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Health 52
Info Tip: Caffeine
A morning jolt of coffee will help jumpstart your day, but how does caffeine
overload affect your general health?
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, which is why you get an
energy boost, and why a cup of coffee helps you stay awake when you’ve had
too little sleep. Caffeine is also known to raise blood pressure; that’s one
reason why people with heart conditions should monitor their consumption.
People with insomnia and people who are stressed or filled with anxiety
should limit caffeine in soda and tea as well as coffee. Caffeine helps the
body absorb medications more quickly, and can increase the speed at which
some over-the-counter medications and analgesics (such as ibuprofen, aspirin
and acetaminophen) work by as much as 40 percent. This is all according to a
recent article in Real Simple magazine.
Studies from Harvard Medical School suggest that too much caffeine can lead
to calcium excretion in urine, increasing the long-term risk for bone
fractures or osteoporosis. Moderate consumption of caffeine is considered
relatively harmless … but the caffeine and calories in soda and large coffee
drinks can add up quickly.
Sources: Harvard Medical School;
National Headache Foundation;
Real Simple, Feb. 2007 citing Stanley Segall, Ph.D., of Drexel University
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