As dusk makes its home in the mid-November sky, the tin hum of fluorescent lights in College Library is replaced by a chorus of sips. In the café, students survey the fridge, stocked with cans of Redbull, while waiting anxiously in line, anticipating their cup of foamy stimulation. In a booth, a girl adorned in gray sweatpants and a white sweatshirt hides beneath her book. Her hair casually fans her eyes, masking the sleepiness beneath them. Hands restlessly grazing her empty coffee mug, she slumps down further into the cushions. Amid workload, stress and liquid energy, she is far from alone.
The moment I finish one assignment, there is always another,"" UW-Madison sophomore Danielle Nesi said. ""I end up at the library till late at night, trying to fit in as much as I can.""
And books aren't the only things Nesi has been diving into.
""I go to College Library equipped with my thermos of coffee,"" she said. ""I think I've spent more on coffee than I do on food.""
Many UW-Madison students, regardless of the season, wrestle with the issue of time; there is just not enough of it for activities, friends, classes and the work that goes along with them. To optimize the hours, they turn to caffeine.
Whether it's in the form of tea, coffee or energy drinks, these buzz-inducing beverages are often welcoming companions to a long night at the library.
According to the American Dietetic Association, caffeine is a stimulant that accelerates the body's central nervous system by increasing blood pressure and heart rate, leading one to feel more alert and energized.
But feeling more awake is not the only ""perk"" caffeine provides. Caffeine also helps the brain function more efficiently, according to Dr. Joe Vinson, professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania.
""Studies have shown that the more that coffee or tea is consumed, the greater the reduction of mental decline,"" Vinson said.
One such study, published by Neurology in 2007, examined the performance of older men and women on verbal and visual recall tests. Participants who drank more than three cups of coffee or tea a day showed less of a decline on these tests over time. In addition, the benefits grew as they aged.
According to the USDA Nutrient Data Lab, one eight-ounce serving of green tea contains 45 milligrams of caffeine, and black tea contains 55 milligrams. Depending on how it is prepared, coffee typically has 90 to 100 milligrams of caffeine.
Along with caffeine, coffee and tea also contain other valuable substances: antioxidants.
According to the American Heart Association, antioxidants are substances that may stop the formation of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are natural compounds believed to accelerate the progress of chronic disease by damaging cells.
Therefore, consuming large amounts of antioxidants has been associated with a reduced risk of chronic disease.
However, all beverages are not created equal. In contrast to black tea and oolong tea, ""green tea has [the] highest levels of antioxidants,"" said Li Li Ji, professor and chair of UW-Madison's kinesiology department.
Tea contains types of antioxidants such as flavonoids and catechin, both of which are believed to prevent free radicals from forming.
""Catechins have demonstrated free-radical scavenging ability, both in test tubes and tissue cultures,"" Ji said. ""The cells treated with catechin were less damaged and more protective.""
According to Ji, tea is the perfect beverage to consume to reduce the risk of debilitating diseases.
""Alzheimer and Parkinson, brain diseases, have been shown to be caused by free radicals, so it is important to enhance the body's defense against these,"" Ji said. ""One way is to take a dietary antioxidant supplement, such as tea, oats [or] vitamin E.""
Tea is also believed to have benefits in preventing heart disease. According to Vinson, as a person ages, his arteries become less flexible and do not respond to changes in blood pressure as well. This dysfunction of the arteries may eventually lead to a heart attack.
""Just a single cup of tea a day has been proven to make your arteries more flexible,"" Vinson said. ""We don't know if that happens with coffee, but it certainly happens with tea.""
Nonetheless, coffee's antioxidant properties have also shown to brew up various health benefits.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in July 2007,
researchers found that a serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than a serving of blueberries, oranges or raspberries.
In one of Vinson's own studies, he and other researchers analyzed the antioxidant content of more than 100 different foods. Based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's data on the foods' antioxidant levels and how much these foods are typically consumed by the average American, Vinson found that coffee was a major source of antioxidants.
""Coffee provides more antioxidants than any other food or drink in the American diet,"" said Vinson.
According to Vinson's data, the average adult consumes 1,299 milligrams of antioxidants daily from coffee. The closest runner-up was tea, with only 294 milligrams per serving.
Coffee consumption has also been associated with a reduced risk of liver cirrhosis.
In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2006, researchers examined more than 128,000 adults who drank alcohol heavily. Results showed that heavy drinkers reduced their chances of cirrhosis by 20 percent per cup of coffee each day. Four cups of coffee daily led to an 80 percent risk reduction.
Vinson confirmed these findings.
""Coffee, when consumed closely with alcohol, counters the elevation of enzymes that lead to liver dysfunction and eventually cirrhosis,"" Vinson said. ""And antioxidants found in coffee are largely responsible.""
Coffee and tea are not the only beverages sipped by students to combat lethargy. Energy drinks contain even more caffeine than coffee and tea; a sixteen-ounce can of Full Throttle contains 144 milligrams, more than triple the amount of caffeine found in green tea. Like their caffeinated counterparts, energy drinks also are purported to contain substances that act as antioxidants, according to their labels.
Amp, an energy drink that recently sponsored Madison's Freakfest several weekends ago, contains an ingredient called ginseng.
""Ginseng has been shown to stimulate the body to produce its own antioxidants,"" Ji said. ""Consuming ginseng is a good way to build up the antioxidants' defense.""
However, according to Vinson, the benefits of ginseng in the body as a result of energy drink consumption are questionable because the exact dose in each serving is unknown.
""Ginseng, separately, may have some benefit,"" Vinson said. ""But the question is, 'Is there enough of it to be beneficial?' A sprinkle of ginseng won't do you any good.""
Additionally, most energy drinks contain almost 30 percent more caffeine than coffee. Since caffeine has been associated with many health risks, there is certainly a limit to how much is healthy to consume.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recommends drinking up to six servings of tea a day, and four servings of coffee a day. According to Vinson, drinking more than the recommended allowances could have worse consequences than just staying awake.
""You'll consume lots of caffeine and become addicted, which creates its own set of problems,"" Vinson said.
In the end, students will still have to make a choice between which beverage will be their faithful companion by 5 a.m. Vinson advises that students choose, surprisingly, the beverage with the least caffeine: tea.
""A new study just published found that the combination of caffeine and theanine, a relaxant, in tea, makes many people incredibly alert, but calm,"" Vinson said.
Coffee, however, had a different effect. ""Although coffee made the participants alert, it also made them very tense,"" Vinson said.
Due to its placid and soothing abilities, Vinson suggests drinking tea before taking an exam.
""Tea is a definite plus,"" he said. ""I am very sure that it will help you.""
As students desperately fight back their closing eyelids and approaching dreams in an effort to finish their work in time for Thanksgiving, many turn to the energizing beverage in the mug beside their desk for some support.
But according to Nesi, knowing about the benefits of her favorite caffeinated drink alone helps to alleviate the stress of her day.
""If coffee has more antioxidants than blueberries or raspberries,"" she said, ""then I just saved myself a trip to the supermarket.""
