What are the Impacts of Caffeine on our Health?
What are the Impacts of Caffeine on our Health?
Caffeine is a staple in many people’s diets and routines every morning. Caffeine is a bioactive compound and an alkaloid that has stimulatory effects on one’s central nervous system. As more and more caffeine is confused, it is important to understand the possible health risks and benefits that coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages provide for us.
As debate still persists about the benefits and negative effects of caffeine intake, Epidemiological data revealed that there are some health benefit patterns that can be observed, including supporting liver function, reduced risks of some neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. There is also a controversial study and debate that is ongoing about the effects on cardiovascular health, having adverse effects on cholesterol, and blood pressure.
There can be negative side effects if one consumes too much caffeine though, as it is associated with headaches, nausea, anxiety, and restlessness. There can also be differences in how different people metabolize caffeine, as some people are slower to metabolize compared to others because of the variability in the enzymatic activity of the metabolizing enzyme. The amount of caffeine needed to cause these adverse effects greatly depends on other factors, weight, sex, age, and differences in susceptibility.
In conclusion, caffeine intake is associated with a lessened risk for some diseases, but the association is not causation, as more research is needed to determine the effects of caffeine and coffee consumption. Everyone has their own experiences with caffeine.
Victoria Leong (5)
Hi Victoria, you’re blog was very interesting. As an avid coffee avoider, I can’t help but agree with the the various factors that are associated with caffeine. So many college students heavily rely on or are so dependent on caffeinate that it has become normalized. I have always done my best to avoid any reliance but recently this semester I had a few cups to get through some all nighters. Much to my surprised, I had a very little tolerance to it and felt my heart racing and a ranging headache. You discussed the impacts of caffeine on individuals but what about this wide scale? What do you know about caffeine dependence and withdrawal?
ReplyDeleteTori Flynn
DeleteHi Victoria! I found your blog interesting to read. I think it is interesting to look at the possible benefits caffeine may provide, however I also agree more research should be done on it due it only being an association rather than a causation. Caffeine intake should be carefully managed since it can also have negative side affects too especially if too much is consumed. Are their any proven benefits to consuming caffeine?
ReplyDeleteHi Haya! Thank you for your comment. I found through an article that caffeine consumption would lead to general health improvements, as 17% of coffee drinkers were less likely to die early from any cause, 19% were less likely to die from a heart disease, and 18% were less likely to develop cancer. Your body also will process glucose better.
Deletehttps://www.rush.edu/news/health-benefits-coffee#:~:text=Promote%20heart%20health.,term%20risk%20of%20heart%20failure.
Hi Victoria! I really enjoyed reading your post about caffeine. I try to drink too much coffee, but my entire family are coffee drinkers. I definitely notice the negative side effects as well when I have caffeine too late or too much of it. Is there an addictive property to caffeine? Since everyone I know who has coffee everyday seems to have withdrawals from it.
ReplyDeleteAlissa N
Hi Alissa! Thanks for your comment. Studies have shown that patients will continue to drink larger quantities of caffeine despite being told that there are symptoms with withdrawal. This leads us to see that this behavior is demonstrated as an addictive substance and that people can get addicted. Criteria for addiction includes the development of a tolerance, physical dependence, and recurrent desire for the stimulant, which are all seen in caffeine consumers. There is definitely a spectrum of complete caffeine dependency and recreational consumers, which shows that every case is different, but it is definitely possible to be addicted.
Deletehttps://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.me.41.020190.001425
Hi Victoria, your post really intrigued me as someone who is just starting to get into caffeine drinking. I'm not a coffee fanatic, but I do like tea and energy drinks. I didn't realize that there were so many benefits to caffeine! That's exciting to hear! I think a lot of the negative side effects that you mentioned could be correlated to the addictive factors that caffeine has. Headaches, anxiety, and restlessness are all symptoms of withdrawals of something when someone is addicted to it. Do you think the benefits of an everyday caffeine drinker are worth the risk of substance addiction?
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, thank you for your comment! Personally, I consume coffee regularly on a daily basis, so reading about the negative side effects frightened me a bit. I'm going to choose to keep consuming caffeine because I feel that it does help me with short term stimulation to keep me awake, but if I ever felt too dependent on it, I would definitely aim to slowly reduce my intake of caffeine so that the side effects would not be as sudden if I suddenly stopped.
DeleteHi Victoria! I really enjoyed reading your post because I drink coffee every day and was curious to know the potential effects it has on my health. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to coffee, as I try to limit my caffeine intake as much as I can. But I definitely feel like my body has started to rely on it to keep me energized in the morning. I liked how you emphasized that association does not mean causation when referring to caffeine intake and reduced risk for certain diseases. People often confuse these words when looking at correlating data. Do you think that caffeine provides more positive or negative benefits to our health based on what is known about it?
ReplyDelete- Sarah Belcher
Hi Victoria! I really thought your post was interesting especially because I have personally been trying to limit my caffeine intake with only having an occasional coffee every once in a while. I think its really important to be knowledgeable about the overall affects of something that is widely consumed pertaining to our health. When I was younger, I was always told by my family that drinking coffee and consuming caffeine could also stunt a person's growth. Do you know if caffeine actually has an affect on a person's growth?
ReplyDeleteAmy Perez
Hi Victoria, most people consume caffeine in some form or other. Even people who don't drink coffee or tea likely consume caffeine through chocolate or something like that. Many people rely on caffeine to get through the day. Many people will be interested which side of the health caffeine falls on as a result. It's unlikely it will be anything like cigarettes health wise. Is caffeine really the best way to stay awake?
ReplyDeleteHi Owen, thanks for your comment. There are many alternatives to coffee, as stimulants to keep you awake. Caffeine works by blocking the receptors that make you drowsy, which works very well. There may also be herbal alternatives that also work similarly, as well as having other health benefits. For example, ginkgo biloba has antitumor properties, it can improve mental concentration and memory as well, or ginseng, which works as an energy booster and has plenty of other general health benefits. Some of these alternatives may seem unconventional but there is definitely a variety of options!
Deletehttps://www.thepharmajournal.com/archives/2021/vol10issue5/PartD/10-4-177-135.pdf
Hey Victoria! This is a very applicable topic as it is quite uncommon to find people who do not have caffeine in their diet nowadays. I also read about this in studying neuroscience and it is quite interesting. What I learned was that caffeine is a stimulant and it acts as a competitive antagonist against depressant effects of adenosine. So, caffeine molecules are able to bind to the same receptors as adenosine and block them out, giving people less promotion of sleep drive. I was wondering, do you know about the addictive effects of caffeine?
ReplyDelete- Anthony
I've seen a lot of research on this topic and done a lot of self-experimentation haha. I like how you included both sides of the argument in your post. Definitely sounds like there is some overarching research but it really comes down to the individual: the quantity of consumption and how your body is affected.
ReplyDelete-Ila Bedenkop