Page 12 - FUSE-Mag

caffeine

with positive effects on the brain substance that everyone can use without suffering any negative
Last year, a study from the Harvard School of Public consequences.”The negative effects of caffeine consumption
Health suggested that drinking between two and four cups of But of course, there can be negative consequences from caffeine
coffee a day may reduce suicide risk in adults, while more recent consumption, particularly if ingested in high doses.The Mayo
research found that ingesting 200 mg of caffeine each day may Clinic stWate that consuming more than 500-600 mg of caffeine
boost long-term memory.Other studies have also suggested that a day may can start as early as 15 minutes after consumption and
caffeine intake may protect against type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s last up to 6 hours.
disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke. However, previous research has linked even moderate
amounts of caffeine to
“Caffeine activates negative health effects.Last
year, Medical News Today
reported on a study sug-
many of the same gesting that consuming 300
mg of caffeine a day during
pregnancy may increase
behavioral and neu- the risk of low birth weight
babies, while other research
suggests that drinking four
cups of coffee a day may
ropharmacological increase the risk of early
death. But Meredith told us
that the effects of caffeine
mechanisms that are can vary in each individual,
which may explain why
there are mixed messag-
activated by other es surrounding whether
caffeine is good or bad for
us.For example, he said that
reinforcers, includ- individuals with anxiety
disorders are more sus-
ceptible to the anxiogenic
effects of the compound.
ing other drugs of son smoking a cigarette and holding a cup of coffee.Cigarette
Silhouette of per-

smokers can metabolize caffeine twice as fast as non-smokers.“-
abuse.” Caffeine can also metabolize at different rates among individuals

Caffeine: the ‘socially acceptable psychoactive drug’
With so much research claiming that caffeine consump-
tion can benefit our health, and considering the number of
products that contain the stimulant, it is no wonder caffeine
consumption is so widespread.
But Steven E. Meredith, postdoctoral research fellow
at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told
Medical News Today that, perhaps due to widespread con-
sumption, many of us forget that caffeine is a psychoactive
substance - a drug that crosses the blood-brain barrier to
stimulate the central nervous system.
He said:“Unlike most other psychoactive substances, caffeine
use is socially acceptable, and the drug is widely used. In fact,
caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive substance
in the world.
Moreover, the vast majority of caffeine consumers use for various reasons. For example, cigarette smokers metabolize
the substance regularly without apparent harm. These factors caffeine twice as fast as non-smokers,” he added.
likely contribute to the perspective that caffeine is a benign “However, caffeine metabolism is slower among infants,
pregnant women and individuals with liver disease. In addi-