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| How Caffeine Affects the Brain and Body |
How Caffeine Affects the Brain and Body: Unexpected Facts
Does the benefit of caffeine for brain function exceed the harm that it can cause to the body? Studies have revealed a number of interesting facts related to caffeine.
Ofe entered into widespread use in Europe in the XVII century, but so far we do not know much about this drink. And also about the substance to which we owe our addiction to coffee - and this despite the fact that we have been taking caffeine for a long time not only in coffee, but in a dozen other popular drinks - in tea, cocoa, Coca-Cola, mate.
Adherents of these drinks praise them for their tonic effect, causing high spirits and increased working capacity. But doctors are suspicious of caffeine. And there is a reason: in addition to the fact that caffeine speeds up the heart rate and raises blood pressure, it belongs to the class of alkaloids (just like nicotine, for example) - biologically active substances, the influence of most of which on the body has not yet been studied.
1. The stimulating effect of caffeine is an illusion
Many of the fans of coffee, when asked why they drink it, will answer: it gives us vigor! If you first tried this drink or drink it for no more than two months, the notorious vigor is really due to the biochemical properties of caffeine. But if you are a longtime coffee lover, the addiction that has developed in the body no longer triggers the mechanism of increased dopamine production, which causes more active brain function.
Most take caffeinated drinks simply because of habit and cultural tradition.
The rise you experience after the next cup is nothing more than a psychological illusion, say scientists at the University of Bristol, who conducted a study involving 379 volunteers. Each of the participants before the start of the study “fasted” - for 16 hours refrained from their favorite drink. Then the volunteers received a cup of coffee from the organizers of the experiment - half of the participants really gave coffee, but the other half enjoyed a drink that did not differ in taste, but containing a caffeine substitute.
Both groups of participants reported with equal willingness about a surge of strength. As it turned out, there really was no difference between them - only there was no surge of strength. After passing several tests before and after taking the drink, where performance was measured, as well as the level of memory and attentiveness, the participants in the experiment demonstrated that these indicators did not improve at all.
The authors of the study consider this fact a proof that most modern people take caffeinated drinks not because they really give a boost of energy, but simply because of habit and cultural tradition.
2. Caffeine treats pain and sharpens the mind
If the previous fact probably disappointed ardent fans of caffeinated drinks, then these two can inspire them. Coffee can save you from pain. It is known that those who sit at the computer for 6-7 hours a day experience discomfort in the cervical vertebrae, shoulders and wrists. Researchers compared the severity of discomfort among workers pampering themselves with a cup or two in the midst of an office day and those who abstain from coffee.
Scientists were surprised to find that the latter experience more suffering than the former. And if the body is not used to caffeine, you can use coffee or cola to cope even with a severe headache. So, coffee softens pain, but its usefulness for office workers is not limited to this. It turns out that in addition to caffeine, it contains trigonellin - another alkaloid that promotes the regeneration of dendrides and axons - processes that connect the nerve cells of the brain. This means that regular use of coffee, paradoxically, keeps the brain's working ability in top form.
3. Even coffee drunk during the day prevents sleep at night.
Coffee lovers know that before going to bed it is better to abstain from a cup - otherwise it will not work. However, a new study showed that stop drinking coffee at least 7-8 hours before going to bed. Even if you decide to take the last portion exactly six hours before bedtime, it will still prevent you from falling asleep. Unwanted “vigor effect” will prevent only a little weaker than if you drank this cup an hour before going to bed.
Interestingly, addiction does not play a significant role. You will not be able to induce a genuine flush of vigor by regular drinking coffee, but getting used to caffeine so much that it does not interfere with normal sleep, alas, will not work.
4. Coffee kills young
Four cups of coffee a day will make you a hero of sad statistics: the mortality rate among those who do not know moderation in addiction to this drink is higher than among those who are indifferent to it or who consume in small quantities. A study that analyzed data on more than 40 thousand people showed that the mortality rate in the former is 21% higher than in the latter.
Moreover, coffee is especially scary not for the elderly, but for the young and mature - in people under 55, the risk of death from ailments associated with high coffee consumption (most often these are cardiovascular diseases) is almost 50% higher. But there is no difference between the sexes - the mortality rate among men and women was approximately equal.
People genetically prone to caffeine tend to have higher blood sugar and cholesterol
Meanwhile, about 60% of residents of the United States and European countries drink coffee every day, and the proportion of “coffee addicts” who do not know any moderation remains high among them. However, one should not forget that the number of medical effects caused by caffeine is limited. And people very often discredit the glorious name of this alkaloid, linking it with headaches, then fatigue and nausea.
5. Caffeine addiction due to genes
But is it worth blaming yourself for being addicted to this substance? Love for him has a genetic background. Harvard doctors compared the genomes of 120 thousand people and found at least six previously unknown variants of genes that could be responsible for the love of caffeinated drinks.
These genes affect the metabolism of carriers, causing them to have a stronger positive feeling from taking caffeine and a more rapid development of dependence on it. In addition, people who have at least some of these genes in their genome will soon cease to feel the encouraging effects of coffee, tea or cola and, as a result, begin to consume them more and more over time.
Genes discovered by scientists affect glucose and fat metabolism, as well as blood pressure control mechanisms. Therefore, people who are genetically prone to caffeine tend to have higher blood sugar and cholesterol, as well as lower blood pressure.