Side Effects Of Caffeine

Caffeine has slowly and steadily become a major part of our daily life. Caffeine is present in a number of foods that have become common place in almost any kind of modern diet and are present in significant quantity in coffee, tea, colas, and cocoa. Caffeine is known to stimulate hormones within the body and this is cause of caffeine side effects. These caffeine side effects have a great impact on an individual’s behavior and mental state. Caffeine is considered to be a drug and it can cause caffeine addiction.

Caffeine addicts need to consistently ensure that their bodies receive strong doses of it over the course of the day. In most cases, a single ingestion will provide the human body with a ‘caffeine high’ that lasts for about 6 to 8 hours. Caffeine is found naturally in a number of leaves, seeds and fruits but may also be produced synthetically as a result of the advancement of modern science. Moderate intakes of caffeine are considered to be around 130 to 300 mg of the substance on a daily basis while a more substantial intake of the substance can be slotted at anything over 600 mg over the course of a single day. The caffeine energy created by a high intake of the substance is known to help alert the senses and is thus regularly used as a benefit in certain situation such as the requirement to stay awake at night and complete a certain task.

As with any substance, a high caffeine intake invariably has a significantly negative influence on the human body. Caffeine essentially is part of a group of chemicals known as methylxanthines and is metabolized into theobromine after consumption. Some of the more significant effects of caffeine in the body can cause include bronchodilation, increased arousal increased alertness, an increased heart rate as well as an increased. Despite so many similarities with a number of banned drugs, caffeine is considered to be a rather safe drug because of the fact that it will take rather large quantities of the substance to be ingested to induce some of the serious side effects such as hot flashes, increased urination, diarrhea and irritability.

Allergy Due To Caffeine Intake

Allergies, on the other hand, are another discussion altogether. An allergy is primarily a temporary physiological reaction to the ingestion of some kind of substance that is not considered harmful or known to generate the same kind of reaction in most other people. An allergy to caffeine will usually see the affected individual develop symptoms such as mood swings, restlessness, agitation, and over excitement, along with many others even when consumed in a comparatively small quantity. Once the caffeine has been ingested it acts in a manner similar to most poisons as it targets the cells and neurons directly. The fact that the more severe symptoms closely resemble symptoms of mental disorders means that it is not uncommon for a caffeine allergy to be sometimes misdiagnosed as being a case of conditions like schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and manic depression or even bipolar disorder.

While the side effects of caffeine are only likely to hold significant concern in cases of excessive consumption, these situations must be dealt with efficiently as the addiction is likely to cause the people closely associated with the individual some discomfort. Just as with any other addictive drug, withdrawal from caffeine will see the individual suffer from cravings as well as, at times, a certain amount of uncontrollability. It also helps to remember though, that caffeine consumed in moderate quantities is known to be beneficial to one’s health and has proven to help reduce the risk of conditions like colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Submitted on January 16, 2014