Caffeine and its negative and positive outcomes on our body

Carlotta Orlando/SDA Columnist

Have you already had your daily shot of espresso?  Your favorite energy drink?  What about a Cuban colada? Some of you have probably had at least one of these to start off your day, while others are contemplating getting their daily fix before going to class or work. Maybe you are drinking it now as you read this article.

Multiple studies have discovered that caffeine has positive effects on our bodies. It is well known that caffeine is a natural stimulant, which increases attention and mental focus. If you are active or if you are involved in daily physical activities, drinking coffee or having another caffeinated drink can be very useful since it acts on your skeletal muscles.

In fact, caffeine is reported to be performance enhancing in endurance sports and short term physical activities.  This is because it facilitates your muscular work, enhancing stamina and muscle recovery. But would you still be interested in caffeinated drinks if you knew that they could harmfully affect your body?

While several studies point out the benefits of caffeine for active individuals, caffeine can also have a negative and detrimental impact on glucose metabolism for people who have a sedentary lifestyle. Caffeine is a non-specific adenosine antagonist receptor, which is related to ATP (energy) producing tissues. Administration of this type of receptor will reduce blood flow and will decrease both glucose delivery to skeletal muscles and glucose uptake.

Caffeine can also affect insulin levels. Insulin, an important hormone in the regulation of blood glucose and blood lipids (blood sugar).  In sedentary people where skeletal muscles are at rest, caffeine will alter the nutritive flow, along with the blood flow, leading to insulin resistance. On the other hand, in active people where the blood flow is increased, there is a reduced impact of caffeine delivery in skeletal muscle, so there will be less insulin.

Today there are so many caffeinated energy drinks on the market and most of the time the main ingredient is not caffeine. Energy drinks are a fast way to give yourself a boost in your daily routine, but it was discovered that they could contain between 6 to 27 grams of carbohydrates, the majority of which are in the form of simple sugars. Adding together sugars and caffeine was demonstrated to contribute to insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome,hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

Don’t panic! At this point you are probably freaking out and maybe trying to throw your cup of coffee and energy drink out the window. Although, caffeine has harmful effects, you can still reverse them. The first thing you can do is be more involved in daily physical exercise. And this can start with small steps! For example, after drinking your coffee in the morning try to park further from your class or work office in order for to get a brief cardio workout. Also, ask for decaffeinated coffee  the next time you order your morning cup of Joe and grab a less caffeinated energy drink, too.

We are living in a state where overweight and obesity rates are increasing and are very common and where the levels of physical activity are dropping.  As a result, it is very important to be aware and to consider this a topic of matter for your health.

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