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The Facts About Caffeine

Consider these facts before you sit down with your next cup of coffee.

From HealthSmart Magazine

By far our most popular (and least harmful) addictive drug, caffeine is the stimulant in coffee, tea, chocolate and cola soft drinks; it is also added to some painkillers, cold medications, weight-loss supplements and drugs used to promote mental alertness.

Within a few minutes after caffeine is ingested, it is absorbed from the small intestine into the bloodstream and carried to all the body’s organs. It speeds the heart rate, stimulates the central nervous system, increases the flow of urine and the production of digestive acids and relaxes smooth muscles, such as those that control the blood vessels and the airways.

Although caffeine in moderation is generally harmless, sudden withdrawal can often cause headaches, irritability and other symptoms that vary in severity from one person to another. For example, in some people who are sensitive to caffeine, the substance can trigger migraine headaches, while in others it might actually abort a migraine by relaxing the constricted blood vessels that are causing the throbbing head pain.

People with some types of heart-valve disease are very often advised to forgo caffeine altogether because it can provoke heart palpitations or other cardiac arrhythmias.

A known performance enhancer

The stimulant in caffeine enhances mental performance by increasing alertness and the ability to concentrate. For many people a cup of coffee helps them ‘get going’ in the morning, and coffee or tea breaks during the day give them a boost when energy lags.

Athletes have long observed that one or two caffeine drinks an hour before competition can improve performance, especially in endurance sports like distance running.

Studies confirm that 250 mg of caffeine—which is the amount in two cups of strong coffee—increases endurance, presumably because caffeine increases the body’s ability to burn fat for fuel. However, while high doses may improve performance, they can also cause side effects and athletes must be aware of their individual tolerance.

Potential side effects

Ingestion of caffeine late in the day can result in a sleepless night, and excessive intake can lead to caffeinism, a syndrome marked by insomnia, feelings of irritability and anxiety, a rapid heartbeat, tremors and excessive urination.

These symptoms abate with the gradual withdrawal of caffeine. Otherwise, caffeine is relatively nontoxic; a fatal adult dose of it would require rapidly consuming the amount found in 80 to 100 cups of coffee.

Because caffeine, and other compounds in coffee, increase the production of stomach acid, those who suffer from indigestion are often advised to limit coffee (including decaffeinated) consumption to one cup after a meal. Many of these patients can tolerate tea, however.

Caffeine can prompt a modest temporary rise in blood pressure; it also speeds up the heart rate. There’s no need for most heart patients to eliminate coffee or tea from their diets, but they should use it in moderation—cardiologists generally advise no more than two cups of coffee per day.

Older people with hypertension may be more sensitive to caffeine and should limit their intake to one cup per day.

The Facts About Caffeine

Consider these facts before you sit down with your next cup of coffee.

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