Ingredient Spotlight: The Different Types Of Caffeine

Ah, caffeine! What an amazing substance! For so many of us, there’s no better way to start the day than with your favorite form of caffeine. Not to mention, many of us want a caffeinated pre-workout to power through our training sessions. Of course, 5% Nutrition answers the call with quite a few options. In this article, we’ll look at all the Different Types Of Caffeine you will find in 5% Nutrition products.

What Is Caffeine?

Caffeine is a natural substance but there are synthetic versions. It occurs in more than 60 plants. These include coffee beans, kola nuts, cacao pods, and tea leaves. It’s also a Central Nervous System stimulant that’s part of the methylxanthine class of stimulants. This class includes theobromine, which is commonly used in pre-workouts, including 5150, and energizers such as Core Energy.

Caffeine absorbs within 45 minutes after ingestion and can peak in the blood in as little as 15 minutes or as long as 2 hours, depending on the source. Caffeinated beverages are rapidly absorbed in the gut. Food sources of caffeine absorb slower than liquid sources. Caffeine breaks down primarily in the liver and stays in the blood for anywhere from 1.5 to 9.5 hours. (1, 2, 3)

Caffeine’s Mechanism Of Action

The primary mechanism of action of caffeine is its effect on the adenosine receptors in the brain. Since caffeine is both water and fat-soluble, it can easily cross the blood-brain barrier. This leads to the inhibition of the adenosine receptor subtypes (there are 4: A1, A2a, A2b, and A3). In fact, the antagonism of the A2a receptor is what causes caffeine’s alertness effects. (2)

The Benefits Of Caffeine

Here are the major benefits of caffeine.

Increases Energy & Alertness - Caffeine is the most popular stimulant on the planet. This is because it dramatically increases energy and alertness. No doubt most people from all walks of life start their day with some form of caffeine. Plus, many people depend on caffeine throughout the day for energy and alertness. Not to mention, it’s the main stimulant in many pre-workouts.
Improves Your Ability To Concentrate - By stimulating your brain activity, caffeine increases your concentration. This relates to the critical mind-muscle connection as well as improved productivity on the job or in school.
Elevates Mental Focus - Along with energy and alertness, caffeine enhances mental focus.
Stimulates Thermogenesis - Caffeine has fat loss effects because of its ability to stimulate thermogenesis. (4)
Improves Exercise Performance - Caffeine can improve exercise performance whether you’re engaging in weight lifting or endurance training. (5)

Types Of Caffeine In 5% Nutrition Products

Caffeine Anhydrous - This is caffeine that has had all the moisture removed. This makes it more concentrated.

Caffeine Citrate - Here’s a synthetic caffeine that consists of caffeine anhydrous and citric acid monohydrate. It’s 50% caffeine.

Green Coffee Beans - These are unroasted coffee beans. They contain a natural compound called chlorogenic acid which has several health benefits. Green coffee beans contain 1.67mg of caffeine per 100 beans, making it a very mild source. (6)

Green Tea - Here’s another mild source of caffeine. One 8oz cup of brewed green tea contains about 25 mg of caffeine. Green tea is also a source of the potent antioxidant EGCG. (7)

Guarana - This is a popular plant in South America. It contains 22% caffeine.

Infinergy™ Dicaffeine Malate - Infinergy is a trademarked complex containing 75% caffeine and 25% malic acid. The caffeine absorbs slower than regular caffeine. This reduces the jitters and the all too common “crash” effect. (8)

InnovaTea® Natural Caffeine - This is a very pure tea grown by farmers that use sustainable farming practices. InnovaTea is 98% caffeine. (9)

Yerba Mate - Here’s another herb from South America. The tea form of yerba mate is one of the more popular caffeinated drinks in the world.

The 5% Nutrition Products That Contain Caffeine

5150 - This is our strongest pre-workout with 400 mg of slow and fast-absorbing caffeine per serving from our Stim-Crazy Caffeine Complex. There’s also synephrine and Cocobuterol for an explosive stim-crazy experience!
All Day You May Caffeinated - Start your day with our legendary amino powerhouse with an added 125 mg of caffeine.
All Day You Shred - Here’s a version of ADYM that’ll help you achieve your body recomp goals and gives you 125 mg of caffeine in the process.
Core Energy - With 325 mg of slow-releasing caffeine, here’s an energy product that’ll keep you going most of the day!
Kill It - With 250 mg of caffeine per serving, this is the ideal pre-workout for those lifters that do not want a high amount of caffeine.
Kill It RTD - This exceptional RTD features a 400 mg blend of caffeine anhydrous, caffeine citrate, and dicaffeine malate.
Kill It Reloaded - You’ll find 325 mg of caffeine in this powerful pre-workout. Kill It Reloaded uses a 3-source blend of fast and slow-absorbing caffeine.
Mentality Nootropic - Our original nootropic, Mentality 2.0 has 3 sources of slow and fast-absorbing caffeine
Shred Time - Here’s a fat loss powerhouse with several sources of fast and slow caffeine.

Recap

We’re sure you’ll agree, caffeine is one of the great pleasures of life! Add it to a pre-workout, and you’re in for a great training experience. Leave it to 5% Nutrition to provide a wide range of products with varying amounts of caffeine, not to mention, all the different types of caffeine we use. 5% Nutrition - there’s something for everybody!

References:

https://medlineplus.gov/caffeine.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519490/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/caffeine/
Astrup, A, et al; “Caffeine: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of its thermogenic, metabolic, and cardiovascular effects in healthy volunteers”; Am J Clin Nutr; 51(5):759-67; 1990; (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2333832)
How Caffeine Improves Exercise Performance (healthline.com)
Awwad, S., Issa, R., Alnsour, L., Albals, D., & Al-Momani, I. (2021). Quantification of Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid in Green and Roasted Coffee Samples Using HPLC-DAD and Evaluation of the Effect of Degree of Roasting on Their Levels. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(24), 7502. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26247502
Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more (mayoclinic.org)
Creative Compounds
InnovaTea® Natural Caffeine Extract (nutriscienceusa.com)