COFFEE
Coffee comes from the Latin form of the genus Coffee, a member of the
Rubiacceae family which includes more than 500 genera and 6,000 species
of tropical trees and shrubs. Coffee has become a relevant and contemporary.
Coffee houses or bars have become widespread all over the world, making
coffee consumption part of social gathering places. According to
a coffee
drinking study in united states approximately Forty nine percent of
the United States' population drinks coffee (3 cups a day in average).
People drink coffee mainly because it is a good way to relax and coffee
helps them get things done. Over the years, coffee has been linked to illnesses
such as cardiovascular disease and cancer but every study that implies
coffee as a possible health risk, another seems to find no such link. Although
high amounts of coffee consumption may lead to several health problems,
coffee taken in moderate doses enhances alertness, well being, energy,
motivation and concentration and causes no addiction at all.
Caffeine is a drug it is found naturally more than
60 plants and most commonly consumed as a component of coffee, tea and
cola beverages and it is also found in many over-the-counter drugs and
in small amounts in chocolate. Amount of caffeine varies according to the
type of coffee such as Instant one rounded teaspoon (170 g cup) contains
65 mg of caffeine per serving Decaffeinated contains 2 mg Flavored regular
and sugar free contains 25-75 mg espresso ( 56 g cup) contains 100
mg.
Caffeine is easily absorbed through the upper intestine. Its effects
are felt within minutes of consumption, and it reaches its peak concentration
within an hour, entering all body tissues. It can also cross the placenta
and enters the fetal bloodstream in pregnant women. It is metabolized very
slowly causing the insomnia effect. One forth of the caffeine you take
with a cup of coffee is still present in bloodstream after twelve hours.
Caffeine slightly raises blood pressure, especially
in those who do not regularly use it. Caffeine accomplishes this via peripheral
vasoconstriction. Researchers found that regular drinking of coffee raised
blood pressure by up to five points.
19 volunteers were studied while at work by scientists from Duke University,
North Carolina, USA. The results, published in Psychosomatic Medicine,
showed that drinking five cups of coffee a day raised blood pressure, heart
rate and stress levels compared with sticking to just one cup.
Researcher Prof. James Lane said: "The relevant message here is that
the more caffeine you consume during the day in coffee, tea or soft drinks,
the higher your blood pressure is likely to be.
"Over many years, this increase in blood pressure may heighten your
risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
Both regular and decaffeinated coffee increase gastric
reflux secretions and relax esophageal spincter. This causes that "sour
stomach" feeling and gastric reflux known as " heart burn ". It also increases
motility of large intestine , which can lead to diarrhea, but decreases
motility of the stomach and small intestine, which can cause indigestion.
Too much caffeine can make you nervous, anxious
and irritable. It can also increase your heart rate, make panic attacks
worse.However resting heart rate can actually decrease after low to moderate
caffeine ingestion. Morover, although a few people may be particularly
sensitive to an source of stimulation, including caffeine, there is no
conclusive evidence that caffeine causes symptoms of anxiety in healthy
individuals.
Caffeine wakes you up, gives you more
energy, increases your alertness and quickens your reaction time
by stimulating the central nervous system. A decade of research into caffeine's
influence on cognition and mood shows that it helps performance in tasks
requiring sustained attention, even during low alertness situations such
as after lunch, at night or when a person has a cold (University of Bristol,
U.K.).
Drinking too much
caffeine can have noticeable effects but evidence that coffee causes serious
health problems is weak, and problems are usually limited to people who
drink large quantities about eight cups or more a day.
Researchers have found that consumption of coffee and caffeine
has little or no adverse effect on exercise in healthy people, or in people
with cardiovascular disease. In fact, many studies have found that
consuming caffeine has a positive effect on exercise performance, increasing
both energy and endurance.
In men with mild hypertension, the equivalent of 3 cups
of coffee appear to place a slightly higher workload on the heart,
although these people did not appear more uncomfortable because of
it.
Warren G. Thompson, M.D., noted in a 1994 literature review on this
subject: "The largest and better studies suggest that coffee is not a major
risk factor for coronary disease." Willet et. al, in a prospective study
reported in the February
1996 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association
( JAMA), examined data collected from more than 85,000 women over a 10
year period. After adjusting for known risk factors, the authors found
no evidence for any positive association between coffee consumption and
risk of CVD for women consuming six or more cups of coffee a day.
Researchers have launched a fresh attack on
the health effects of coffee - claiming it could lead to heart disease.In
common language usage, many people say they are addicted to workor
addicted to caffeine. However, these casual definitions of addiction, in
reality, refer to habits
everyday living. The increasingly casual definition of addiction has resulted
in considerable confusion about the real, scientific meaning of the
term and its relevance to coffee.
Addiction is a strong dependence on a drug typified by three
factors. First severe withdrawal symptoms; second, tolerance to a given
dose, or the need for more and more of the substance; and third, the loss
of control, or the need to consume the substance at all costs. Everyday
experience shows that coffee drinkers do not exhibit these
types of behavior, and there is no evidence that caffeine use is comparable
to the physical and social consequences associated with serious
drug abuse.
Most experts agree that in the strict sense of the
word, caffeine is not addictive. Coffee drinkers do not
spend inordinate amounts of time attempting to
procure and consume coffee, nor do they ignore family,
work or social responsibilities in favor of obtaining or consuming
coffee.\par
In conclusion, if you do
not experience side effects of coffee and it is most probable that
if you drink it in right doses It makes you feel alert, optimistic and
productive.
REFERENCES
1. The coffee connection. Harvard Women's Health Watch, April 1994,
pp 2-3.
2. Work, J.A. Are java junkies poor sports? The Physician and Sports
medicine 19:83-88,1991.
3.http://www.press1.com/current/supp/cafe399.html
4. Napalkov NP, Assistant Director General, "Reply to Letter, "World
Health Organization. December 19, 1994.
5. Erikson C, "Jonesing for java. Is coffee addictive?", Manhattan
Spirit. February 23, 1995.
6. Thompson, Warren G., "Coffee: Brew or Bane?," The American Journal
of Medical Sciences. 308:49-57, 1994.
7. Willet, Walter C. et al., "Coffee Consumption and Coronary Heart
Disease in Women," JAMA. 275:458-462, 1996.
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