The Truth About Caffeine
The Truth About Caffeine
The Truth About Caffeine
Caffeine is a pervasive in our society these days and every few months we hear about how a
study has shown that it is bad for us or good for us.
Today I’d like to give you some of the facts about caffeine and its effects on your body. I may
not cause you to change your coffee consumption, but at least you’ll be better informed about
what you are putting in your body.
I’m going to talk about the beneficial effects of caffeine. And it’s negative effect and discuss
what are considered to be ‘safe’ levels of caffeine consumption.
Let’s start with the good news. Caffeine, which comes from leaves, seeds, and fruits of about
63 different plants, is well known as a stimulant, that’s why people drink it.
Caffeine does help you wake up and feel more alert and it has been shown to increase
attention span. This is the beneficial effect for people who are driving long distance and who
are doing tedious work. Calling this a health benefit may be stretching it, though staying awake
while you are driving a car definitely contributes to your well-being.
Caffeine also contains antioxidant, which have been to have cancer prevention qualities. The
negative effects of caffeine are largely dependent on how much you consume.
When consumed in small quantities for-example when you have one cup of coffee or one
soda-caffeine can increase your heart rate, cause you to urinate more which can cause
dehydration and prompt your digestive system to produce more acid.
In larger amounts of caffeine (over 600 mg per day) are ingested over long periods of time,
they can cause sleep problems, depression and digestion issues.
According to a Medicine Article on the National Institute of Health Website, having caffeine
in your diet is not any benefit to your health, but by the same token moderate consumption is
not considered harmful.
They say that having 3 eight ounce cups of coffee a day or 250 mg of caffeine is considered
excessive. Also, remember that the amount of caffeine per cup can vary greatly depending on
the type of beans that we used and the strength of the brew.
Most sodas with caffeine, unless they are specially enhance, have about 35 mg of caffeine
per 8 ounces. This means that you don’t have to worry unless you are drinking several 2 litter
bottles per day. Also, the effect of Caffeine on you personally will depend on a number of
factors, such as your weight, general health, mood and personal sensitivity to caffeine.
As you can see, caffeine can have both positive and negative effects on our health and well-
being. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that if you drink your coffee or sodas in moderation. You
don’t have to worry too much.
So, the next time you are considering whether or not you should have that second cup of
coffee to perk you up, relax. At least now you know what it will - and you won’t - do for you!