Topic
21 facts from 4 episodes, in date order. These are what speakers said on the shows, each linked to the moment it was said. They aren't independently verified.
2019
Huberman cites a 2019 Psychiatry Research paper using NHANES data that found an inverse association between caffeine intake and depressive symptoms in US adults.
“the one that I'm particularly fond of was published in 2019 in psychiatry research. And the title of the paper is Inverse Association Between Caffeine Intake and Depressive Symptoms in US Adults.”
2020
Huberman cites a 2020 European Journal of Nutrition study finding caffeine raised peak aerobic cycling power in three phases of the menstrual cycle.
“caffeine increased peak aerobic cycling power in the early follicular, preovulatory, and mid-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle.”
Undated
Andrew Huberman states that more than 90% of adults and up to 50% of adolescents use caffeine daily.
“Estimates are that more than 90% of adults and as many as 50% of kids, that is adolescents and teenagers, use caffeine on a daily basis.”
Undated
Huberman says caffeine's alertness effect begins within about five minutes, peaks around thirty minutes and can last up to sixty minutes.
“we experience an increase in alertness within about five minutes, and that increase in focus and alertness peaks around thirty minutes after ingestion of caffeine and persists for as long as sixty minutes.”
Undated
Huberman cites a paper titled "Caffeine in floral nectar enhances a pollinator's memory of reward" to show that caffeine reinforces preferences in bees.
“And the title of the paper is caffeine in floral nectar enhances a pollinator's memory of reward.”
Undated
Huberman says caffeine appears to release dopamine in forebrain regions tied to alertness and cognition rather than in the classic reward pathway.
“but rather caffeine seems to stimulate the release of dopamine in the parts of the brain that are associated with alertness and cognition, meaning the forebrain.”
Undated
Huberman describes caffeine as a methylxanthine, which is a plant alkaloid.
“caffeine is what's called a methylxanthine. It's a plant alkaloid.”
Undated
Huberman says a 1-3 mg/kg dose means 100-300 mg of caffeine in one sitting for someone who weighs 100 kilograms.
“one to three milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight would mean for me, I could safely ingest one hundred to 300 milligrams of caffeine in a single dose”
Undated
Huberman says small or medium coffees from popular vendors can contain as much as 400 to 600 milligrams of caffeine, with large ones containing more.
“the small coffee or the medium coffee, for instance, can contain as much as 400 to 600 milligrams of caffeine, and that the large coffee that is often sold at those commercial vendors can contain”
Undated
Huberman says caffeine has a "quarter life" of about twelve hours, meaning roughly 25% of its action remains twelve hours after ingestion.
“Caffeine has a quarter life of about twelve hours. That means that if you were to ingest a cup of coffee at”
Undated
Huberman says 200 to 400 milligrams of theanine is the effective range for offsetting caffeine jitteriness.
“the dosages of theanine that are effective for offsetting the jitteriness of caffeine is 200 to 400 milligrams”
Undated
Huberman says that with adequate calcium intake, large studies show no direct link between caffeine and osteoporosis.
“But assuming that you are getting adequate levels of calcium, there is no direct relationship between caffeine intake and osteoporosis, at least not that I'm aware of.”
Undated
Huberman cites studies of 1,410 men and a similar number of women finding higher sex hormone binding globulin with more coffee intake.
“By examining more than a thousand, so in this case, 1,410 men or more than a thousand women, that there are increases in sex hormone binding globulin associated with increased intake of coffee in particular.”
Undated
Huberman describes a study in which participants took 3 mg/kg of caffeine or a placebo for twenty consecutive days before an aerobic performance test.
“They had people either ingest three milligrams per kilogram of caffeine for twenty consecutive days”
Undated
Huberman cites a study titled "Blood Dopamine Level Enhanced by Caffeine in Men After Treadmill Running" showing caffeine increases exercise-related dopamine.
“and the title of the study is Blood Dopamine Level Enhanced by Caffeine in Men After Treadmill Running.”
Undated
Huberman says Michael Pollan wrote about his months of caffeine abstinence in a book about caffeine.
“This was something that was actually covered in beautiful detail in a book by Michael Pollan, all about caffeine.”
Undated
Huberman says studies found that children come to prefer yogurt flavors that contained caffeine, even after it was removed.
“If you put caffeine into yogurt of different flavors, even plain yogurt, which most kids don't like, they will come to prefer whatever flavor contain the caffeine”
Undated
Matthew Walker says caffeine has a half-life of about five to six hours, meaning half of it is still in the body after that time.
“caffeine has what we call a half-life of about five to six hours. In other words, after about five to six hours, half of that caffeine is still in your system.”
Undated
Matthew Walker says that in studies a standard dose of caffeine reduced participants' deep sleep by roughly 15 to 30%.
“it will strip away your deep sleep by about somewhere between fifteen to 30%”
Undated
Andrew Huberman said 200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day has been associated with offsetting dementia, though he noted the evidence is correlational, not causal.
“200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day has been shown to offset dementia in meaningful ways, meaningful ways.”
Undated
Pollan says caffeine in coffee and tea probably evolved as a plant defense chemical rather than for humans.
“They didn't originally make these chemicals for us. They're probably defense chemicals.”
Episodes