The Long Haul: Stimulants
Welcome to The Long Haul! Every week, I’ll explore a longevity topic and then give a roundup of the big news in longevity. This week I looked into stimulants, and how they impact us. (Were you forwarded this email? Please subscribe here.) Today's Topic: StimulantsStaying focused is hard. That’s why we love stimulants. The good news is not all of them impact our longevity and there are other ways to see the same results. What are stimulants? Stimulants are drugs and compounds that can boost mood, increase focus, and improve sociability. [1] Stimulants can be natural or synthetic and work by increasing the activity of neurotransmitters (dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine) in our brains. [2] For brevity’s sake, I’m going to cover 3 categories of stimulants today:
Nicotine Huberman famously reinvigorated nicotine as a focus supplement in an episode of Huberman Lab in 2022. Nicotine is great at creating focus because it’s structurally similar to acetylcholine, one of the most abundant neurotransmitters in the body. [3] In studies, nicotine does show minimal improvements in working memory and executive function. The downside is that nicotine is highly addictive and the withdrawal symptoms impede focus:
To add another nail to the coffin, the body also gets used to nicotine, and over time, larger amounts need to be consumed to feel equal impact. [3] Zyn’s have had a great year but I think it’s time we stop supplementing nicotine. Pharmaceuticals During exam season on college campuses, it’s pretty easy to forget that Adderall is a Schedule 2 controlled substance since it’s so commonly used. “Study drugs” including Adderall, Vyvanse, and Ritalin are incredibly effective at increasing focus as they’re intended to treat attention disorders. However, their non-medical use is rapidly increasing. In a 6-year study, non-medical adult use of study drugs increased by 67%, and emergency department visits for their usage increased by 156%. [5,6] In the short term, these drugs feel like magic, but even the next day they’re shown to negatively impact:
So without consistent (prescribed) use, these stimulants do a lot more harm than good to focus. Caffeine and other natural stimulants Most natural stimulants (ginseng, guarana) don’t have great results in improving focus in an impactful way – except caffeine. [7] Unlike nicotine, caffeine improves performance even for chronic users. Studies show that even someone who has had coffee daily for a decade will still see improved alertness from caffeine. [8] The only flag I raise with caffeine consumption is having too much (>500mg/day) will dehydrate you. Otherwise, caffeinate away! Takeaway Most stimulants do the initial job of helping us focus but wear off pretty quickly. Some also have nasty side effects that make them unattractive in the long run. Caffeine is a great stimulant option that won’t impact your longevity. Better yet, you can get the impact of stimulants through increasing dopamine in other ways, like improving your personal reward system, cold plunge, and exercise… conveniently all reported in past Long Haul issues. The Haul: What you can’t miss in longevity this weekThanks for reading. – Robyn [1] https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/stimulants-exploring-ingredients [2] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11766-adhd-medication [3] https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-023-00058-z [4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266322/ [5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5903919/ [6] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(18)30214-1/ |
