As you sip your morning latte or chug your favorite can of cola, the caffeine that you consume immediately goes to work. This mildly addictive, psychoactive drug temporarily alters brain chemistry, resulting in the much sought after adrenaline rush. Whether this is good or bad for you depends on how often you seek a caffeine fix and your health status.
Caffeine Limits
Like many things, caffeine is best in moderation. According to the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authority, keeping your daily caffeine intake at or below 200 milligrams should have no adverse health effects. The average cup of drip coffee yields 185 milligrams of caffeine. If you are trying to stay within safe limits, one cup of coffee is ok, but if you drink coffee throughout the day, you may want to opt for decaf after your first morning brew.
Side Effects
Caffeine does have a few common side effects that are more bothersome than bad. For starters, jitters and coffee stomach are a given for anyone who overdoes it or is sensitive to caffeine’s stimulating effects. If you consume high amounts of caffeine throughout the day, you may notice that you get a caffeine headache when forced to go without it. This is a sign of caffeine withdrawal, only worsened by the nausea and vomiting that may go along with it, according to The University of Arizona.
Caffeine-Free Health Conditions
For some people with certain health conditions, caffeine can be bad because it may make symptoms worse. Caffeine remains a controversial subject when it comes to heart disease, chronic pain and bone loss. If you have any of these conditions, the jury is still out as to whether caffeine exacerbates your problems. According to Duke University, what researchers do know is that if you have ulcers, hypersensitivity to caffeine or if you are nursing or pregnant, avoiding or limiting your caffeine intake is a good idea.
The Worst That Can Happen
Although it is highly unlikely that a healthy person would experience death by caffeine, it is a possibility. Byron Jones, a biobehavioral health and pharmacology professor at Penn State University, explains that caffeine-related death is most likely to occur due to convulsions experienced after consuming the stimulant in large quantities. Approximately 50 cups of caffeinated coffee would be necessary to produce this drastic side effect. It is more reasonable to believe that vomiting would occur before any individual could reach a 50-cup threshold.
Member Comments