Caffeine is an addictive found in coffee, tea, kola nuts and chocolate which stimulates our body. It has been estimated that about 120 thousand tones of caffeine is consumed every year in the world. Excessive intake of caffeine can lead to high blood pressure, convulsions and vomiting. Besides this, high caffeine intake amounting to six to seven cups can result in headache, anxiety, increased metabolic rate, sleep deprivation and jitteriness.
The highest dietary source of caffeine is coffee accounting to almost 54% of the entire consumption of caffeine, whereas tea stands next at 43%. Chocolate and other cocoa products account for the remaining 3 percent of caffeine ingestion. Soft drinks such as Coca Cola and Pepsi also contain caffeine in moderate amounts as it acts like a flavoring agent against the sweetness of sugar.
Caffeine gets absorbed quickly in the bloodstream and reaches highest concentration in an hours’ time. It gets distributed throughout the entire body with the blood flow. It even passes through the brain-blood barrier. According to experiments, low concentration of caffeine causes reduction in the heart rate. On the other hand, high concentration of caffeine can cause the heart to beat extremely fast. Not only this, it causes a person to urinate more frequently being a strong diuretic.
Caffeine intake also causes insomnia which causes delay in the onset of sleep as well as reduces the total sleeping time. It has a positive effect on the respiration process as well by increasing blood flow to the lungs as well as by increasing air supply by relaxing alveolar and bronchiolar muscles. Due to this property, it is often used for treating breathing disorders in babies born prematurely. It is also a good friend for people who often suffer from hangover. The thumping headache caused due to enlargement of cranial vessels due to the effect of alcohol can be cured by caffeine as it constricts these muscles. Due to this, it is often used as an ingredient in painkillers.
Caffeine has its own pros and cons. Therefore, it should be taken in moderate amounts only when required.
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