Is Caffeine Good or Bad for Our Health?
The FDA classifies caffeine as a food additive and a drug. Like any of either classification, there are benefits and downsides. Researchers continue to study caffeine, but they’re research has often been controversial and contradictory when it comes to its benefits for or detrimental impact on our health. That’s because our body’s relationship with caffeine is complicated as it is with many drugs.
The Good Stuff About Caffeine
There is positive evidence mixed in with the negative. A recent study in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that consuming regular moderate amounts of coffee can provide protection from cardiometabolic diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Studies also show caffeine enhances cognitive function concerning thinking, learning and memory skills by affecting adenosine brain receptors that regulate the release of neurotransmitters. This has led to the study of caffeine use in preventing dementia risk.
A review of multiple studies by Johns Hopkins nutritionists noted that coffee may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, colon cancer, stroke and Parkinson’s disease. Studies also suggest that caffeine consumers are more likely to have liver enzymes in a healthy range, and they’re less likely to get type 2 diabetes as caffeine can improve glucose processing.
A large prospective cohort study found that 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day can reduce the incidence of depression, while accumulating research shows caffeine as a sports performance enhancer can help you run faster or work out for longer without feeling the perceived exertion.
And on a macro health level, it’s even been found to lower the overall risk of death.
The Bad Stuff About Caffeine
But there are negative associations with caffeine consumption too: High caffeine consumption increases the risk of risk of miscarriage and there’s a negative correlation with infant birth weight. It can increase risk of myocardial ischemia, and there’s a dose/response relationship on blood pressure and heart rate. It can even impact behavioral issues in children and adolescents.
Caffeine can escalate nervousness, anxiety, irritability and headaches. It can increase frequency or cause an inability to control urination and cause diarrhea and muscle tremors. It can even trigger your sweet tooth. Consumption above 600 mgs is linked to serious heart health implications, increasing risk of cardiovascular disease, seizures and stroke.
Caffeine may interact negatively with prescription and over-the-counter medications as well as herbal supplements. Caffeine may affect medications in four ways:
Absorption: Coffee, in particular, can affect how well drugs dissolve and pass into the digestive system, slowing their effectiveness.
Competition for enzymes: Your body uses the same enzyme to break down both caffeine and many drugs, which can result in a drug staying in your system longer than intended.
Over stimulation: Because caffeine is a stimulant, you may feel stronger effects if you are taking another stimulant.
Masking depressants: This is especially pronounced if you are drinking alcohol and caffeine together. Caffeine may mask the effects of drinking — meaning you may think you’re sober when you’re not.
There’s a long list of drugs that interact with caffeine. Be sure to talk to your pharmacist or physician about the drugs you take and how caffeine affects them.
Finally, the most common issue with caffeine consumption is that interferes with our sleep. It can make it harder for us to fall asleep and stay asleep. The closer to bedtime we consume caffeine, the bigger its effect. In general, you should stop drinking caffeinated beverages 8 hours before sleeping.