Coffee vs. Caffeine Pills
For awhile I've been drinking about 20 oz. of brewed coffee with my breakfast or before a workout for an energy boost. But recently I turned to caffeine pills instead. (Haven't used them in over four years.) I must say, the jolt from a caffeine pill is night and day compared to brewed coffee. Theoretically, 20 oz of brewed coffee should contain more than 200 mg of caffeine, yet 200 mg in the pill form blows it away. Not to mention it spares me several inconvenient trips to the restroom.
So does anyone have a theory behind this? Here are a few theories I present:
1) When caffeine is ingested as a pill (vs. a beverage), you don't have all the liquid to dilute its absorption/concentration in the bloodstream.
2) Coffee contains other xanthine derivatives besides caffeine, so perhaps there's a bit of competition between the various xanthines.
3) Pharmaceutical grade caffeine has more integrity than mother nature's caffeine.