Caffeine is one of the most commonly-used and popular psychoactive substance in the world today. In that fast-paced modern world of the service-economy, coffee has become a means for the working world to get on its feet early in the morning and stay awake through the drudgery of jobs. However, how benign is coffee? There are no warning labels associated with a cup o’ joe other than that the contents of the cup could be extremely hot. Does caffeine pose any long-term risks to health?
Like countless other psychoactive substances, caffeine is best used in moderation. Moderation means one or two cups of coffee a day. According to a Harvard Medical School press release, “coffee may reduce the risk of developing gallstones, discourage the development of colon cancer, improve cognitive function, reduce the risk of liver damage in people at high risk for liver disease, and reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.” Although a mildly addictive stimulant, caffeine can nonetheless produce some positive results when used in moderation.
It’s with excessive consumption of caffeinated beverages or use of caffeine pills that the real health risks start to emerge. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means that it causes water to be flushed from the body. However, the water mixed with coffee grounds and contained in other caffeinated beverages helps to balance out the amount of water lost due to caffeine intake. When using caffeine pills, it is best to drink sufficient amounts of water to offset the fact that you are not taking any water in with the caffeine in pill form. Heavy use of caffeine can lead to long-term health effects such as persistent headaches, difficulty sleeping, and even insomnia. However, it should be noted that it is heavy use that leads to the aforementioned risks and that moderate use runs a much lower risk.
Like some other psychoactives, caffeine is potentially habit-forming. A tolerance to the drug can build up with sufficient use and withdrawal symptoms can manifest themselves with chronic use and disuse. According to BBC Health, caffeine has been shown to increase blood pressure in the short term, but there has yet to be any conclusive evidence that taking caffeine can lead to long-term high blood pressure. Similarly, caffeine is known to produce an increase in heart-rate in the short term, but there is little evidence for caffeine being directly implicated in coronary heart disease or other diseases of the heart. Women who are pregnant are nonetheless advised to reduce their caffeine intake to less than 300 mg daily in order to preserve the health of the fetus.
It is possible to overdose on caffeine. However, the chances of experiencing caffeine overdose by drinking caffeinated beverages are fairly slim due to the amount of liquid you would need to imbibe. The real danger of caffeine overdose comes in the form of commercially available caffeine pills. These pills work just like caffeinated beverages in that they contain caffeine alkaloids which are released in the digestive tract when taken orally. They are popular on college campuses when students need to stay awake pulling an all-nighter of paper-writing or studying but who don’t want to drink coffee. If you take caffeine pills or are interested in doing so, be sure to carefully read the label of the bottle for any contraindications or dosage recommendations. If you exceed the recommended dose, you run the risk of being unable to sit still and can experience unpleasant side-effects such as tachycardia (increased heart rate) and headache. If you far exceed the recommended dose, you can run the risk of seizures, muscle spasms, and even death.
In conclusion, caffeine is just another psychoactive substance that must be approached with moderation. So long as you respect caffeine, then you can feel its potential benefits and not be subjected to the risks that chronic use can pose.
