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Caffeine is drunk everyday by millions of people, but what are the real health disadvantages? Are there any benefits?
Caffeine is naturally found in cocoa pods and kola nuts, 90% of the world ingest caffeine on a daily basis. Since caffeine is a drug, your body can build up resistance to it if taken on a daily basis hence, the quantity of caffeine required to have a desired effect will increase.
How does caffeine work?
The central nervous system works by transmitting electrical impulses across neurones. When the electrical impulse reaches the end of a neurone neurotransmitters are released (chemical messengers). These chemical messengers are the facilitated diffusion of sodium and potassium ions across the membrane of a neurone. When the neurotransmitters reach the next neurone, an electrical impulse is stimulated. To read more about how neurones work, check out Brain Basics and Wings for life.
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Neurone:
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Throughout the course of the day, your body produces adenosine, which is an inhibitory transmitter and causes you to feel tired as it is a depressant to the central nervous system. The production of adenosine is monitored by the body. Adenosine also has various other functions within the body such as: dilating blood vessels in the heart to improve circulation, decreasing the production of rennin in the kidneys and constriction of blood vessels in the liver to increase the hydrolysis of glycogen to glucose. To read more about the functions of adenosine click here.
Caffeine molecules have a very similar structure to adenosine and binds to the receptor proteins, instead of adenosine. This means that adenosine cannot bind and hence the effects of adenosine are not felt. This means that there will be more neurones making electrical transmissions. This activity is noted by the pituitary gland and causes more hormones to be released into the body which cause the adrenal glands to produce epinephrine (adrenaline).
The release of epinephrine causes your liver to begin the hydrolysis of glycogen into glucose, increases blood flow around the body by increasing blood pressure through the constriction of surface blood vessels (hence increasing heart rate) and causes your muscles to tighten. It will also slow down the blood flow to the stomach and causes pupils to dilate. Caffeine also causes your body to produce more dopamine, a neurotransmitter released when something good happens, which causes people to become addicted.
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Caffeine molecules have a very similar structure to adenosine and binds to the receptor proteins, instead of adenosine. This means that adenosine cannot bind and hence the effects of adenosine are not felt. This means that there will be more neurones making electrical transmissions. This activity is noted by the pituitary gland and causes more hormones to be released into the body which cause the adrenal glands to produce epinephrine (adrenaline).
The release of epinephrine causes your liver to begin the hydrolysis of glycogen into glucose, increases blood flow around the body by increasing blood pressure through the constriction of surface blood vessels (hence increasing heart rate) and causes your muscles to tighten. It will also slow down the blood flow to the stomach and causes pupils to dilate. Caffeine also causes your body to produce more dopamine, a neurotransmitter released when something good happens, which causes people to become addicted.
Image from: Wikipedia
What are the risks of drinking caffeine?
The consumption of caffeine massively impacts the body by increasing the number of electrical transmissions in neurones. But is this always a good thing? Caffeine has commonly caused many people to become anxious, irritable, sick, dizzy, have muscle tremors and even insomnia. Some research shows that drinking four or more ups of coffee a day could increase the chances of heart attack, especially in those already suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure). A recent study from the University Medicine school of Nevada has suggested that the consumption of caffeine could reduce a women's likelihood of getting pregnant by 27%. Also, heavy use of caffeine can inhibit the production of collagen, a protein in the skin that is associated with youth, the production of collagen produced decreases with age. In extreme cases, caffeine has even been thought to cause hallucinations.
Are there any health benefits?
Researchers have recently suggested that the consumption of caffeine can massively improve memory. The author of a recent study has suggested that "coffee provides the best source of concentrated caffeine because it also provides antioxidants also known to provide protection against memory loss." However, other caffeinated drinks do not have the same effect. The polyphenol antioxidant ferulic acid from experimentation has been found to protect against cognitive degenerations and improve memory and prevent memory diseases as it stops acetylcholine being removed from the cerebral cortex.More importantly, it has been found that daily consumption of caffeine can reduce the risk of someone suffering from degenerate diseases such Alzheimers Disease, which often leads to dementia. Studies also suggest that drinking coffee can delay the progression and occurrence of Parkinson's disease, in which areas of the brain get damaged over time. This causes slow movements, tremors and inflexibility.
References:
- Caffeine informer
- Caffeine health benefits
- What is dopamine
- How does caffeine work - mental floss
- MNT - impacts of caffeine
- Memory and caffeine - Coffee and health
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