WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CAFFEINE?

Caffeine is one topic that is researched by many researchers as billions of people rely on caffeine for stimulation of IQ. In fact, caffeine is one of the most commonly used ingredients worldwide. However, caffeine is often talked about for its negative effects on sleep and anxiety.

What is Caffeine?

Caffeine is a natural stimulant mostly found in tea, coffee, and cacao plants. It functions by stimulating the brain and central nervous system, helping you to stay alert and to prevent tiredness. From history, the first brewed tea at about 2737 BC contained caffeine. A report has it that caffeine was discovered many years later by a shepherd in Ethiopia who noticed the extra energy it gave his goats. In the 1800s caffeinated soft drink was introduced into the market and energy drinks soon followed. Today, 80% of the people in the world consume a caffeinated product every day.

How does caffeine stimulate the central nervous system?

When caffeine is consumed, it is immediately absorbed from the small intestine into the bloodstream with the help of the blood vessel. From there, it goes straight to the liver and is broken down into compounds that can affect the function of various organs. With what I’ve said before, caffeine mainly affects the brain. It works by stopping the effects of adenosine, which is a neurotransmitter that makes the brain to relax and makes you feel tired. Naturally, adenosine levels build up over the day, making you feel more tired and causing you to want to go to sleep.

Now, caffeine helps you stay alert by connecting to adenosine receptors in the brain without stimulating them. This stops the effects of adenosine, leading to reduce tiredness. It will also increase blood adrenaline levels and increase brain activity of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. This combines to stimulate the brain and encourages a state of arousal, alertness, focus. Due to its effects on your brain, it is often referred to as a psychoactive drug. Also, caffeine tends to work quickly immediately it is taken. For example, the quantity found in one cup of coffee can take about 20 minutes to reach the bloodstream and about one hour to reach maximum effectiveness. 

Which Foods and Beverages Contain Caffeine?

•   Espresso contains about 240–720 mg of caffeine.

•   Coffee contains up to 102–200 mg of caffeine.

•   Yerba mate contains 65–130 mg of caffeine.

•   Energy drinks have 50–160 mg of caffeine.

•   The brewed tea has 40–120 mg of caffeine

•   Soft drinks contain about 20–40 mg of caffeine.

•   Decaffeinated coffee has about 3–12 mg of caffeine content in it.

•   The cocoa beverage has 2–7 mg of caffeine.

•   Chocolate milk has 2–7 mg of caffeine.

BENEFITS OF CAFFEINE TO THE BODY

1. It boosts mood and brain functionality.

2. It promotes metabolism as such speed up weight loss.

3. It prevents heart disease and types 2 diabetes.

4. It reduces the risk of liver damage (cirrhosis) by 84%.

5. Taking coffee may reduce the susceptibility of premature death by 30%, especially in women and diabetics.

CONCLUSION

Caffeine is not as dangerous as some researchers once believed to be. In fact, its importance shows that it may be just the opposite. However, everything on earth that has advantages also has side effects; this cannot be denied with caffeine. The advantages of caffeine are such that caffeine should not be done away with. Therefore, it is safer to consider including a daily cup of coffee as you like to promote good health.