Coffee Vitamins for ADHD

ADHD Vitamins webpage must include coffee

Coffee Vitamins for ADHD

Ok so coffee is not a vitamin for ADHD but it does contain ADHD alleviating substances so before I go on to other ADHD vitamins I would like to sing the praises of the humble cup of Joe.  Let me begin by saying that there are, amazingly, scientific reports stating that there are fewer patients with ADHD symptoms in South America because both adults and children drink lots of coffee in this part of the world.

Coffee is truly an amazing substance that has been recently found to help prevent both Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer’s disease but its role in helping the symptoms of ADHD, including Inattentive ADD and Hyperactive/Impulsive ADHD are less well known.

Research studies show that caffeine helps with working memory as well as with maintaining focus. It is thought that caffeine blocks Adenosine receptors in your body and stimulates the production of adrenaline and dopamine. Common Inattentive ADHD medications work by stimulating the production of dopamine. A recent study from the Journal Brain Cognition published in September of this year found that caffeine improved alerting and executive control functioning in a dose-response manner. The best results were obtained using a dose of 400mg.

Coffee Helps ADHD just like ADHD vitamins do

The adrenaline and dopamine actions of caffeine have been well documented but the Adenosine blocking effects are less well studied. A recent review of studies on Adenosine and caffeine confirmed that caffeine (a nonselective adenosine receptor antagonist) and selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonists can improve memory performance in rodents evaluated through different tasks. These studies confirm the positive roll that caffeine can play in the Inattentive ADHD treatment.

Caffeine is present in many drinks available today. A 5 oz cup of ground brewed coffee contains 85 mg of caffeine, instant coffee contains 60 mg, and Decaf coffee contains 3 mg. A 5 oz cup of black or green tea contains about 30 mg of caffeine. Cola’s have about 18 mg of caffeine per 6 oz serving, and a can of Red Bull contains 80 mg of caffeine. You can find a link with the different caffeine amounts in different drinks and food here: http://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm

Caffeine is considered safe in doses as high as 400mg for adults and 250mg for children. I admit that it may be pushing it to include coffee on a web page dealing with ADHD vitamins but I could not help myself as the humble cup of Joe is an amazing natural treatment for ADHD.