Caffeine is a drug people often consume every day, so does caffeine affect body? It helps to fight fatigue and improve alertness. It also aids weight loss and training. However, it also has several negative effects on the body, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure.
The long-term effects of caffeine consumption are still unclear. According to the Mayo Clinic, caffeine is a stimulant and can have many effects on your body and health. While the Mayo Clinic does note that caffeine is beneficial in low doses, it points out that there are negative effects of consuming too much of it.
Caffeine has been found to speed up how your brain cells talk to each other and cause changes in your blood vessels and heart, but there aren’t many long-term studies on these effects.
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What is caffeine?
Caffeine is a chemical that occurs naturally in coffee beans, tea leaves, yerba mate, cacao beans, and other plants. The average adult in the United States consumes about 200 mg of caffeine per day.
Caffeine can enter your body in different ways, but most people get it from drinking coffee or tea. Caffeine is used to make soft drinks, energy drinks, and some drugs. It is also found in some pain relievers, cold medicines, and other medicines.
There are different kinds of caffeine depending on the source of it and the way it is prepared. Each caffeine source has a different level of potency and effects on the body and mind. While we tend to associate caffeine with coffee, it can be found in other sources such as tea, chocolate, and guarana. There is a difference between the caffeine in coffee and guarana for instance, which is rich in theobromine.
The problem with caffeine, and I’m talking about plain old black coffee here, is that it’s an acidic drink, and at least one study indicates that drinking such beverages can cause damage to your tooth enamel over time if you drink them every day. So, does caffeine affect body? It does, in more ways than one.
Caffeine-Main Effect
The main effect of caffeine and why people use it is that “it makes you feel more awake,” said Julien A. De Belle. A professor of psychiatry at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium and an author of a review of research into caffeine use published last year in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. “However, these feelings are short-lived. You need more caffeine to stay awake,” he said.
That proves that most people are using it as a stimulant to wake them up in the morning. People who are sleep-deprived take this coffee for that reason. Moreover, some people drink their morning cup of coffee while reading the newspaper or watching the morning news. Later in the day, they want to take it easy and relax.
Positive Effects of Caffeine
New studies have been conducted to examine does caffeine affect body and health. Caffeine is a stimulant drug that has the physiological impact of suppressing sleep and boosting moods. It is used to improve athletic performance and relieve pain. It is also used as a stimulant, diuretic, and heart stimulant.
Caffeine can be given to you for medical reasons. It is most often given by injection into a vein (IV) or muscle or injected into the space around the spinal cord.
Caffeine may be prescribed for people who have certain types of headaches. These headaches often occur after a person has been given certain medications or narcotic pain relievers. The anti-inflammatory effects of caffeine may be helpful for people with tension headaches. Caffeine may also help to relieve migraines. Caffeine is sometimes used in combination with other drugs to treat migraines.
A study was conducted to establish the effect of caffeine on body pain relief. It was performed on 60 men with osteoarthritis, 18 of whom were given 200 mg of caffeine per day, while the others received a placebo. The study lasted for two weeks. After four days, the patients were given an algometer (a device that measures pain threshold), and then a low-intensity laser was applied to the area of pain.
Each subject was asked to rate the intensity of the sensation on a scale from 1-100. Results showed that there was no difference in the intensity of the sense between ice and heat therapy. However, ice therapy provided a more significant overall reduction in pain than heat therapy.
Patients who received caffeine had a higher pain threshold than those who received the placebo. The study showed that an increase in plasma epinephrine concentration, which is a sign of adrenaline production, was associated with the intensity of the sensation of pain after ice therapy in osteoarthritis patients.
In America, people consume on average three cups of coffee a day. Does caffeine affect body? Studies show that caffeine helps with alertness and moods and can even increase athletic performance and weight loss.
Here are some of the most popular sources of caffeine: coffee, tea, chocolate, soda, and energy drinks. While it’s generally recommended that you limit your caffeine intake to 400 mg per day (or about 3 cups of coffee), you should consider all sources in this amount. For instance, a can of cola may contain around 40 mg of caffeine, and a chocolate bar (1.5 oz) will have 20 mg.
Is Caffeine Safe?
Too much caffeine can make you jittery and anxious, cause insomnia, increase your heart rate, cause muscle tremors and affect your body’s ability to absorb specific vitamins.
Caffeine is not recommended for pregnant women, people with high blood pressure, or people who take certain prescription medications. Does caffeine affect body? While the consensus is that caffeine does not dramatically affect an individual’s health, the studies suggest that it can have more pronounced effects on women and children.
A new study from the University of Nottingham found that caffeine does affect pregnant women’s bodies. High levels of caffeine have been linked to miscarriages, premature births, and low birth weights. Women who drink over 100mg of caffeine per day may risk being more anxious or showing signs of depression or possibly bipolar disorder.
On the other hand, there’s no risk for men who consume caffeine. According to a study conducted by the Human Fertility Clinic in Sao Paulo, Brazil, drinking two cups of coffee per day does not affect sperm motility or concentration.
What are the side effects of too much caffeine?
(Mayo Clinic) Another study published in “Food and Chemical Toxicology” showed that consuming caffeinated coffee increases your risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction.
Caffeine may increase your body’s production of the stress hormone cortisol. When you experience stress, your body releases cortisol, which is good because it helps you cope. But if your body experiences too much stress over time, it can start to produce more cortisol than it should, which can cause problems with mood, memory, and energy levels.
Cortisol can also suppress your immune system, which is why taking a lot of caffeine can potentially lead to an upper respiratory infection. Consuming caffeine regularly has been linked to anxiety, insomnia, headaches, stomach aches, and irritability.
Conclusion
Moderate amounts of caffeine are not harmful, but all in all, caffeine can be harmful to one’s health if consumed in excess.
Do not drink caffeinated beverages before bed. Do your homework on coffee, and if you’re worried about health impacts, try decaf or switch to herbal teas. It’s possible to develop a serious condition known as caffeine intoxication if you consume too much. Caffeine is a drug and can lead to dependence.
But, not all is bad about caffeine. It can be very beneficial if consumed in moderation. Some benefits of caffeine include: increases alertness and energy levels, stimulates brain activity, improves physical performance, has antioxidant properties, and helps with weight loss.
Now you know some things you maybe didn’t know about caffeine, feel free to express yourself and comment below.