Caffeine is the most popular drug in the world. Found in foods such as coffee, tea chocolate, carbonated beverages and some medications, caffeine can stimulate the body within 15 minutes, but it can also subject you to unpleasant side effects. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, provides sweetness to foods without added calories, but its unnatural, chemical structure can adversely affect the body.
Alertness
A dose of 100 mgto 200 mg of caffeine, equivalent to one to two cups of coffee, can heighten alertness, make you feel more awake and sharpen your thought processes. The body produces energy by converting glucose, or sugar and fats, into molecules of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP -- the molecule that stores energy. All cells of the body contain tiny organelles called mitochondria that produce molecules of ATP. Caffeine helps the process of converting glucose and fat into ATP, or energy. However, the energy effects of caffeine are short lived, according to the Virtual Spectrometry Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University.
Endurance
The body naturally stores sugar in the form of a molecule called glycogen. You use your glycogen stores to provide the body with energy during exercise or periods you need energy but are not eating. When consumed, caffeine raises the level of epinephrine in the body, which helps the body to use fat, instead of sugar, to make energy. Using fat instead of sugar to produce energy spares the glycogen stores. Keeping a hold on your glycogen stores prolongs endurance; therefore, athletes use caffeine.
Insomnia
Caffeine consumed in larger quantities -- for example, more than 1,000 mg per day, a dose equivalent to 10 6 oz cups of coffee, will cause insomnia, according to the University of Michigan. Insomnia is defined as having difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep at least three nights of the week. The human body requires eight hours of sleep per night; however, less than 35 percent of the American population gets this many hours. Caffeine acts as a stimulant, which prevents nervous system relaxation and sleep.
Headaches
Caffeine is thought to alleviate headaches; it is typically found in analgesic medications. However, recent research argues that caffeine consumption above 500 mg, or five cups of coffee per day, can cause headaches. In fact, headache frequency increases by 18 percent when caffeine is consumed in higher quantities.
Does aspartame cause headaches? The jury is still out. Some studies say that aspartame does not affect headache frequency, while other studies report an increased prevalence. Therefore, most researchers say that aspartame can cause headaches, but only in individuals prone to aspartame sensitivity.
Phenylalanine Toxicity
Aspartame is derived from two amino acids, or proteins called aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Some individuals are born with the inability to break down the amino acid phenylalanine, a condition called phenylketonuria, or PKU, which can cause phenylalanine to build up in the blood if the protein is consumed. Toxic levels of phenylalanine cause nervous system and brain damage. For this reason, products that contain aspartame contain a warning label. Persons with PKU must abstain from consuming aspartame.
Member Comments