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The health impact of coffee has been
a controversial topic, with advocates
pushing its antioxidant activity and brain
boosting ability, and others criticizing
the downsides such as insomnia,
indigestion and an increased heart
rate and blood pressure.
But the latest wave of studies brings a wealth of
good news for coffee lovers.
Coffee is good for you, when consumed in moderation.
It's high in antioxidants and linked to a reduced risk
of many diseases.
The potential health benefits associated with drinking
coffee include protecting against type 2 diabetes,
Parkinson's disease, liver disease, liver cancer,
and dementia.
Other studies have found that coffee drinkers may
have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (including
heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.
Coffee also appears to improve cognitive function
and decrease the risk of depression.
Although coffee may have benefits, keep in mind
that other beverages, such as milk and some fruit
juices, contain nutrients that coffee doesn't.
Also, adding cream and sugar to your
coffee adds fat and calories, up to hundreds
of calories in some cases.
Like many other foods and nutrients, too much
coffee can cause problems, especially in the
digestive tract.
But studies have shown that drinking
up to two 16 oz cups of coffee per day
is safe.
Caffeine is an alkaloid.
It is found in over 60 plants, such as cola nuts,
coffee, tea, and cacao beans.
Caffeine is a white powder which dissolves easily
in water and has a slightly bitter taste.
Much of the caffeine that is removed from
coffee is sold to pharmaceutical and
soft drink companies.
For coffee to be called "decaffeinated,"
it must have at least 97% of its caffeine removed.
The most well-known source of caffeine is the
coffee bean, a misnomer for the
seed of Coffea plants.
Beverages containing caffeine are
ingested to relieve or prevent drowsiness
and to improve performance.
To make these drinks, caffeine is extracted by steeping
the plant product in water, a process called infusion.
Caffeine is classified by the US Food
& Drug Administration ( FDA ) as
generally recognized as safe.
Under 500 mg of caffeine a day is
considered to be safe for most healthy adults.
That's roughly the amount of caffeine in 4
cups of coffee, 10 cans of soda, or
2 "energy shot" drinks.
Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content in
beverages varies widely, especially among
energy drinks.
Toxic doses, over 10 grams per day for an
adult, are much higher than the typical
dose of under 500 mg per day.
There are 1,000 milligrams (mg) in 1 gram (g).
A 20 oz. cup of dark roast coffee has 340 mg
of caffeine in it, so you would have to drink
between 15 and 30 of them before it's
considered to be toxic.
Caffeine is a central nervous system
stimulant that reduces fatigue and, at normal doses,
caffeine has variable effects on learning and memory,
but it generally improves reaction time, wakefulness,
and concentration.
Caffeine can produce a mild form of drug
dependence, associated with such as
sleepiness, headache, and irritability, when
an individual stops using caffeine after
repeated daily intake.
Caffeine sometimes increases the effectiveness of
some medications,
such as those for headaches like Excedrin.
Caffeine was determined to increase the
potency of some over-the-counter
analgesic medications by 40%.
Can you flush caffeine out of your system?
The effective way to get rid of your jitters is to flush
out your system with water.
Drinking water will decrease the effects of caffeine
in a relatively short time.
Some Beverages:
The good old Mountain Dew has 54 mg
of caffeine per 12 fl. oz.
Many caffeinated beverages contain between
40 and 50 mg of caffeine, including Diet Coke
and Diet Dr. Pepper.
per 12-oz. serving include Coca-Cola
and Coca-Cola Zero, which both contain
35 mg of caffeine, according to
the Mayo Clinic.
Diet Pepsi and Pepsi contains between 36 and 38 mg
of caffeine per serving.
Excedrin - 2 doses - 130 mg
Caffeine is naturally found in cocoa beans, so most
chocolate has at least some of the energy-boosting
compound.
much caffeine a 12-oz. drink can contain, which is
71 mg per serving.
Caffeinated soda that contain this limit or almost
at the limit include Mountain Dew MDX and
Coke Blak.
This amount is comparable to one shot of espresso,
which contains 75 mg of caffeine.
Some sodas do not contain caffeine, these include
7-Up, Fresca, Sierra Mist, Mug Root Beer and Sprite.
That includes all flavors and versions
of these sodas.
about 320 mg per 16 fl. oz.
