8 Side Effects of Consuming Too Much Caffeine

Coffee has many fans around the world. The drink is famous not only for its amazing taste and aroma, but also for its invigorating properties, making it an indispensable remedy for people who have to wake up early or those who need to stay alert until late. In small quantities, weak coffee drinks will not harm the body.

But what happens if you drink a lot of coffee every day? How will increased doses of caffeine affect your well-being, and what could this mean?

Effect of coffee on the body

Coffee, like any product consumed in reasonable quantities, is not harmful to the body. If you drink no more than 2 small cups a day, without making the drink too rich, you may notice an improvement in your well-being.

Drinking coffee daily has the following positive effects:

1. The drink is a good preventative against diseases of the intestines, liver and cardiovascular system.
2. In the female body, there is an increased production of endorphins, due to which the fair sex feels a surge of strength, vigor and happiness.
3. Metabolism accelerates and brain nutrition improves.
4. Coffee helps fight the occurrence of atherosclerosis and prevents the appearance of gallstones.
5. Vasospasm goes away, which has a beneficial effect on patients suffering from regular headaches.
6. Muscle tone increases and the production of certain hormones increases.
7. By accelerating blood circulation, mental activity increases, and it becomes easier for a person to perform various intellectual tasks.
8. By increasing the production of gastric juice, digestive processes are improved.

However, it is important to remember that in order to achieve all of the above positive changes, the amount of coffee drunk daily must be strictly dosed.

No less important is the quality of the product: preference should be given to coffee beans; instant coffee has virtually no beneficial substances left after processing.

Is drinking coffee harmful?

According to some doctors, due to the fact that caffeine is a drug, constant consumption of coffee can lead to physical and mental dependence on this drink. With excessive coffee consumption, you can simply “drive” your body, since coffee is not “oats” for it, but a “whip”. It is not recommended to drink coffee for people with coronary heart disease, severe atherosclerosis, kidney disease, increased excitability, insomnia, hypertension and glaucoma. It is better for elderly people and children not to drink coffee at all.

Twelve years ago, the famous scientific journal New Scietist published the results of the largest study on the effect of coffee on the development of cardiovascular diseases. From 1968 to 1988, British researchers observed 2,000 male employees of an engineering firm. It turned out that those who consumed more than six cups of coffee per day had a 71% higher risk of heart disease than all other employees of the company.

In 2000, scientists found that drinking coffee increases the risk of rheumatic arthritis. Studies have shown that people who drink 4 or more cups of coffee per day are twice as likely to develop rheumatic arthritis as those who drink coffee in more moderate quantities. These results were confirmed even after adjusting for other risk factors - age, gender, smoking and weight.

Coffee contains a special type of benzopyrene resin, which is quite harmful to the human body, the amount of which varies depending on the degree of roasting of the beans. Therefore, lightly roasted coffee is preferable.

But all these are the disadvantages of drinking coffee, now let's talk about the advantages. Researchers note that coffee increases performance, relieves fatigue, and stimulates mental activity.

All this happens thanks to the caffeine it contains, which improves blood supply to the brain, heart, kidneys, and also, being a psychomotor stimulant, activates brain activity. Americans have found that small amounts of coffee improves spermatogenesis and potency in men.

In 1987, American scientists who observed 6,000 heavy coffee consumers for a number of years reported that it does not promote the development of cardiovascular diseases, as previously claimed. The same conclusions were made by Finnish doctors. They examined 17,000 people who drank five or more cups of coffee per day. The results of research by Americans and Finns were also confirmed by Brazilian scientists who studied the effects of coffee on 45,000 drink lovers.

According to other American scientists (according to the Journal of American Medical Association), regular consumption of coffee can reduce the risk of gallstone disease by 40%. Scientists have not yet reached a consensus on the cause of this effect, although they suggest that it is caused by exposure to caffeine. It is possible that it prevents the crystallization of cholesterol, which is part of the stones, or increases the flow of bile and the rate of breakdown of fats.

Another group of scientists who studied the effect of coffee on the nervous system came to the conclusion that coffee, classified as a stimulant drink, has a noticeable antidepressant effect. It has been found that people who drink at least two cups of coffee a day are three times less likely to suffer from depression and significantly less likely to commit suicide than those who never drink coffee.

And scientists from Vanderbilt University (USA) believe that coffee may be able to help people who suffer from depression, alcoholism and bowel cancer (a study showed that the risk of bowel cancer decreases by 24% if you drink four or more cups of coffee a day).

Recently, many benefits have been discovered in coffee that were previously unknown. For example, it turns out that it softens asthma attacks and allergies, prevents caries and neoplasms, activates the combustion of fats in the body, is a laxative, and intensifies intestinal function. Anyone who drinks coffee feels more confident, does not suffer from low self-esteem, and does not experience unreasonable fears. Similar to chocolate, caffeine increases the concentration of the happiness hormone - serotonin.

Another interesting study was conducted by specialists from the University of Michigan. They found that older married women who drink a cup of coffee daily are more sexually active compared to their peers who have long given up this drink.

The same study showed that coffee helps men achieve and maintain an erection. Those of the middle-aged men surveyed who do not drink coffee complained of certain difficulties in this regard.

The activation of sexual potency is facilitated by the alkaloid caffeine, which is an effective stimulant that exacerbates the body's reaction to sensory stimuli.

However, skeptics say that it is not only and not so much about caffeine. It’s just that sexually active older people are stronger and healthier than their peers, they do not have problems with the heart and blood vessels. That’s why they can afford both coffee and sex.

And not so long ago, Professor Georges Debry, an employee of the Center for Nutrition at the University of Nancy, spoke in defense of this drink at a seminar in Paris on the issue of the effect of caffeine on health. The scientist emphasized that there is no reason to say that coffee is harmful. With moderate consumption of coffee, it rather reveals than causes any disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system (heartburn, gastritis, etc.), although when consumed in large doses, it promotes the removal of calcium from the body and reduces the digestibility of food. With reasonable consumption of coffee by healthy people, it does not serve as a predisposing factor to either a heart attack or hypertension, and does not cause disturbances in the hormonal functions of the body. Scientists from India also report interesting data. They found that black coffee drinkers exposed to radiation daily at work suffered less from the radiation. Experiments conducted on laboratory animals have confirmed that high doses of caffeine serve as a prophylactic against radiation sickness. In this regard, Indian doctors recommend radiologists, radiologists and other specialists who constantly work with radiation sources to drink at least 2 cups of good coffee per day.

What's dangerous about caffeine overdose?

Many people are interested in the question: what will happen if you drink a lot of coffee, not only once, but over a period of time? We can say quite definitely that in this case the following negative consequences of varying severity will appear:

1. If a person has an easily excitable psyche, then drinking too much coffee can cause insomnia and rapid heartbeat.
2. The drink affects the cardiovascular system and blood pressure, causing it to increase. This can be dangerous for hypertensive patients, as the risk of a crisis is high.
3. The product contains a special substance – caffestol, which is responsible for the accumulation of cholesterol in the body. Paper filter bags help reduce its amount. However, with regular use of the product, cholesterol levels in the body will increase, which can lead to the formation of plaques on the walls of blood vessels and cause blood clots.

Coffee is addictive, so over time you may need to continually increase your daily dosage. To prevent this from happening, it should be alternated with tea, cocoa and other drinks.

1. With abundant consumption of the product, the production of gastric juice is significantly enhanced. Such exposure is dangerous for patients suffering from gastritis and peptic ulcers, since there is a high risk of relapse.
2. When adding sugar, cream, or syrup, the calorie content of the drink increases significantly, which can negatively affect the condition of patients suffering from obesity.
3. Coffee has a diuretic effect, and if consumed in excess, dehydration may occur.
4. The drink promotes active leaching of calcium and other beneficial microelements from tissues, which is especially dangerous if a person suffers from osteoporosis.
5. It is not advisable for pregnant women to drink coffee drinks, as caffeine negatively affects the condition of the fetus.
6. The product causes severe yellowing of tooth enamel.

Caffeine

Today, coffee and tea are the most consumed drinks on earth. They contain caffeine, making this chemical the world's most common stimulant. It has become an integral part of the life of 90% of people on Earth! This alone causes doctors to pay close attention to caffeine and drinks containing it. Different types of coffee and tea contain different amounts of caffeine - typically ranging from 50 to 250 mg per cup. In addition, both tea and coffee contain many other biologically active substances (more than a thousand!), which can sometimes make it difficult to assess the effect of caffeine in a particular drink.

If almost everyone perceives tea as a healthy drink, then with coffee everything is more complicated. Even many of those who drink it with pleasure do so with the idea that they are succumbing to a bad habit. By analogy with tobacco and alcohol. Although the caffeine content in some types of coffee is much lower than in tea! Coffee is accused of many things: it increases blood pressure, causes arrhythmia, leads to a heart attack, provokes miscarriages - you name it! And, as a rule, these ideas are far from the truth.

Indeed, caffeine has a multifactorial effect on our body, affecting all its life support systems. And as always, the benefit or harm of such exposure is determined by the dose. Consuming up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is considered safe. This is the amount of caffeine found in 3-4 cups of coffee or 4-6 cups of tea.

How to reduce the negative impact on the body

To make drinking the drink enjoyable and not cause side effects, you should use some tricks:

1. People suffering from nervous disorders and diseases of the cardiovascular system should not drink a lot of coffee. The best solution to the problem is a caffeine-free drink, which has the same taste, but does not have a harmful effect on the body.
2. If insomnia occurs regularly, you should stop drinking coffee shortly before going to bed.
3. If you have diabetes or high blood cholesterol levels, you should not only reduce the amount and strength of the drink you drink daily, but also be sure to use paper filter bags.
4. Patients suffering from heartburn and peptic ulcers are prohibited from drinking coffee on an empty stomach. You should also avoid strong brewed drinks.

If you are prone to obesity, you should not add sugar or cream to your drink.

1. It is extremely important to drink enough fresh water to help avoid dehydration.
2. To prevent calcium leaching, you need to balance your diet and reduce the amount of coffee you drink.
3. Preference should always be given to high-quality bean coffee, as it contains more nutrients than instant coffee.

With moderate consumption of the drink there is no negative effect on the body. If you exercise restraint, coffee will only bring benefits and not harm.

Don't Panic: Some Caffeine Detox Secrets

At the first symptoms of an overdose, you need to drink a lot of water and go out into the fresh air.
Often, friendly gatherings over a cup of coffee take place in a cramped coffee shop, where there are a lot of people and a terrible shortage of air. All this aggravates the effect of caffeine on the body and can lead to unpleasant consequences.

If you discover these symptoms in yourself or one of your friends, you should not panic. Here are a few simple techniques that will help neutralize the effects of caffeine and avoid the consequences of an overdose:

1. If you are in a stuffy room, go outside. A walk in the fresh air will saturate the body with oxygen, restore heart rate and relieve pressing anxiety.
2. At the first symptoms of an overdose, you need to drink a lot of fluid. Water will dilute the excess caffeine intake and help quickly cleanse the body of waste products.
3. If you don't feel nauseous, eat a banana. Citrus juice is perfect. The high content of potassium and vitamin C will fill the lack of microelements and return the heart to a healthy rhythm.
4. In a more serious case: numbness of the limbs, blue discoloration, loss of consciousness, call an ambulance without delay.

If you lose consciousness, you should urgently call an ambulance
. Treat your body with respect and avoid excessive consumption of coffee. Even if this was your norm before, keep in mind that in a state of illness the body’s resistance decreases. Let the coffee ceremony continue to be associated with pleasant moments.

What to do if you feel sick after drinking coffee

With a single or regular consumption of large amounts of coffee, signs of caffeine overdose may appear. The person's health will deteriorate sharply, and it will be necessary to reduce the level of caffeine in the blood as soon as possible. Below are the main signs of poisoning after drinking large amounts of caffeine-containing drinks, as well as methods for improving well-being:

1. If you experience a rapid heartbeat, severe headache or dizziness, you should sit or lie down. It is necessary to ensure the flow of oxygen; for this you can open the windows and create a draft. When lying down, the legs are raised above the head, this will ensure increased saturation of the brain with oxygen. If a person begins to feel cold, he should cover himself with a warm blanket.
2. If you feel pain in the heart, a person feels feverish, or there is a pressing pain in the temporal region, then you need to ventilate the room, and also try to do a few exercises to enhance metabolic processes. Then caffeine will be eliminated from the body faster.
3. The universal advice for both cases is to immediately stop drinking coffee if symptoms appear. To get relief faster, you should drink milk, clean water, or with lemon added, and eat a banana. Gradually the negative manifestations will disappear. If your health has deteriorated significantly, you should take painkillers or sedatives that regulate the activity of the cardiovascular system.