Caffeine Truths
More Than a Quick Pick-Up
Americans drink five hundred million cups of coffee a day and consume more coffee than any other country in the world. Four out of five Americans have two to four cups every day, while twenty- five percent qualify as true addicts by drinking more than five cups in a 24-hour period. Coffee, of course, isn't the only source of caffeine; caffeine also occurs naturally in nonherb teas, in cocoa and chocolate and is an additive in certain kinds of aspirin, cold remedies, diet aids and colas.
Cutting down on caffeine makes sense for a number of reasons, but perhaps the most important is that caffeine is medically classified as a poison. Around ten grams of caffeine -- as much as might be found in 70 to 100 cups of coffee -- can be fatal.
Side Effects of Caffeine
Caffeine has some beneficial effects. It stimulates the central nervous system to help keep people alert and increase their stamina. It can relieve certain types of headaches by constricting blood vessels in the brain and can reduce muscle tension by increasing blood flow to the muscle cells.
Adverse effects can include the inability to fall asleep, interrupted wakeful sleep, mood changes (anxiety, depression and irritability), heartburn, stomach upsets, increased headaches and irregular heartbeats. Caffeine-sensitive individuals or occasional caffeine consumers find these effects to be more dramatic. Heavy coffee drinkers often become desensitized to some of the adverse effects, but they also become dependent on its stimulant effects. For them, caffeine reduction often brings headaches and withdrawal symptoms.
Excessive caffeine is not recommended for women trying to get pregnant, for pregnant and breastfeeding women or individuals with an active ulcer. Some women with fibrocystic breast disease have reduced symptoms of pain and tenderness after avoiding caffeine. Moderation or abstinence for these individuals is the prudent choice.
Cardiac disturbances which include irregular heartbeats and temporarily increased blood pressure have been documented with caffeine consumption. Whether caffeine can actually cause heart disease and/or heart attacks is a hotly debated issue with no conclusive evidence. The scare that coffee consumption can cause pancreatic cancer has been disproved with further research.
Caffeine has been found to decrease the body's absorption of iron and to some extent calcium. For best absorption of these nutrients, caffeine should not be consumed with high iron and calcium food sources.
Limiting Caffeine
- Taper off your need for caffeine by keeping busy.
- Lower the brewing time to reduce the amount of caffeine released.
- Try coffee substitutes like Postum, Kava, Pero, Cafix, Duran and Roastaroma.