Caffeine v. Mateine

Discussion in 'Health & Fitness' started by visceral_instinct, Aug 4, 2009.

  1. visceral_instinct Monkey see, monkey denigrate Valued Senior Member

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    Someone told me today that mate tea contains a substance called mateine which is related to caffeine, but acts slightly different: caffeine acts by raising your adrenalin level, mateine just stimulates the central nervous system.

    How does that work? How can you stimulate your central nervous system but not release any adrenalin?
     
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  3. Varda The Bug Lady Valued Senior Member

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    I think that is false.

    From wikipedia:

    So it's not the "mateine" itself that causes the different sensation, but the other substances that are in the drink in association with it.
     
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  5. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    I agree.
     
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  7. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    From Wiki (unrelated to the topic):

    Caffeine is metabolized in the liver by the cytochrome P450 oxidase enzyme system (specifically, the 1A2 isozyme) into three metabolic dimethylxanthines,[48] which each have their own effects on the body:

    * Paraxanthine (84%): Has the effect of increasing lipolysis, leading to elevated glycerol and free fatty acid levels in the blood plasma.
    * Theobromine (12%): Dilates blood vessels and increases urine volume. Theobromine is also the principal alkaloid in cocoa, and therefore chocolate.
    * Theophylline (4%): Relaxes smooth muscles of the bronchi, and is used to treat asthma. The therapeutic dose of theophylline, however, is many times greater than the levels attained from caffeine metabolism.

    Paraxanthine has a number of physiological effects on animals.
    * The compound acts as an inhibitor of adenosine receptors.[2] As a result, paraxanthine triggers an elevated diastolic blood pressure and an increase in plasma epinephrine levels.
    * Furthermore, the compound is responsible for the lipolytic properties of caffeine, and its presence in the blood causes an increase in serum free fatty acid concentration.
    * Paraxanthine, unlike caffeine, acts as an enzymatic effector of Na+/K+ ATPase. As a result, it is responsible for increased transport of potassium ions into skeletal muscle tissue. Similarly, the compound also stimulates increases in calcium ion concentration in muscle.


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  8. Dub_ Strange loop Registered Senior Member

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    Release of adrenaline/epinephrine is an indirect effect of caffeine. It is misleading, to say the least, to state that this is the mechanism by which caffeine works.

    Haven't heard of mateine before, but "stimulating the central nervous system" is vague to the point of being meaningless. This is what any and every stimulant does.
     
  9. Varda The Bug Lady Valued Senior Member

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    6,184
    What I know is that mate is delicious, so is guarana. I grew up on both of these things.
    In Brazil, when you are talking about tea, you mean mate, it's the standard every day tea.
    I bring two boxes of mate leao every time I come from there.
     

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