The topic I want to address today is on health effects of caffeine. It is essentially “the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world. In North America, more than 80 percent of adults regularly consume caffeine” (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health par. 10). Caffeine is a stimulant, such as nicotine or cocaine, but with different psychoactive effects. It is mostly found in seeds of the Coffea plant, and the safe dose is determined to be 400 mg/day. Therefore, many people are regularly consuming caffeine in one form or another, mostly coffee, but there is no awareness of its health effects. Caffeine boosts alertness, helps to combat sleepiness, and improves attention, and coffee beans contain antioxidants.
Firstly, a systematic review of all reliable evidence on caffeine’s effect on health identified that caffeine could adversely impact bone metabolism and calcium in the body. It states that the increased urination due to the drug increases calcium excretion (Doepker et al. 1536; DePaula and Farah 37). Secondly, since caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, it elevates blood pressure, and chronic blood pressure is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (Doepker et al. 1536). Thirdly, caffeine can significantly contribute to the development of anxiety, anger, confusion, and depression (Doepker et al. 1536). Fourthly, there is evidence that the drug can adversely impact fetal growth and development, which is why there is a debate about whether or not pregnant women can consume it (Doepker et al. 1536). In addition, it can disrupt sleep quality and duration, leading to symptoms of chronic tiredness as well. For all of these health effects, the studies mainly focus on adults, for whom 400 mg/day was deemed safe, but there is no extensive evidence for children, adolescents, pregnant women, and the elderly. It is evident that caffeine toxicity would be greater for these groups.
Works Cited
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. “Caffeine.”CAMH, 2019. Web.
DePaula, Juliana, and Adriana Farah. “Caffeine Consumption through Coffee: Content in the Beverage, Metabolism, Health Benefits and Risks.” Beverages, vol. 5, no. 2, p. 37. doi.org/10.3390/beverages5020037
Doepker, Candace, et al. “Key Findings and Implications of a Recent Systematic Review of the Potential Adverse Effects of Caffeine Consumption in Healthy Adults, Pregnant Women, Adolescents, and Children.” Nutrients, vol. 10, no. 10, 2018, p. 1536. doi.org/10.3390/nu10101536