Caffeine: High Blood Pressure. Hazardous Effects of Caffeine Outweigh Benefits

Let us speak about caffeine. Is it harmful or not? Is it higher blood pressure or elevated mental awareness? Elevated cancer danger or decreased asthma signs and symptoms? Far more heart conditions or enhanced productivity? How do the harmful effects of caffeine stack up against the perceived advantages? This might seem to step on lots of toes so I am going to include a number of references to scientific publications - these are not my suggestions.

I have been hearing quite a few reports in the media lately about the "advantages" of caffeine. Nevertheless, the investigation and information on the problems with and the many harmful impacts of caffeine are quite well established. Here is some information about the effects of caffeine.

Caffeine's short-term effects happen quite rapidly and will continue about four hours. These might consist of balance issues, a racing heart, sleeplessness, constant tiredness, finger tremor and a sense of anxiousness with the severity of symptoms and signs associated with the kind of beverage and the amount consumed.

Eventually, as little as a single cup of coffee each day is most likely to raise blood cholesterol and blood pressure, and cause the heart to race or have extra beats. One to five cups of coffee a day increases the danger of heart attack by 60 percent over individuals who have none, and six or more cups a day increases the danger by 120 percent!

"Two cups of coffee might raise blood pressure to levels equal to one cigarette, but it keeps it there for one-two hours, vs. just 15 minutes for smoking." (American Journal of Medicine, 73:348-353, 1982)

Coffee and tea, due to their high levels of tannic and other acids, decrease the absorption of iron. Caffeine also injures the pancreas making diabetes or hypoglycemia significantly worse.

"Coffee increases production of digestive juices while relaxing the esophageal muscle tissues, and therefore leading heartburn and diaphragm discomfort." (Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, p 1093)

The range of human miseries and the harmful effects of caffeine (higher blood pressure being just one) is considerable:

• flushing
• allergic reactions
• palpitation
• fever
• sleeplessness

A lack of caffeine causes numerous of individuals addicted to it to have extreme headaches.

Here is something amazing:

"The lethal dose of caffeine is ten g or about 70 cups of typical coffee. Numerous men and women are taking 1/10 of a lethal dose every single day!" (Journal of Family Practice 4(6)1183, 1977)

The explanation for why heavy coffee drinkers are not dropping dead is that their bodies increase metabolism to process the poison out of their systems so they don't die from it. And, of course, that is the cause - the elevated metabolism - for some of the supposed positive effects of caffeine that we are hearing about. However, if you use your "engine" at an increased speed it will wear out quicker just as running your auto at higher revs will do. You do not actually have additional power (there's no extra gas in the tank) you are just running with the pedal to the metal.

And coffee has a negative synergistic effect in that it increases cravings triggering harmful alcohol and tobacco habits to become nearly unbreakable. Some have called it "bad-habit glue."

"A dose of 500-600 mg (5-6 six-ounce cups) of caffeine a day presents a significant health risk." (British Journal of Addiction 78:251-258, 1988)

Though it is considerably difficult to overcome the habit of utilizing caffeinated drinks, it is worth the effort! It will not be too long before you really feel and function significantly better.

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