As the end of the semester draws closer, more students find themselves holed up in the library for days on end, surrounded by a mountain of textbooks and papers. And when those infamous all-nighters roll around, there's nothing like an extra Red Bull or four to help you get through the night.
An 8.2 oz can of Red Bull has 80 milligrams of caffeine. A medium coffee from Dunkin' Donuts has about 143 milligrams of caffeine. On average, a cup of black tea has about 60 milligrams of caffeine. While surviving on these caffeinated beverages all day long may seem like a great idea, it may have a backlash that will have you second guessing that second cup o' Joe.
Although caffeine does offer a little extra oomph, too much of anything isn't good for your body. But when you really need it, opt for a tea instead of a Red Bull of a soda. The sugar in soft drinks is often hidden calories that sneak up on us. Tea offers a variety of natural antioxidants that can be beneficial to the body, like preventing inflammation.
For those who just can't commit to tea- coffee has some health benefits of its own. A Japanese study found that coffee might reduce your risk of developing Type-2 diabetes. The study showed that the caffeine in coffee played an important role in controlling insulin and reducing high concentrations of glucose.
But don't think downing coffee will reduce your risk down to nothing. Like everything, caffeine is only good for you in moderation—too much or too little can affect the body dramatically.
According to the National Institutes of Health, two to four cups of coffee will not be harmful to the body, but should be consumed in limitation.
The caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolates, certain medicines and soft drinks can have negatives effects on the body because of the direct stimulation to the central nervous system. Too much caffeine can cause restlessness, headaches and abnormal heart rhythm.
At the same time, caffeine withdrawal is also possible. Some of us seem to need an IV of coffee just to make it through class on Monday morning. But a new study shows it may not be because of lack of sleep, like you originally thought.
Apparently, the need for caffeine comes down to biology.
According to a recent study from the National Cancer Institute, two genes can now be linked to how the body breaks down caffeine. The study shows variations of the gene, which determines "high-consumption" and "low-consumption" factors of caffeine.
So what does it all boil down too?
Just be aware of your body. Don't overdo your caffeine intake more than what you normally consume. The extra jolt every once in a while shouldn't be too detrimental to your health, but be sure to have water or food on hand in case the caffeine is too much for your body to handle.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment