Effects of Caffeine on Health: Benefits, Risks & Daily Limits

Caffeine is the most common and widely used stimulant and psychoactive substance all over the world. Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, and other energy drinks. There are many plants such as cocoa beans and natural tea leaves in various proportions.  Among the sources, coffee is the most widely used caffeine product by adolescents. Next to coffee, caffeine will be consumed in the form of tea, chocolate, and some medicines.

Most commonly, caffeine is used for its stimulating effects. By stimulating the cells in the body, caffeine boosts energy and enhances focus. Intake of caffeine has both effects good as well as bad.  Limited consumption of caffeine has the potential benefit of reducing certain diseases and improving cognitive function, however, excessive intake of caffeine has the adverse effect of heartburn, palpitation, and sleep disturbances.

Factors to be considered on the effect of caffeine:

Some factors have to be considered before discussing the effects of caffeine on human health. They are as follows:

Varying tolerance level:

Caffeine tolerance may vary from person to person. Some people might experience very low adverse effects on moderate caffeine intake. Some others might get the worst effect on caffeine consumption even with a low rate of consumption. The tolerance level may change to a certain extent. 

Consumption time:

Though the consumption of caffeine may have some beneficial effects, it should be strictly avoided at bedtime. This is because the intake of caffeine may affect the quality of sleep. 

General intake limit per day: 

Many research studies recommended that it is advised to limit the intake of caffeine to 400 mg per day. Exceeding this limit may result in unfavorable effects on your health.

Favorable effect of caffeine on the human body:

Moderate intake of caffeine brings some favored effects such as,

Enhanced Cognitive Function:

Intake of caffeine brings better reaction time, alertness, attention, and focus. That’s why people feeling tired prefer to have coffee or tea most commonly. 

Boosts enthusiasm by reducing depression: 

Consumption of caffeine reduces depression by generating instant energy. This is the reason why the consumption of caffeine is not advised at bedtime. 

Reducing the risk of certain diseases:

According to research, it is recommended to take a moderate amount of caffeine to reduce the risk of irregular cardiac beats, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol.

Adverse Effects of Caffeine on Human Health:

As discussed earlier in the article, moderate intake of Caffeine brings you some benefits by reducing the risk of some lifestyle diseases. The unfavorable impact of too much Caffeine intake is as follows,

• Caffeine can be absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream from the gastrointestinal tract. The maximum concentration of Caffeine will be absorbed within 1- 1.5 hrs post ingestion. Caffeine content can pass through the blood-brain barrier, amniotic fluid through the placenta, and even into the breast milk. 
• Caffeine intake of 150 – 300 mg after 10 – hrs fasting will increase the urinary calcium excretion in 2 -3 hrs after the intake of Caffeine. The acute Caffeine dose doesn’t have any unfavoured effect on renal effects. 
• Caffeine intake has increased the risk of bone fracture which is the major cause of mortality in osteoporosis. There is data from a research study that people who consume 4 cups of Caffeine have an increased risk of hip fracture than people who don’t consume Caffeine. 
• According to the recommendation of Dr. Debbasis Basu, consultant physician of MITTA care clinic, intake of Caffeine is more or less equal to addictive agents such as nicotine and alcohol. Consumption of too much Caffeine causes irritability, anxiety, depression, and headaches. 
• Excessive Caffeine consumption creates heartburn, palpitations, and irregular heart rhythms. 
• Research conducted 20 years back on this topic resulted in the conclusion that too much Caffeine ingestion can cause a sudden glucose hike. Hence, it increases blood sugar levels. 

Conclusion:

To conclude, Caffeine is the most commonly used stimulator at different levels by the majority of the population all around the world. There are numerous studies suggest that 400 mg of Caffeine intake in a day is safe and doesn’t cause any adverse effects.

Consumption of Caffeine within the recommended limit reduces the risk of irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and some kinds of cancer. Though Caffeine can boost energy and enhance alertness, too much consumption of Caffeine leads to heartburn, palpitations, and insomnia.

As Caffeine stimulates the body to work actively, it can create sleep disturbances during bedtime. There is a proven study result that caffeine intake of more than the recommended limit hikes the glucose level in the blood. 

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