Caffeine: Effects, risks, and cautions - Medical News Today

Effects of caffeine · cardiac arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat · diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome · eye pressure, and possible glaucoma · an increase or ... HealthConditionsHealthConditionsAlzheimer's&DementiaAnxietyArthritisAsthma&AllergiesBreastCancerCancerCardiovascularHealthCOVID-19Dermatology&SkincareDiabetesEnvironment&SustainabilityExercise&FitnessEyeHealthHeadache&MigraineHealthEquityHIV&AIDSHumanBiologyInflammatoryBowelDiseaseLeukemiaLGBTQIA+Men'sHealthMentalHealthMultipleSclerosis(MS)NutritionParkinson'sDiseasePsoriasisSexualHealthWomen'sHealthDiscoverNewsLatestNewsOriginalSeriesMedicalMythsHonestNutritionThroughMyEyesNewNormalHealthPodcastsWhatisbehindvaccinehesitancy?TheamazingstoryofhepatitisC,fromdiscoverytocureNewdirectionsindementiaresearchCanpsychedelicsrewireadepressed,anxiousbrain?WhyclimatechangemattersforhumanhealthWhatdoesthelatestresearchsayaboutmultiplesclerosis?ToolsGeneralHealthDrugsA-ZHealthHubsHealthToolsBMICalculatorsandChartsBloodPressureChart:RangesandGuideBreastCancer:Self-ExaminationGuideSleepCalculatorHealthProductsAffordableTherapyOptionsBloodPressureMonitorsDiabeticSuppliesFitnessTrackersHomeGymsGreenCleaningProductsHowtoShopforCBDQuizzesRAMythsvsFactsType2Diabetes:ManagingBloodSugarAnkylosingSpondylitisPain:FactorFictionConnectAboutMedicalNewsTodayWhoWeAreOurEditorialProcessContentIntegrityConsciousLanguageNewslettersSignUpFollowUsMedicalNewsTodayHealthConditionsDiscoverToolsConnectSubscribeIscaffeinebadforyou?MedicallyreviewedbyKatherineMarengoLDN,R.D.,Nutrition—ByAdamFelmanonNovember7,2019NaturalstimulantBenefitsAdverseeffectsVariationAddictionandwithdrawalYoungpeopleTakeawayCaffeineisapsychoactivesubstancethatoccursnaturallyincoffee.Manufacturersalsoincludeitinmanysodasandenergydrinks.Whileitisasociallyacceptablesubstance,researchisconflictingaboutitssafetyandlongtermimpact.A2019studyofuniversitystudentsfoundthatpeoplewhoconsumecaffeinehaveameanintakeofaround173milligramsperday(mg/day).Thisismoderatecaffeineintake.Accordingtomanystudies,moderateintakecanpromoteavarietyofhealthbenefits,includingalowerriskofcertaincancers,brainconditions,andliverproblems.However,caffeineconsumptionscarriesseveralrisks.Drinkingtoomuchcanalsoleadtoadverseeffects.Inthisarticle,weanalyzethepotentialhealthbenefitsandadversesideeffectsofcaffeineconsumption.CaffeineisanaturalstimulantShareonPinterestCaffeinecanhelpcounteracttiredness.Themainpsychoactiveingredientincoffeeiscaffeine.Thisisacompoundthatnaturallyderivesfromover60differentplantsources,includingcoffeebeans,tealeaves,cacaoseeds,andcolanutseeds.Caffeineactsasastimulantbyactivatingthecentralnervoussystem(CNS).Itcancounteracttirednessandimproveconcentrationandfocus.Outsideofcoffee,peoplecommonlyconsumecaffeinethroughtea,softdrinks—particularlyenergydrinks—andchocolate.Itisalsoaningredientinsomeprescriptionandnon-prescriptiondrugs,suchascold,allergy,andpainmedication.BenefitsAswellasitsstimulatingeffects,caffeinemayprovideseveralhealthbenefits.A2019reviewofexistingliteraturefoundthatconsumingamoderateamountofcaffeinehasaprotectiveeffectagainstlivercancer.Inthesameyear,adifferentreviewof40studiesfoundthatdrinking2–4cupsofcoffeeeverydayhadlinkstoareducedriskofdeathfromallcauses.Somestudieshaveassociatedcaffeineconsumptionwithpositiveeffectsonthebrain.In2013,astudypublishedinWorldJournalofBiologicalPsychiatrysuggestedthatdrinkingbetween2–4cupsofcoffeeadaymayreducesuicideriskinadults.MorerecentresearchinNaturejournalfoundthatconsumingcaffeinemayboostlongtermmemory.Otherstudieshavealsosuggestedthatcaffeineintakemayprotectagainsttype2diabetes,Parkinson’sdisease,cardiovasculardisease,andstroke.However,StevenE.Meredith,apostdoctoralresearchfellowatTheJohnsHopkinsUniversitySchoolofMedicine,toldMedicalNewsTodaythatmanypeopleforgetthatcaffeineisapsychoactivesubstance.Thismaybeduetowidespreadconsumption.Caffeinecrossestheblood-brainbarriertostimulatetheCNS.Hesaid:“Unlikemostotherpsychoactivesubstances,caffeineuseissociallyacceptable,andthedrugiswidelyused.Infact,caffeineisthemostcommonlyusedpsychoactivesubstanceintheworld.Moreover,thevastmajorityofcaffeineconsumersusethesubstanceregularlywithoutapparentharm.Thesefactorslikelycontributetotheperspectivethatcaffeineisabenignsubstancethateveryonecanusewithoutsufferinganynegativeconsequences.”Here,learnmoreaboutthebenefitsofcoffee.AdverseeffectsHowever,ingestingcaffeineinhighdosesmayleadtomoreharmfuleffectsonhealth.A2015reviewidentifiedseveralunwantedsideeffectsofconsumingmorethan400mgofcaffeineperday,including:afastheartbeatanxietyagitationrestlessnesssleepingproblemstremorsTheseeffectscanalsopresentwhenpeopleexperiencecaffeinewithdrawal.However,previousresearchhaslinkedevenmoderateamountsofcaffeinetoadverseeffectsonhealth.In2013,theresultsofalargeprospectivestudysuggestedthatconsuming300mgofcaffeineadayduringpregnancymayincreasetheriskofhavingababywithlowbirthweight.Amorerecentmeta-analysisof17studiesthatinvolved233,617participantssuggestedthatdrinking3–4cupsofcoffeeeverydaymayincreasetheriskofaheartattackinmenbutnotinwomen.Moreresearchisnecessarytoconfirmwhetherlongtermcaffeineconsumptionissafeandwhetheritprovidesbenefitsorincreasestheriskofhealthproblems.Readmoreoncaffeineoverdosehere.TheeffectsofcaffeinecanvaryHowever,MeredithtoldMNTthattheeffectsofcaffeinecanvaryineachindividual.Thismayexplainthemixedoutcomesofresearchontheimpactofcaffeineinthebody.Forexample,headvisedthatindividualswithanxietydisordersaremoresusceptibletotheanxiety-increasingeffectsofcaffeine.“Caffeinecanalsometabolizeatdifferentratesamongindividualsforvariousreasons.Forexample,cigarettesmokersmetabolizecaffeinetwiceasfastasnonsmokers,”headded.“However,caffeinemetabolismissloweramonginfants,pregnantwomen,andindividualswithliverdisease.Inaddition,somemedicationsslowcaffeinemetabolism,whichmayincreasetheriskofcaffeineintoxication.Buttheeffectsofcaffeinealsovarysimplybecausewe’realldifferent.”RobM.VanDam,adjunctassociateprofessoroftheDepartmentofNutritionattheHarvardSchoolofPublicHealth,toldMNTthattheeffectsofcaffeinedependonindividualgeneticcharacteristicsandotherlifestylefactors.“Somepeoplemayhavedifficultysleepingorexperiencetremorsorstresswithrelativelylowcaffeineintakes,anditisusefultobeawareofthesesymptomsandreducecaffeineintakeiftheseoccur.”CaffeineaddictionandwithdrawalGiventhepositiveeffectsthatcaffeinecanhaveasastimulant,MeredithtoldMNTthatthiscouldresultincaffeineaddictionforsomepeople:“Caffeineactivatesmanyofthesamebehavioralandneuropharmacologicalmechanismsthatareactivatedbyotherreinforcers,includingotherdrugsofabuse.And,likemanyotherreinforcers,caffeineisassociatedwithvariouspositivesubjectiveeffectslikeincreasedwell-being,sociability,andfeelingsofenergyandalertness.Forthisreasonandothers,asmallpercentageofthepopulationdevelopscaffeineusedisorder.”Somepeoplecouldbecomephysicallydependentoncaffeine.Theabsenceorreductionofcoffeeconsumptionintheseindividualsresultingincaffeinewithdrawal.Thiscantriggerarangeofsymptoms,suchas:aheadachetirednessreducedenergyandalertnesssleepinesslowmoodconcentrationproblemsirritability“Dependencecanbecomesostrongforsomeindividualsthatthey’reunabletoreduceconsumptiondespiteknowledgeofrecurrentphysicalorpsychologicalproblemsassociatedwithcontinueduse,”Meredithadded.Readmoreonthesymptomsofcaffeinewithdrawalhere.RisksforyoungpeopleMeredithsuggestedthatdoctorsshouldbediscussingcaffeineusewiththeirpatientstodeterminewhethertheyareconsumingsafelevelsofthestimulant.Hewarnedthatthisisparticularlyimportantforchildrenandadolescents.Themajorityofpediatriciansrecommendthatyoungpeopleshouldavoidcaffeineconsumption,asresearchersdonotfullyunderstanditseffectsonthedevelopingbrain.Meredithexplainsthisinthefollowingterms:“Notably,caffeineinterfereswithsleep,andsleepplaysacriticalroleinlearning.Somelaboratoryresearchsuggeststhatcaffeineinterfereswithsleepandlearningamongadolescentrodents,which,inturn,hindersnormalneurologicaldevelopmentthatisnoticeableintoadulthood.”“Somepsychologistsarealsoconcernedthatapatternofcaffeineuseorabuseamongyoungpeoplemayleadtosubsequentproblematicdrugandalcoholuse.”TheFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)suggestthatpeopletalktoapediatricianbeforeintroducingcaffeineintoayoungperson’sdiet.MichaelR.Taylor,thedeputycommissionerforfoodsandveterinarymedicineattheFDA,said:“We’reparticularlyconcernedaboutchildrenandadolescents,andtheresponsibilityFDAandthefoodindustryhavetoprotectpublichealthandrespectsocialnormsthatsuggestweshouldn’tbemarketingstimulants,suchascaffeine,toourchildren.”Manyfoodanddrinkproductsnowcontainaddedcaffeinetoenhancetheirstimulatingeffects,suchasjellybeans,waffles,syrup,andchewinggum.TakeawayStudiesintotheeffectsofcaffeinehaveproducedmixedresults.Whilemoderateconsumptionofcaffeineisunlikelytoproduceharmfuleffectsinmostpeople,reactionstothestimulantdependonhighlyindividualfactors,suchasgeneticsandaccompanyinglifestylechoices.Peopleshouldbemindfulthattheyareconsumingapsychoactivesubstancewhentheyusecaffeine.LastmedicallyreviewedonNovember7,2019PublicHealthNeurology/NeuroscienceNutrition/DietPediatrics/Children'sHealth10sourcescollapsedMedicalNewsTodayhasstrictsourcingguidelinesanddrawsonlyfrompeer-reviewedstudies,academicresearchinstitutions,andmedicaljournalsandassociations.Weavoidusingtertiaryreferences.Welinkprimarysources—includingstudies,scientificreferences,andstatistics—withineacharticleandalsolistthemintheresourcessectionatthebottomofourarticles.Youcanlearnmoreabouthowweensureourcontentisaccurateandcurrentbyreadingoureditorialpolicy.Borota,D.,etal.(2014).Post-studycaffeineadministrationenhancesmemoryconsolidationinhumans[Abstract].https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.3623Capelletti,S.,etal.(2015).Caffeine:Cognitiveandphysicalperformanceenhancerorpsychoactivedrug?https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462044/Kim,Y.,etal.(2019).Coffeeconsumptionandall-causeandcause-specificmortality:Ameta-analysisbypotentialmodifiers[Abstract].https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31055709Inoue,M.,&Tsugane,S.(2019).Coffeedrinkingandreducedriskoflivercancer:Updateonepidemiologicalfindingsandpotentialmechanisms[Abstract].https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30977056Lucas,M.,etal.(2013).Coffee,caffeine,andriskofcompletedsuicide:ResultsfromthreeprospectivecohortsofAmericanadults[Abstract].https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15622975.2013.795243Mahoney,C.R.,etal.(2019).Intakeofcaffeinefromallsourcesandreasonsforusebycollegestudents.https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(18)30134-1/fulltextMo,L.,etal.(2018).Coffeeconsumptionandriskofmyocardialinfarction:Adose-responsemeta-analysisofobservationalstudies.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5940396/Sajadi-Ernazarova,K.R.,&Hamilton,R.J.(2019).Caffeine,withdrawal.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430790/Sengpiel,V.,etal.(2013).Maternalcaffeineintakeduringpregnancyisassociatedwithbirthweightbutnotwithgestationallength:Resultsfromalargeprospectiveobservationalcohortstudy.https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-11-42Spillingthebeans:Howmuchcaffeineistoomuch?(2018).https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-muchFEEDBACK:MedicallyreviewedbyKatherineMarengoLDN,R.D.,Nutrition—ByAdamFelmanonNovember7,2019Latestnews1-hourwalkthroughnaturelowersstress,researchshowsWhatisthetrueimpactofunpaidlaboronwomen?Couldantibioticsworsenmelanoma?MousestudyfindsclueingutmicrobiomeFDAapprovesdrugSotyktufortreatmentofplaquepsoriasisHow'randomnoise'couldenhancehumancognitionandlearningpotentialRelatedCoverageWhatarethehealthbenefitsofblacktea?MedicallyreviewedbyKathyWarwick,RD,LDBlackteaisapopularbeverageworldwide.However,itmayalsohaveaneffectonhealth.Learnmoreaboutthebenefitsandrisksofdrinkingblack…READMOREWhatarethehealthbenefitsofgreentea?MedicallyreviewedbyKathyW.Warwick,R.D.,CDEGreenteamaybenefittheheart,aidweightmanagement,andsoothetheskin.Learnmoreaboutthepotentialbenefitsandriskshere.READMOREIsdecafcoffeeharmfultohealth?MedicallyreviewedbyNatalieOlsen,R.D.,L.D.,ACSMEP-CDecaffeinatedcoffee,ordecaf,issimilartoregularcoffeebutcontainsverylittlecaffeine.Researchsuggeststhatdrinkingdecafisnotharmful…READMOREWhatarethebestteasforhealth?Doyouenjoyteaforitsflavororthesoothingfeelingbroughtbyholdingasteamingcup?InthisSpotlight,wetellyouwhichbrewsarebestfor…READMOREHowlongdoesacupofcoffeekeepyouawake?MedicallyreviewedbyNatalieOlsen,R.D.,L.D.,ACSMEP-CCaffeinestimulatesthenervoussystem.Peopleoftenconsumeittostayalert,buthowlongdoeffectslast,andhowdoesitimpactsleep?This…READMORE