Caffeine Hype

Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Supplements, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | (0) Comments

With about 90% of adult Americans consuming caffeine on a regular basis- usually several times a day, it makes sense to ask how much is too much. Some people I know actually abuse it by drinking multiple caffeine drinks like Red Bull to help get them through the day (or night as it may be). So does it have any really bad side-effects? Well, everyone responds differently, but in general caffeine is not dangerous in moderation. There is an old wives tale floating around that caffeine is a diuretic and can cause dehydration. The truth is that unless you are consuming a huge amount of caffeine, that is simply not true. The two cups of coffee in the morning is no worse than drinking water and a lot better than drinking Coke or some other high sugar drink. For the athlete, caffeine can have a big effect and it really does help a lot of people to have a cup of coffee about 1/2 hour before they work out. But, the possibility does exist for caffeine to affect some people much more than others, so be aware of the symptoms and cut back if you experience any of them. From MSN Health-

…

Though moderate caffeine intake isn’t likely to cause harm, too much can noticeably affect your health. Heavy daily caffeine use — more than 500 to 600 mg a day, or about four to seven cups of coffee — can cause:

• Restlessness
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Muscle tremors
• Sleeplessness
• Headaches
• Nausea, diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems
• Abnormal heart rhythms

…

If you have any of these, cut back your caffeine intake by about half and see if thee is a difference. If not, try cutting all caffeine out. If there is no difference in the symptoms, it obviously isn’t the caffeine and you should see a doctor.