it. But as always, pair it with a healthy diet!