Dr. Rhonda Patrick

So occasional use of MCT or

Or cream is likely harmless, but multiple times a day, and if you're doing heavy additions of it to your coffee, it might actually have a significant impact on your lipid profile.

If you do want to keep your ApoB in check while maximizing coffee health benefits, you should probably stick with black coffee or small amounts of cream, small amounts of MCT, or also opt for the unsweetened plant-based milks like almond milk.

Another common question I get is, can you add something to your coffee to amplify its cognitive benefits and reduce some of the jitteriness caffeine can cause?

And the answer is yes.

A particularly effective compound is L-theanine.

This is an amino acid naturally found in green tea that readily crosses the blood-brain barrier.

L-theanine works synergistically with caffeine.

On its own, caffeine enhances alertness by blocking adenosine receptors, boosting dopamine and norepinephrine,

Great for focus, but sometimes this creates anxiety or jitteriness.

L-theanine increases GABA and glycine signaling in the brain, creating a state of characterized...

alpha brainwaves.

These are the primary brain rhythms that are linked to calm, attentive states without sedation.

So what you're doing by pairing the two is essentially smoothing out caffeine's stimulatory spike.

Multiple studies show that combining roughly 100 to 200 milligrams of L-theanine with about 100 to 150 milligrams of caffeine, approximately the amount in a standard cup of coffee, significantly improves cognitive performance.

People experience enhanced sustained attention, faster reaction times, better accuracy on demanding cognitive tasks, and notably fewer feelings of anxiety or jitters.

L-theanine even dampens caffeine's transient blood pressure increase without sacrificing alertness.

So practically speaking, here's what I think is best for maximizing the cognitive benefits of coffee.

Pair about one cup of coffee, so 100 to about 150 milligrams of caffeine, with about 100 to 200 milligrams of L-theanine.

Take them at the same time.