Caffeine: Is it Nature’s contribution to maintaining and rejuvenating stamina? Or is it just a flashy, pretentious, showy, overrated waste of preparation and time and effort, yet popular for the sake of consumerism and commercial gains since it holds addictive properties?
Either way, it’s surely beneficial for the curiosity and wonder along with its academic worth. From claims of it being Nature’s wonder enhancement and dietary supplement, to a chemical worshipped as a “false God,” Caffeine has been and will surely persist to be one of the most studied factors reflecting the efficiency of any working environment. From office deadlines to exercise regimens to subjective comprehension and focus to its debatable fitness contributions, Caffeine continues to evoke more curiosity and drive further evidence to baffle the multitudes – from the working class to university scholars.
No doubt caffeine has good and bad qualities alike, but how much is too much and where should the intake-line be drawn? Clear knowledge of the good vs. bad qualities helps in making this judgment.
Excessive Usage and Negative Effects
Caffeine causes urinary excretion of calcium. Overuse can cause anxiety, irritability, an inability to focus, insomnia, jitters and unwarranted chills, unrest, and the withdrawal side effects of dependency. Over six milligrams in a sitting commonly drives these uncomfortable sensations. Caffeine has been thought to stunt growth in children, though this claim has not been supported by any scientific research. “[A] significant association between caffeinated coffee and decreasing bone mineral density at both the hip and the spine, independent of age, obesity, years since menopause, and the use of tobacco, estrogen, alcohol, thiazides, and calcium supplements. The decreased bone density could be offset for women who drank milk on a daily basis” (Journal of the American Medical Association: 26 Jan. 1994. 280-3).
Although research performed on trained athletes has not directly linked caffeine as a cause of a diuretic effect – a liquid which dehydrates rather than re-hydrates the body by increasing the discharge of urine – the alkaloids found in coffee and tea “increase urine output by counteracting the tendency of blood proteins to prevent the removal of water from the blood by the kidneys” (Encarta). This can complicate an individual’s water balance, which can complicate performance efficiency. This can complicate an individual’s water balance, which can complicate performance efficiency.
Many other complications and even diseases have been and are currently being linked to caffeine intake, such as miscarriage, infertility, and heart disease, though the cause-and-effect relationships are speculative and lack sufficient or authoritative scientific proof. A separate chemical found in coffee and tea, chlorogenic acid, slightly desensitizes the effect of caffeine and can play a toll on the predictability.
Bone Density Problems and Feminine Complications
The thyroid gland secretes Thyroxine and Calcitonin, so a dysfunctional thyroid gland or one that has been surgically removed can inhibit bone mineral metabolism and negatively affect bone mineral density. Excessive caffeine may be linked to thyroid diseases, depletion of bone mineral density, and hyperthyroid TSH levels. That means over-dosage of thyroid hormone into hyperthyroid levels, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and certain endocrine disorders.
Caffeine Intake During Pregnancy
The Food Standards Agency recommends that pregnant women limit caffeine intake to less than 300mg of caffeine per day. A higher intake may be associated to miscarriage. However, this amount is a daily equivalent to four cups of coffee and has not been supported by any scientific research. This warning was issued after a study discovered delayed skeletal development and, in some cases, birth defects in the offspring of rats that had been force‑fed caffeine. The delayed skeletal development was found at levels of caffeine comparable to just two cups of coffee a day for humans. The agency stressed, however, that there was no conclusive evidence as yet that caffeine can cause such problems in humans (Encarta).
The History of Caffeine and its Utility
As a biological poison to serve as a pesticide, as a natural reason for the production of caffeine, the attributes of caffeine provide a defense to conserve plants. For our adoptive assessment, Caffeine creates a sensation of energy through stimulation of the nervous system and adrenals. Caffeine serves to stimulate the central nervous system; it instigates a stress-response, releases adrenaline, and tests human defense mechanics – possibly as a means of survival. So rather than energy, caffeine actually works as a stressor.
In its base form, most commonly found in tea and coffee plants, caffeine is simply a compound which stimulates the central nervous system, though caffeine can be found in well over eighty species of plants. Caffeine was discovered in and extracted from coffee in 1820; recorded history of the use of coffee dates back to the fourth century A.D. And this was discovered in coffee.
Likewise, in 1838 it was established that theine, which was discovered in tea in 1827, is identical to caffeine. The drug increases the blood pressure, stimulates the central nervous system, promotes urine formation, and stimulates the action of the heart and lungs. Caffeine is used in treating migraine because it constricts the dilated blood vessels and thereby reduces the pain. It also increases the potency of analgesics such as aspirin, and it can somewhat relieve asthma attacks by widening the bronchial airways (Encarta).
Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fails to include caffeine on its “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) list, this administration lists caffeine as a “Safe Food Substance¼ generally recognized as safe when used in cola-type beverages in accordance with good manufacturing practice.” However, Australia has a limit of 145mg of caffeine per litre. In parts of Northern Thailand it is completely illegal and has been outlawed as a precursor to meth. Since 27 September 1999, 32 districts of 6 northern provinces bordering Myanmar and Laos.
So it is seen as a threat in other parts of the world, and a limit of 65mg of caffeine per 12 liquid ounces in carbonated beverages exists in the United States – the equivalent to the amount of caffeine in a dose of Excedrin (Bristol-Meyers). Despite the lack of clear, scientific evidence, caffeine continues to be a subject of controversy.
Sources: Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia
The history of caffeine and its utility
