Is Caffeine Good for Health Or not

Consuming 1-2 cups of coffee a day has now become a trend among Indians especially in corporate. Coffee is our stress-buster friend as it is a stimulant. Usually stimulants increase the Basal Metabolic Rate and revitalize us especially if we are sleepy. Yet, we sometimes wonder, is coffee good for us?

Caffeine Health Benefits

Antioxidants

Coffee contains a lot of disease-fighting, immune boosting antioxidants that are great for fighting off disease, sickness, or clearing up your skin. Many studies have proven that drinking coffee daily decreases the risk of stroke, dementia and cancer.

Energy Levels and Mood

Dopamine transfers messages to neurons and it has the power to control emotional responses. If you are happy, dopamine levels would increase in your body giving you a feeling of joy. Coffee increases the dopamine levels thus making you feel happier and less moody. In the corporate world, one needs to be focused no matter how stressful the atmosphere is. A cup of piping hot coffee helps to retain a stable mood all throughout the day. It is therefore not surprising to see coffee addicts in your office.

A natural painkiller

Caffeine has an important place in the medical field as well. Many painkillers and migraine-related medicines utilize caffeine to speed up the healing process. Just like any other drug, caffeine also has with drawal symptoms. Many people experience headaches and drowsiness when caffeine consumption is stopped. Therefore, don’t become addicted to coffee!

Caffeine Health Disadvantages

Restlessness, Insomnia, Sleep Troubles

Coffee contains high amount of caffeine that can disrupt your sleeping mechanism depending on the timing of consumption. Some people can become totally dependent on caffeine and use it to hide other issues such as sleep deprivation and depression.Most people use it to remove tiredness (however this is purely psychological in nature).

Digestive Issues

Too much coffee can be hard on your gut and digestive system. The acidity of coffee is really hard on the bacteria in your gut eventually affecting the bowel movements. The person can suffer from regurgitation, Gastroesophageal Reflux. In addition to that, if the water intake is less, a condition called as constipation will follow.

Daily Dosage

According to the FDA website, the average adult can consume up to 200 mg of caffeine per day. If consumed more than that, it can be detrimental to health and the latter can suffer from addiction and eventually present with withdrawal syndromes.

Makes weight loss difficult

Caffeine can cause weight gain or make it very difficult to lose weight. This is because caffeine can have a direct impact on your stress levels (cortisol) and blood sugar balance, which in turn affects weight balance. Cortisol makes it very difficult to lose weight. In addition to this, adding sugar and cream to coffee only adds to the number of calories consumed throughout the day increasing your total calorie consumption of the day and as a result, weight gain follows.