Let’s talk about caffeine. Is it hazardous or not? Is it high blood pressure or increased psychological awareness? Increased cancer risk or decreased asthma symptoms and signs? Much more heart conditions or enhanced productivity? How do the hazardous results of caffeine stack up against the perceived positive aspects? This may well seem to step on lots of toes so I am going to include a number of references to scientific studies – these are not my ideas.

I’ve been reading quite a few reports in the news recently about the “positive aspects” of caffeine. Nevertheless, the research and information on the dangers of and the numerous hazardous effects of caffeine are extremely well documented. Here are some details about the results of caffeine.

Caffeine’s short-term effects occur extremely quickly and endure about 4 hours. These could consist of balance problems, a racing heart, insomnia, constant tiredness, finger tremor and a sense of anxiousness with severity of signs and symptoms related to the type of beverage and quantity consumed.

Eventually, as little as a single cup of coffee each day is most likely to raise blood cholesterol and blood pressure, and cause the heart to race or have additional beats. One to five cups of coffee a day increases the danger of heart attack by 60 % more than people who have none, and six or more cups a day increases the danger by 120 %!

“Two cups of coffee could raise blood pressure to levels equal to 1 cigarette, but it keeps it there for 1-two hours, vs. just 15 minutes for smoking.” (American Journal of Medicine, 73:348-353, 1982)

Coffee and tea, due to their high content of tannic and other acids, decrease the absorption of iron. Caffeine also injures the pancreas making diabetes or hypoglycemia considerably worse.

“Coffee increases production of digestive juices while relaxing the esophageal muscle tissues, and hence contributing to heartburn and diaphragm pain.” (Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, p 1093)

The range of human miseries and the hazardous results of caffeine (high blood pressure being just 1) is considerable:

  • irritability
  • fever
  • palpitation
  • flushing
  • insomnia

A withdrawal from caffeine causes many of people addicted to it to have significant headaches.

Here is something amazing:

“The lethal dose of caffeine is 10 g or about 70 cups of standard coffee. A lot of individuals are taking one-tenth of the lethal dose every day!” (Journal of Family Practice 4(6)1183, 1977)

The explanation for why heavy coffee drinkers aren’t dropping dead is that their bodies speed up metabolism to work the poison out of their bodies so they won’t die from it. And, of course, that is the explanation – the increased metabolism – for some of the supposed health results of caffeine that we are hearing about. However, if you use your “engine” at an increased speed it will wear quicker just as running your auto at high rpms will do. You do not truly have more energy (there’s no additional fuel in the tank) you are just running with the pedal to the metal.

And coffee has an adverse synergistic effect in that it increases cravings creating hazardous alcohol and tobacco habits to grow to be nearly unbreakable. Some have called it “bad-habit glue.”

“A dose of 500-600 mg (5-6 six-ounce cups) of caffeine a day presents a significant health risk.” (British Journal of Addiction 78:251-258, 1988)

Although it is relatively challenging to overcome the habit of utilizing caffeinated drinks, it is worth the effort! It will not be long until you really feel and function considerably better.

For more details about caffeine visit caffeine

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Leave a Reply

Cure HBP
Cure HBP