Caffeine,
found in beverages that we consume everyday, is the biggest culprit behind high
blood pressure and high stress levels. In America, 85
percent of adults drink caffeine every day, in the form of tea, coffee or soft
drinks.Today, researchers tell us that the effects of caffeine are long lasting. If you consume caffeine at 1 p.m., the effects of caffeine will persist until bedtime. The average cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine.
Caffeine consumed on a regular basis could increase your risk of getting heart disease.
An interesting study on the effects of caffeine was then conducted. The sampling group comprised 47 regular coffee drinkers, who were given either 500 milligrams of caffeine, in the form of two pills, or placebos. Whether these pills contained a placebo or caffeine was not revealed to the participants.
The quantity of caffeine in the pill was approximately equivalent to that contained in 4 small (8 ounce) cups of coffee. The second pill given to the group was taken no later than 1 pm. During this time, the participants were requested to record their stress levels. Their blood pressure, heart rate, and the quantity of certain substances they excreted in their urine, were also closely monitored by the researchers. Close analysis of the results revealed that when the participants took a caffeine-containing pill, they had slightly higher blood pressure levels and produced 32 percent more of the stress hormone epinephrine. They also felt more stressed when compared to the days they took the placebo.
The effects of caffeine persist in the body because of caffeine’s slow deterioration rate. Our bodies are able to rid itself of only half the amount of caffeine every 4 hours. As such, if we were to take 400 mg of caffeine at 8 in the morning, there would be 200 mg left in our bodies at 12 p.m. and 100 mg left at 4 p.m. This means that after 12 hours of consuming caffeine, our bodies will still contain one-eighth the amount we first drank in the morning.
SOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine 2002;64:593-603.