Did you know caffeine is an appetite
stimulant and can affect your diet in multiple ways? Some studies have shown that consuming more calories from coffee increases appetite, which leads to
overeating if not controlled.
Coffee has been drunk each morning without thinking
how that extra energy boost changes your eating pattern and the entire body.
When people consume large amounts of caffeine in a short period of time they
become addicted to the substance. This is a dangerous habit and you should
avoid caffeine as soon as possible for healthy life.
Effects of Coffee on the Body
Coffee can be a source of a lot of
different harmful elements such as nicotine or cholesterol, which contributes
to the development of cardiovascular disease (the leading cause of death), high
blood pressure and diabetes. Coffee also has a positive impact on health and
weight in some cases. It might keep us awake during the night or wake us up in
the middle of the night with its soothing effects. However, we all need sleep
at least once during our life.
How does coffee affect you when consumed
regularly? We will discuss here three major areas where this substance can
affect you: your brain power, memory and reaction speed.
Brain
Power and Memory
In the case of consumption of caffeine, it
decreases the activity of neural pathways in the hippocampus – this area of the
brain responsible for learning and memory. People may suffer from decreased
performance on tasks of mental complexity. Besides, over-consumption of caffeine
can lead to cognitive impairment and the inability to learn new information.
Caffeine also causes drowsiness, depression, anxiety and headaches.
You need to understand the effect of coffee
on both concentration and attention. Both substances slow down mental
processes, lowering alertness and reaction times. If too much caffeine gets
into your system, you might experience insomnia and other side effects. It’s
important to limit consumption, but remember that there are alternatives to
those who prefer a caffeinated beverage.
Brainpower and Reaction times
For many people, the use of caffeine makes their bodies respond faster to stimuli. In addition, it slows down reaction times, making one’s thinking less effective. One study has found that the brains of regular smokers perform better than non-smokers.
This research was published by researchers
at Stanford University, where participants were randomly assigned 1/3 coffee
per day but were only given half of this dose at night. After 2 years, their
results showed no significant differences in reaction times between non-smokers and smokers. There were no differences in reactions time after 12 hours after
taking either supplement. But it’s necessary to mention that participants were
not told something about caffeine before the experiment…
Memory
Coffee helps maintain memory and focus, so
we should try to moderate the amount of caffeine in our everyday routines.
Although some people who drink coffee report remembering conversations they had
while drinking it, most don’t. The reason is that caffeine destroys our ability
to form memories. Drinking coffee just before going to bed significantly delays
sleep. If an individual consumes caffeine right before falling asleep, it can
make him feel drowsy and restless while he is trying to fall asleep itself.
According to a randomized scientific study conducted by scientists at Tufts
University School of Public Health, students exposed to caffeine reported
higher levels of fatigue.
The same group of scientists found out that
when they added sugar to the hot beverage to prevent any negative effects from
caffeine, those who drank it continued to feel more tired. Therefore, if you
find yourself feeling sleepy or fatigued after drinking coffee, it’s crucial to
do so gradually to give your brain enough rest.
Reaction times
We all know that humans react quickly to
situations. It’s difficult for a person to remain attentive to every word
someone says. Yet, alcohol affects your brain’s capacity to process information
quickly. As a result, individuals who drink more than five glasses of wine a
week will lose 3% of brain cells each year.
When you are under stress conditions such
as fear or anxiety, caffeine may help to relieve tension symptoms, improving
the quality of the environment. Taking into account that caffeine affects our
mood and can negatively affect our mood, there is a possibility that caffeine
can increase feelings of stress. Thus, we should stay away from those products
that contain caffeine, like tea.
Coffee
and Weight loss
Some studies have showed that drinking
coffee can lead to weight gain. For instance, one study demonstrated that men
who consume a daily cup of decaf coffee gained 11 pounds and women gained 10
pounds after four months of using a pill that contains caffeine. Another study
found that one glass of decaffeinated black tea increased fat storage in mice.
Many experiments have confirmed the mentioned evidence. Nevertheless, despite
being inconsistent, these findings do not mean that consuming caffeine will help
you reach your goals, because many factors play a role in this process such as
lifestyle, the level of physical activity and genetics.
It seems that people tend to consume more
calories than they burn through exercise, which leads to obesity or weight gain.
Studies have found out that the effects of caffeine on weight gain are
dependent upon the type of coffee. A cup of coffee contains approximately
100-120 mg of caffeine while a few cups of decaffeinated coffee contain none.
High doses of caffeine taken in one sitting have been proven to cause weight
gain. Hence, it is not a good idea to consume excessive quantities of caffeine.
A Word From Very well
If you are looking for ways to reduce your
intake of caffeine, it would be beneficial if you replace beverages such as
coffee with non-caffeinated drinks, like green tea and herbal teas. These
products have fewer calories than coffee and the risks should be lower than
coffee. Moreover, these drinks take less time to prepare than coffee. Green Tea
and Herbal Teas are a great alternative in terms of taste, smell and caffeine
content. It is always better to choose these drinks instead of coffee because
it gives you all the benefits of drinking coffee without any disadvantages and
risks. Your body will thank you later!
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