Song from a Secret Garden

Monday, October 3, 2011

Coffee could be a silent killer

Negative effects of coffee.

Though there are some positive effects of caffeine, the negative effects of caffeine should be understood. Anyone in a high-risk group should be aware of the severe negative effects. People with mood disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, chronic intestinal issues, work the night shift or who are pregnant should minimize caffeine intake.

We should always be remembered that everything must be in moderation (moderation is the key).

Studies correlate the negative effects of caffeine with high caffeine intake, and with certain physical conditions or groups of people who tend to have more problems with caffeine.

A small amount of caffeine intake by a completely healthy person may have minimal effect. Caffeine is a stimulant and high coffee consumption (more than three cups per day for years) it will elevate heart rate, increase blood flow, and raise body temperature. It increases blood sugar levels and acts as a diuretic, meaning you urinate more frequently and reduce water intake. Caffeine makes most users more alert.

Caffeine is a mild diuretic, speeding up the urination cycle, but "steals" calcium which is lost through urine, thus increasing loss of bone mineral density. Long term, heavy caffeine use leads to a rapid development of osteoporosis. 

One of the negative effects of caffeine is that small amounts of caffeine taken daily can create physical dependence on caffeine. If a regular coffee drinker, for example, fails to drink his daily dose of caffeine, he can end up with headaches, excessive sleepiness, a feeling like he cannot function. Withdrawal from caffeine can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending upon how much caffeine a person customarily consumes.

When caffeine intake is above 300 milligrams a day, about three cups of coffee or three to four sodas, the caffeine may at first make a person feel energized. Yet one of the negative effects of caffeine is its ability to disrupt sleep cycles, causing less deep sleep, particularly when the person drinks caffeinated beverages within a few hours of bedtime. So while a person may be using coffee or other caffeine laced beverages to "get started" in the morning, one reason he might need this extra boost because he is getting inadequate sleep.

Caffeine causes sleep disturbances. Don't even think about drinking coffee or other caffeine containing beverages before sleep. And remember that the alkaloid needs 12 hours to be completely eliminated from your body.

Those who drink caffeinated beverages and work the night shift have a far greater likelihood of getting insufficient deep sleep during the day. This can result in a continued cycle of exhaustion and caffeine boosts, a greater dependence on caffeine, and more caffeine consumed, which only exacerbates the problem.

Certain people are also particularly caffeine sensitive and more likely to experience negative effects of caffeine. For example, some people will feel "buzzed" or hyped up from one cup of coffee. Lower body weight tends to translate to higher likelihood of experiencing the negative effects of caffeine.

People with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder are much more prone to reacting badly from increased heart rate. Caffeine, even in small doses, can create panic attacks and interfere with medications taken to calm the system. Caffeine is adenosine-receptor antagonist, meaning that it blocks the receptors in the brain that bind with the neuromodulator adenosine, which slows neural activity. It also promotes the release of adrenaline and dopamine.

For people with high blood pressure or high blood sugar levels, the negative effects of caffeine should be understood. Caffeine can raise both these levels. Any type of heart problem can be affected by caffeine. The negative effect of caffeine in increasing heart rate can create problems for people with heart conditions, and in high doses, caffeine can induce irregular heartbeats in healthy people.

And coffee does have modest cardiovascular effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and occasional irregular heartbeat that should be considered. Studies have been largely inconclusive regarding coffee and its effect on women's health issues such as breast health, cancer, and osteoporosis.

The effect of coffee on the cardiovascular health is controversial: some say it's good, others that it is a risk factor. Caffeine blocking adenosine constricts the brain's blood vessels. The heart beats rate increases, muscles tighten, the blood pressure booms, blood vessels near the surface constrict and more blood flows to the muscles.

Researches show that blood pressure and heart rate spurred in healthy sedentary adults drinking two cans of caffeine containing drinks daily by up to 11 %.

But if you're going to practice sports, the heart beats can increase up to a dangerously high level, while triggering extremities shivering and nausea. On the long term, the unnatural heart racing is unhealthy, and can trigger heart conditions.

People with stomach conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcers, and gastro-intestinal reflux, all may suffer from the negative effects of caffeine. Caffeine increases acidic response in the stomach which may lead to excessive bowel movements and is associated with stomach discomfort.

Caffeine mixed with acetaminophen (paracetamol), one of the most common painkillers used in the US and Europe could harm your liver. The caffeine was discovered to triple the quantity of a toxic byproduct, N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI), produced by the enzyme that breaks down the acetaminophen. Still, the effects would be determined by the daily consume of 20-30 cups of coffee. 

Negative effects of caffeine can be broken down into moderate and serious side effects. Moderate negative effects of caffeine include: headaches, irritability, increases in breast tenderness, restlessness, mild insomnia, increased heart rate, increased blood sugar, difficulty concentrating, and mild stomach upset. Severe negative effects of caffeine include: panic attacks, irregular heartbeat, sleep deprivation, continuous stomach problems, prolonged depression, and sleep disorders.

Researches show that consume of unfiltered coffee increases the level of cholesterol. Why? Because coffee contains a substance called cafestol which triggers the rise of cholesterol levels. The cafestol blocks a receptor in an intestinal pathway crucial for cholesterol regulation, and is the most potent food chemical to do this.

By pouring hot water over the ground coffee, the cafestol is extracted. The same thing happens when the ground coffee is boiled in water by several times, like in the case of Turkish coffee or Scandinavian brew, or a paper filter is employed, like in French coffee. If the coffee is made without the filter, the cafestol remains in the prepared beverage.

A cup of unfiltered coffee contains up to 4 milligrams of cafestol that can raise the cholesterol level by 1 %. The espresso coffee contains cafestol, as it is not prepared with a filter. Still, this type of coffee can increase less the cholesterol if you use a small cup. Less espresso means less cafestol, probably just 1-2 mg per cup. Still, 5 cups of espresso can raise the cholesterol by 2 %. 

Coffee can kill you! Just as any other drug, in small amounts, caffeine (and coffee) is a stimulant. But the coffee plant synthesizes the alkaloid with the purpose of killing its natural consumers. The grazer eating too much coffee will die. We, too, may be killed. The uncontrolled heart beats are the prelude of a heart attack.

Over 400 mg of caffeine (found in 4-5 cups of brewed coffee) can cause caffeine intoxication. Some even snort caffeine powder, which results in a more rapid and intense reaction. The symptoms are just like those induced by any other drug: restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, face flushing, increased urination, gastrointestinal disturbance, muscle twitching, a rambling flow of thought and speech, irritability, irregular heart beat, and psychomotor agitation. 

Caffeine value would be linked to weight and each one's sensitivity, to about 150 to 200 mg/kg of body mass.

So, you have to drink 80 to 100 cups of coffee very quickly to die... This also varies with the coffee variety, and cup size, as this determines how much caffeine enters your body. At least from rapid drinking; the chronic effects are another story, but caffeine pills (just 2 g) are much more effective and have been proven lethal.

Caffeine exaggerates stress in people who consume it every day. The effects of coffee drinking are long-lasting and exaggerate the stress response both in terms of the body’s physiological response in blood pressure elevations and stress hormone levels, but it also magnifies a person’s perception of stress. The caffeine appears to compound the effects of stress both psychologically in terms of perceived stress levels and physiologically in terms of elevated blood pressures and stress hormone levels

I think that people who feel 'stressed out' should at least consider quitting caffeine to see if they feel better. Quitting caffeine could be particularly beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure, just as diet and exercise can help keep blood pressure under control.

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