1. Caffeine is a naturally occurring mild chemical stimulant that is in a variety of foods, including coffee, tea, chocolate and cola drinks.
2. Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system by blocking the neurotransmitter Adenosine. Adenosine usually causes a calming effect in the body. The change in brain chemistry that occurs causes an increase in neuron firing, the nerve cells speed up and blood vessels in the brain constrict. Your pituitary gland then responds by releasing hormones that tell you adrenal glands to produce adrenaline. Your alert!
3. A point can be reached where consuming too much coffee (more than 3 cups a day) can lead to some unpleasant side effects: irritability, upset stomach, gas heartbeat, insomnia.
4. Studies have documented the positive effect that caffeine can have on athletic endurance performance. The International Olympic Committee and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have placed an upper limit on the amount of caffeine that is allowed in an athlete's urine after competition. However, caffeine has not been found to bring out improvement in manual musculature force activities.
5. Contrary to opinion, consuming caffeinated beverages doesnt actually cause dehydration, although it does act as a mild diuretic. Whatever caffeinated fluid you drink tends to offset the fluid that is lost in urination, although, the urge to urinate may increase.
6. Sobriety will not be achieved with drinking caffeine; however, it may enhance the level of alertness of an individual.
7. Similar to heroin and cocaine, caffeine slows down the body's rate of reabsorbing dopamine--a neurotransmitter that activates pleasure centers in the brain. The effect of caffeine is much weaker the the two hard drugs.
8. Althoug caffeine has few proven health benefits, caffeine's potential medical benefits is somewhat compelling. For example, studies have found that regular coffee drinkers can reduce their risk of Parkinson's disease by almost 80%. Drinking two cups of coffee a day can lower a person's risk for colon cancer and gallstones by 20% and 50%.
9. Appropriate amounts of caffeine is safe for most adults, however, some medically related downsides to caffeine can exist. Caffeine can worsen anxiety disorders and bipolar disorders. Caffeine also can aggravate bleeding disorders and cause the heart to beat irregularly. Caffeine can worsen the effects of diabetes and can increase the pressure inside the eye-- a negative factor for individuals with glaucoma. Caution should be used when consuming more than a moderate level of caffeine on a daily basis upon these situations.
10. Caffeine can be addictive in some people, however, a person's consumption of caffeine can be reduced. Keeping a log to see how much caffeine is actually consumed is a good starting point. The next step should be to gradually reduce the amount of daily caffeine consumption. Another action would be to ingest an appropriate substitute foodstuff, for example, decaffeinated coffee.
Article taken from James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM. 1990 - 1995 Director of sports medicine with StairMaster. Previously professor of physical education at the United States Military Academy.
