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Do you
Drink Too Much Coffee?  photo Britsh Counsil
Does the
smell of coffee in the morning grab your attention? How many coffee shops
will you drive by before finally stopping to get your morning fix of
caffeine? We love our coffee, but too much of a good thing can be bad? Or
can caffeine offer benefits to those of us who rely on the potent brown
bean?
Keep
reading to find out answers to the questions coffee addicts don’t dare ask.
What
does caffeine do to your body?
The
short-term effects of drinking caffeine are well known. Caffeine is a mild stimulant
that makes you feel more alert and makes your heart beat faster.
It’s a diuretic, so you pee more. It makes you hot or flush by raising your
body temperature, which causes your stomach to make more acid.. Large doses
of caffeine can cause high blood pressure, jitters, headaches or sleepless
nights.
The
effects of caffeine are temporary, it does not store up in your body and is
gone after a few hours.
Research
has shown that, caffeine can contribute to a range of illness’. Despite all
the faults of caffeine use, it has been deemed safe by the International
Food Information Council (IFIC). So exactly what should you be concerned or
not about if you consume caffeine?
Does
decaf coffee raise blood pressure?
A recent
study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association
found markedly elevated blood pressure and increased nervous system activity
when occasional coffee drinkers drank a triple espresso, regardless of
whether or not it contained caffeine. Surprisingly, people who drank coffee
on a regular basis showed increased stimulation of sympathetic nerve
pathways – but no increase in blood pressure.
The
results suggest that some unknown ingredient or ingredients in coffee – not
caffeine – is responsible for cardiovascular activation.
Does
coffee raise your cholesterol levels?
Drinking
perked or unfiltered coffee, like espresso or French-press coffees, can
raise your cholesterol levels. The good news is, if you drink filtered
coffee, you aren’t getting the oil compounds which could be the culprit that
raise the cholesterol in coffee drinkers.
Can
coffee cause cancer?
Acrylamide, an ingredient in coffee has been found to cause cancer in
animals. The World Health Organizations claims this is a cause for concern,
but not enough research has been conducted to see how it effects humans.
Now the Acrylamide is not found in the coffee bean itself, but are formed
when they beans are roasted. Experiments are underway currently to find
ways to produce coffee beans that won’t create a build-up of acrylamide.
Now when
caffeine was tested on mice, it was shown to have a positive effect on skin
cancer. Evidently it helps in blocking the genetic changes to cells that
are caused by the sun.
Caffeine
may increase symptoms of fibrocystic breast lumps in some women, but no
evidence has shown that it increases the risk of breast cancer.
Photo California Coffee
Roasters 
What
about my heart?
There have been many studies that show caffeine can cause an increase in
blood pressure related to how much you consume. But the studies did not
take into account other factors like smoking and alcohol consumption. The
IFIC states that "A number of studies have shown that any temporary rise in
blood pressure due to caffeine consumption is less than the elevation
produced by normal, daily activities." If you have a high blood pressure
problem, you should still limit how much caffeine you consume.
A 1997
study found that there is little association between caffeine consumption
and heart attacks, while another study in 1998 found that there is only a
2.1% increased risk of stroke for those consuming three cups of caffeinated
drinks per day.
I have
diabetes, does caffeine effect that?
A
research project in the Netherlands found that participants drinking seven
or more cups of coffee per day were half as likely to develop Type 2
diabetes than those who drank two cups or less per day. Of course it is not
recommended that you start consuming more caffeine because of that study.
You still have to maintain a healthy diet and regular exercise to maintain
healthy weight and prevent type 2 diabetes.
Pregnancy
There
isn’t much evidence that shows caffeine effects women who are trying to
conceive. In men thought, caffeine may effect sperm motility, which could
be a factor to fertility issues.
Caffeine
could increase the risk of miscarriage or a low birth weight in a baby. If
you are pregnant you should avoid caffeine because it does reach the baby
and can interfere with the developing baby’s rest periods. It is also
common for newborns whose mother consumed caffeine on a regular basis to
have caffeine withdrawals.
Now I
know caffeine can cause stress
In a recent study it was found that coffee drinkers feel more stressed,
their adrenaline levels were higher and their heart rate is increased.
While some people increase their caffeine intake to get through a time of
stress, like tests or project deadlines, but cutting down or cutting out
caffeine can actually produce a more positive effect.
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