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The Effects Of Caffeine On Human Health

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Caffeine, a naturally occurring substance commonly found in coffee, has a mixture of negative and positive effects on the human health. Research shows, that while consuming moderate amounts of caffeine (up to 180ml daily) have no long term effects, over consumption can increase the heart rate, cause headaches and in some cases insomnia ("Caffeine.").

Despite the large amounts of negative controversy, recent research shows that caffeine can develop the human memory, increase attention and reduce muscle pain. A study conducted at Johns Hopkins University, has concluded that consuming caffeine can enhance and boost long term memory skills. The experiment included two groups of adults, where only one group was given a 200mg caffeine tablet after …show more content…

It achieves this by blocking adenosine receptors, which are found in the brain. Adenosine is responsible for sending signs of when the mind is tired, and reducing these signals increases the length of time the mind is able to stay alarmed. ("Caffeine: Facts, Usage, and Side Effects"). Caffeine is also believed to reduce muscle pain after completing a workout. A series of studies done in 2009 at UGA College of Education, shows that consuming two cups of coffee one hour before working out can reduce workout pain by forty-eight percent. The investigation was done with nine females, who are neither regular caffeine consumers or exercise frequently. Before the work out, they were given a choice of placebo and caffeine, and results showed that those who took caffeine showed a decreasing of 48% in muscle pain. To conclude, caffeine can help staying awake, boost memory skills and reduce muscle …show more content…

Although caffeine helps with staying awake, ignoring the natural signals of the need for rest can cause sleep deprivation ("Caffeine"). Lack of rest can further develop obesity, anxiety and even death. Absence of sleep can increase ghrelin, which is a hormone associated with the desire of higher calorie foods. This can eventually lead to consuming more, while having less rest ("Sleep Rocks! ...get More of It!"). Inadequacy of sleep can also contribute to long term effects such as type two diabetes, breast cancer and major depression. Studies show that there is a strong connection between lack of rest, 6 to 9 hours, and type two diabetes. Not getting enough sleep can also develop a ten times higher chance of having a major depression, as depression also correlates to the lack of sleep ("Why Is Sleep

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