Mouth Throat And Other Cancers
In a study of 968,432 men and women, participants who drank than 4 cups of coffee a day had a 49-percent lower risk of death from oral cancer, compared with those who drank no coffee at all or only an occasional cup.
Other possible cancer-related benefits include:
- a lower risk of endometrial cancer
- a reduced risk of prostate cancer
- protection against head and neck cancer
- protection against the recurrence of breast cancer
Why Coffee Keeps You Awake
Lets digress for a moment and look at what coffees most polarizing stimulant does to your central nervous system. Caffeine acts on a chemical in your brain called adenosine. According to neurologist Ajay Sampat, M.D., Adenosine is like a sleep-inducing molecule that your brain makes while youre awake. The longer youre awake, the more adenosine you have in your system.
He further explains that caffeine is essentially an adenosine antagonist, binding to molecules of adenosine and lessening its sleep-inducing effects.
Caffeine is so effective because it peaks right away and then lingers in your system for hours. Typically, the half-life of caffeine is around four to six hours, meaning that four to six hours after consumption, about half of that caffeine is still in your system.
One of the biggest knocks against coffee is the disruption it can have on healthy sleep cycles.
Caffeine can increase your arousal frequency how many times your brain wakes up each night, though you may not remember.
However, some studies have begun to debunk this claim.
Professionals from Harvard Medical School and Flordia Atlantic University studied 785 people for a total of 5,164 days and nights, arriving at the conclusion that beverages containing caffeine are less likely to cause sleep disturbances than most of us think.
It often depends on the individual. If you have had a cup of coffee every evening for twenty years, you may not have trouble sleeping.
It Might Enhance Memory Retention
While caffeines positive effect on alertness, attention, concentration, and mood is not such a surprise, its ability to enhance memory retention is based on a fairly new study. According to the journal Nature Neuroscience, Caffeine enhanced performance 24 hours after administrationWe conclude that caffeine enhanced consolidation of long-term memories in humans. It is important to note that more caffeine is not necessarily better nor will it always prove to have a positive impact on productivity. On the flip side, heres how quitting coffee affects your body.
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Coffee Can Exacerbate Heartburn
When you drink coffee, you raise the level of acidity in your stomach. That’s often a good thing as an increased acid level helps with the digestion of food. Problems can arise when you drink too much coffee on an empty stomach. The overly acidic gastric juices can irritate the lining of the gut and cause heartburn.
It Helps Boost Metabolism
As a natural stimulant, coffee is also a metabolism booster. “Coffee not only helps the body burn fat, but as a diuretic, it keeps your digestion moving,” says Megan Roosevelt, RDN, LA-based registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of HealthyGroceryGirl.com. One study found that just one cup of coffee increased participants’ resting metabolic rate, energy expenditure, and fat burning for energy.
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Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie
Blend all ingredients to create a seasonally inspired drink. Using real pumpkin adds beneficial fiber.
- 1 cup coffee
- ½ cup milk of your choice
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup canned plain pumpkin
- 4 ice cubes
Try to limit added sugar as much as you can! If you MUST add sweetener, try pure maple syrup in a small quantity- start with 1 teaspoon.
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How Much Caffeine Is Okay Each Day
How you react to caffeine depends on your body mass, health and metabolism. It also depends on whether your body is used to getting regular doses of caffeine and how much you have in one serving. Research suggests that 400mg per day or less is an acceptable dose of caffeine for the general population.
Approximate caffeine levels per serve include:
- chocolate drinks: 510mg per 250ml
- instant coffee: 80120mg per 250ml
- drip or percolated coffee: 150240mg per 250ml
- espresso coffees such as espresso or latte: 105110mg per 250ml
- black tea: 65105mg per 250ml
- cola drinks: 4049mg per 375ml
- Red Bull energy drink: 80mg per 250 ml
- energy drink: 160mg per 250ml
- dark chocolate bar: 40-50mg per 55g serve
- milk chocolate bar 10mg per 50g serve
- guarana: can contain up to 100mg per 1g of guarana
- caffeine tablets such as No-Doz 100mg per tablet.
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Mixing Alcohol And Energy Drinks
When alcoholic beverages are mixed with energy drinks, the caffeine can mask the depressant effects of alcohol. Alcohol also decreases the metabolism of caffeine, prolonging its effects.
Drinkers who consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks are three times more likely to binge drink than drinkers who do not report mixing alcohol with energy drinks.
They are also twice as likely to report experiencing sexual assault, sexually assaulting someone else, riding with a driver who was under the influence of alcohol, being physically hurt or injured, and requiring medical treatment.
Health Benefits Of Coffee
1. Coffee boosts your physical performance.
Have a cup of black coffee about an hour before workout and your performance can improve by 11-12%. Caffeine increases adrenaline levels in your blood. Adrenaline is your bodys fight or flight hormone which helps you to prepare for physical exertion.
2. Coffee may help you lose weight.
Coffee contains magnesium and potassium, which helps the human body use insulin, regulating blood sugar levels and reducing your craving for sugary treats and snacks.
3. Coffee helps you burn fat.
Caffeine helps fat cells break down body fat and use it as fuel for training.
4. Coffee helps you focus and stay alert.
Moderate caffeine intake, 1-6 cups a day, helps you focus and improves your mental alertness.
5. Coffee lowers risk of death.
Studies have shown that coffee drinkers overall risk of premature death is 25% lower than of those who dont drink coffee.
6. Coffee reduces risk of cancers.
One study has shown that coffee may the risk of developing prostate cancer in men by 20 %, and endometrial cancer in women by 25 %. People in the test group drank four cups of coffee a day. Caffeine may also prevent developing of basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer
7. Coffee reduces risk of stroke.
Reasonable consumption of coffee is associated with lower risk of stroke.
8. Coffee reduces risk of Parkinsons disease.
9. Coffee protects your body.
10. Coffee may lower risk of Type II diabetes.
11. Coffee protects your brain.
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Coffee Can Help Reduce Pain
Even if you aren’t a regular coffee-drinker, caffeine can help speed pain relief. According to WebMD, not only can caffeine can make pain relievers 40% more effective in treating headaches, but it also speeds the body’s reaction to the medications. That being the case, it shouldn’t be surprising that many OTC headache medications also contain caffeine.
The Biggest Source Of Antioxidants In The Western Diet
For people who eat a standard Western diet, coffee may be one of the healthiest aspects of their diet.
Thats because coffee is quite high in antioxidants. Studies show that many people get more antioxidants from coffee than from fruits and vegetables combined (
In fact, coffee may be one of the healthiest beverages on the planet.
Summary
Coffee is rich in powerful antioxidants, and many people get more antioxidants from coffee than from fruits and veggies combined.
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Coffee Makes You Poop
According to a study published in the journal Gut, “The speed at which the response occurs suggests an indirect action on the colon as it seems unlikely that coffee would reach the colon in this time either via the intestinal lumen or the bloodstream. We suspect that coffee may induce a ‘gastrocolonic response’ by acting on epithelial receptors in the stomach or small bowel. Such a mechanism could be mediated by neural mechanisms or by gastrointestinal hormones. Coffee has been shown to promote the release of Gastrin, which can increase colonic spike and motor activity.”
Can Drastically Improve Physical Performance
Caffeine stimulates your nervous system, signaling fat cells to break down body fat (
This is the fight-or-flight hormone, which prepares your body for intense physical exertion.
Caffeine breaks down body fat, making free fatty acids available as fuel (
29 ).
Therefore, it makes sense to have a strong cup of coffee about half an hour before you head to the gym.
Summary
Caffeine can increase adrenaline levels and release fatty acids from your fat tissues. It also leads to significant improvements in physical performance.
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Digestive And Excretory Systems
Caffeine increases the amount of acid in your stomach and may cause heartburn or upset stomach. Extra caffeine doesnt get stored in your body either. Its processed in the liver and exits through your urine. This is why you might have an increase in urination shortly after having caffeine.
If you have experience stomach problems, like acid reflux or ulcers, ask your doctor if its okay for you to have caffeine.
Is Caffeine Good Or Bad For You
Caffeine is not bad for you if you consume a normal amount. According to the European Food Safety Authority, 200 mg of caffeine per single dose and 400 mg per day are safe for humans. Children should consume a maximum of 3 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight.
Those who consume too much caffeine can suffer from the consequences of a caffeine overdose. Doctors speak of an overdose of one gram or more of caffeine. This corresponds to 15 to 20 cups of espresso. Symptoms include:
- Sleep disorders
- Gastrointestinal complaints
- Circulatory collapse
Some of the symptoms don’t even require an overdose – they can occur with excessive consumption. However, due to the aforementioned habituation effect, this is usually harmless, so that many people can tolerate several cups of coffee in a row.
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May Lower Your Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem, currently affecting millions of people worldwide.
Its characterized by elevated blood sugar levels caused by insulin resistance or a reduced ability to secrete insulin.
For some reason, coffee drinkers have a significantly reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Studies observe that people who drink the most coffee have a 2350% lower risk of getting this disease. One study showed a reduction as high as 67% (22,
Summary
Several observational studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a serious condition that affects millions of people worldwide.
How Coffee Affects The Body
While most people consume coffee for its neurological benefits, the drink also possesses certain properties that improve other functions of the body. Here are some of those benefits:
Coffee boosts our metabolic rate, which accelerates the burning of fat.
Chemicals within coffee can significantly improve physical performance and strength.
Coffee is the single-largest source of antioxidants in the world.
One cup of coffee contains 11%, 2%, and 6% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins B2, B3, and B5, respectively.
Properties within coffee appear to have a protective effect on the liver.
Coffee helps to support blood vessel health.
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Attention Men Coffee Perks You Up
Men who consumed between 85 and 170 milligrams of caffeine a daythe equivalent of two to three cups of coffeewere 42 percent less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction , according to a recent study published in the journal PLOSONE. Researchers attribute the benefits to caffeine’s relaxing effect on the arteries, which improves blood flow to the penis.
This Is What Drinking Too Much Coffee Can Do To Your Body
Remember how in the sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S, all the characters use to sit and chill in a café called Central Perk? We wish that someone would have told them that chilling out is fine but that too much caffeine is going to screw things up big time.
And why just blame coffee because there are numerous other partners in crime that we dont even consider like soda, red bull, and more. Shocked? Who would have thought, right?
Wondering why were being so tough on caffeine? Its all thanks to a study published in the journal Current Neuropharmacol which underlines that too much caffeine can have serious repercussions.
And it doesnt end here. The study also lists how if not taken in moderation then caffeine can lead to anxiety, heart palpitations, stomach problems, and sleeping problems too.
So, just how bad can caffeine be if not taken in moderation?A study published in a journal TheOncotarget states that drinking more than three to four cups of coffee daily in the long term can lead to myocardial Infarctionsimply put, a heart attack.
But thats not all! Your daily intake can do some damage too. 1. It can give you digestive issuesNotice how drinking coffee in the morning facilitates smooth bowel movements? Well, consuming caffeine in large amounts can give you diarrhoea and acid reflux.
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Can Help You Burn Fat
Caffeine is found in almost every commercial fat-burning supplement and for good reason. Its one of the few natural substances proven to aid fat burning.
Several studies show that caffeine can boost your metabolic rate by 311% .
Other studies indicate that caffeine can specifically increase fat burning by as much as 10% in obese individuals and 29% in lean people (
However, its possible that these effects diminish in long-term coffee drinkers.
Summary
Several studies show that caffeine can increase fat burning and boost your metabolic rate.
Coffee Can Make You Hear Things
If you end up needing to spend the night in a haunted house, you may want to bring a beverage other than coffee. A study conducted at Durham University in 2009 found that people who consumed at least 315 milligrams of caffeine a day were three times more likely to hallucinate than people who drank less than that amount. Seeing things, hearing voices, and sensing the presence of ghosts were among the experiences reported by test participants. Spooky.
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It’ll Keep You Feeling Positive
The researchers found that study participants who drank at least one cup of coffee a day had up to a 36 percent lower rate of suicideand this wasn’t the first group of researchers to make this discovery. Several other studies have hinted at an inverse association, too. Even so, it’s not yet clear if there’s something in the drink to thank or if coffee drinkers just happen to share common lifestyle factors that are often associated with a lower risk of suicide. One theory is that caffeine could be a contributing factor, which makes a lot of sense. Caffeine was shown to reduce the loss of dopamine , according to the report.
Does The Way Coffee Is Prepared Matter
Yes. Do you prefer a dark or light roast? Coarse grinding or fine? Arabica or robusta?
All of these different aspects affect the taste, but also affect the compounds within the coffees, said Neal Freedman, a senior investigator with the National Cancer Institute. But its not clear at all how these different levels of compounds may be related to health.
Roasting, for example, reduces the amount of chlorogenic acids, but other antioxidant compounds are formed. Espresso has the highest concentration of many compounds because it has less water than drip coffee.
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine examined the coffee habits of nearly 500,000 people in the U.K. and found that it didnt matter if they drank one cup or chain-drank eight regular or decaf or whether they were fast metabolizers of coffee or slow. They were linked to a lower risk of death from all causes, except with instant coffee, the evidence was weaker.
The way you prepare your cup of joe may influence your cholesterol levels, too. The one coffee we know not suitable to be drinking is the boiled coffee, said Marilyn C. Cornelis, an assistant professor in preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and co-author of the JAMA Internal Medicine study.
Examples of this include the plunge-happy French press, Scandinavian coffee, or Greek and Turkish coffee the kind commonly consumed in the Middle East.
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Circulatory And Respiratory Systems
Caffeine is absorbed from your stomach. It reaches its highest levels in your bloodstream within an hour or two.
Caffeine can make your blood pressure go up for a short time. This effect is thought to be attributed to either an increase in adrenaline or a temporary block on the hormones that naturally widen your arteries. In most people, there is no long-term effect on blood pressure, but if you have irregular heart rhythms, caffeine may make your heart work harder. If you have high blood pressure or heart-related problems, ask your doctor if caffeine is safe for you to consume.
An overdose of caffeine may cause rapid or irregular heartbeat and breathing trouble. In rare cases, caffeine overdose can result in death due to convulsions or irregular heartbeat.
Caffeine in large amounts may interfere with absorption and metabolism of calcium. This can contribute to bone thinning .If you consume too much, caffeine may cause also your muscles to twitch.
If experiencing caffeine withdrawal, a symptom may include achy muscles.