Coffee–Friend or Foe?
Submitted by SharpHealth Team on Sunday 10th October 2010- Side effects of caffeine.
- How much is too much?
- How much is in different products?
First it was fats, then it was smoking, and now your consumption of coffee is under attack…can’t a SharpMan have any fun?
Well, yes and no. The problem is not that you consume too much coffee, it’s that you ingest caffeine, the stimulant found in coffee and many other substances you take in everyday. Caffeine occurs naturally in over 60 plants — everything from cocoa beans to kola nuts. Besides the daily pick-me-up you receive from your kola nuts, you may be getting caffeine from over-the-counter medications like pain relievers, appetite suppressants and cold medications.
Side effects of your extra-grande java mocha.
You’ve probably learned this yourself: too much caffeine can have annoying side effects. A few of the greatest hits are listed below:
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Trouble sleeping
- Vomiting
- Irritability
- Fast/erratic heartbeat
- Nervousness
In fact, many of the symptoms normally associated with stress are actually the result of an over-caffeinated SharpMan. Many people have reported that once they get their caffeine intake under control, many of the stress-related symptoms disappear.
Do we have to give it up?
Of course not.
Caffeine in itself is not bad for you. In fact, consumption of caffeine is associated with improving asthma attacks and relieving migraines. A study in the May 24th Journal of the American Medical Association asserts that heavy coffee drinkers may also have a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (the disease that plagues actor Michael J. Fox, Attorney General Janet Reno and Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat), though scientists are not sure why.
The key is to be aware of all the ways you ingest caffeine and then consume all forms of caffeine — especially coffee — in moderation.
How much is "moderation?"
The good news is that ingesting caffeine in moderate amounts (about 300 milligrams or three eight-ounce cups of coffee) has no detrimental affects whatsoever.
What does eight-ounces of "moderation" look like?
An eight-ounce cup is not the Grande, nor one of those huge mugs currently favored by coffee houses — eight ounces is more like a regular-sized cup. As with most things that taste and or feel good, too much is never a good thing.
The amount of caffeine in the things you eat and drink.
How are you supposed to know how many milligrams are in your favorite caffeine drink? A cup of coffee brewed in your drip machine has an average of 184 mg (but it could go as high as 288 for strong coffee, or as low as 96 for weak). Even decaf coffee has an average of five mg of caffeine, while an eight-ounce cup of tea typically has 64 mg. And just one ounce (or one big bite) of chocolate has a median of 6 mg (but it can go up to 51), and if you like dark chocolate, one ounce usually contains 20 mg.
What about soft drinks? Coke contains 29.7 mg, Diet Coke 40.8. Pepsi and Diet Pepsi have 32.1 and 30.3 respectively. Mountain Dew, long rumored to have more caffeine than these colas packs a powerful 54.5 mg. That’ll wake you up.
This article last updated on Sunday 10th October 2010