caffeine

The Top Ten Alarming Health Risks of Caffeine

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picture of a cup of coffee with caffeine that has a lot of health risks

How Too Much Caffeine Can Affect Your Body and Long-Term Health

When consumed in moderation, caffeine is generally considered safe for most people and can have some benefits, like increased alertness. However, excessive or prolonged consumption can lead to various adverse health effects. Depending on the dose and individual sensitivity, these can range from short-term or transient effects to longer-lasting consequences.

The Adverse Health Effects of Caffeine:

Increased Heart Rate (Tachycardia)

  • Transient: Increased heart rate usually occurs shortly after caffeine intake and subsides within hours.
  • Threshold: This can occur with doses over 200-300 mg (about 2-3 cups of coffee) in sensitive individuals.

Anxiety and Restlessness

  • Transient: Feelings of anxiety, nervousness, or jitteriness are often short-lived and last a few hours post-consumption.
  • Threshold: More likely at doses above 400 mg/day, but sensitive individuals may experience it at lower doses.

Insomnia and Sleep Disruption

  • Lasting: Caffeine can affect your sleep for 6-8 hours after consumption. Chronic use may lead to long-term sleep problems if consumed too close to bedtime.
  • Threshold: Even moderate doses (100-200 mg) can disrupt sleep if taken late in the day.

Dependence and Withdrawal

  • Lasting: Regular consumption can lead to dependence. Withdrawal symptoms like headaches, fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating can last 2-9 days.
  • Threshold: Consuming 100 mg or more daily for a prolonged period can lead to dependence.

Elevated Blood Pressure

  • Transient: Caffeine can cause a short-term rise in blood pressure, typically lasting for 3-4 hours.
  • Lasting: For some people, regular caffeine use may contribute to chronic hypertension.
  • Threshold: This can occur at doses as low as 200-300 mg, but effects are more pronounced at higher doses.

Gastrointestinal Disturbances

  • Transient: Can cause acid reflux, heartburn, or upset stomach shortly after consumption.
  • Threshold: Usually occurs with higher doses (above 300 mg), but some individuals are more sensitive.

Osteoporosis Risk

  • Lasting: Chronic high caffeine intake may interfere with calcium absorption, potentially contributing to bone density loss and increased fracture risk over time.
  • Threshold: Risk increases with consumption over 400 mg/day (about 4 cups of coffee).

Increased Risk of Miscarriage or Low Birth Weight (in Pregnancy)

  • Lasting: High caffeine intake during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of miscarriage and low birth weight (an effect that would be long-lasting for the child.)
  • Threshold: Limiting caffeine to less than 200 mg/day during pregnancy is recommended.

Heart Palpitations

  • Transient: Irregular heartbeats or palpitations can occur within 1-2 hours of caffeine consumption, particularly at higher doses.
  • Threshold: Doses above 300 mg increase this risk, especially in individuals with underlying heart conditions.

Worsening of Mental Health Disorders

  • Transient: Can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety, panic disorders, or depression, particularly in those already affected by these conditions.
  • Threshold: Even small amounts of caffeine (under 100 mg) may worsen symptoms in sensitive individuals.

    Lasting vs. Transient Effects of Caffeine:

    • Transient Effects: These effects (e.g., increased heart rate, anxiety, and restlessness) are typically short-lived and subside within hours after metabolizing caffeine (caffeine’s half-life is about 3-5 hours).
    • Lasting Effects: Conditions like caffeine dependence, sleep disruption, chronic hypertension, and effects on bone health or pregnancy outcomes can have more lasting effects, particularly with chronic, high-dose consumption.

    Safe Doses of Caffeine:

    • Up to 400 mg of caffeine daily (about 4 cups of coffee) is considered safe for most adults. Exceeding this amount regularly increases the risk of transient and lasting adverse health effects.
    • Pregnant women should limit caffeine to 200 mg/day to minimize risks to fetal health.

    Individual sensitivity to caffeine varies widely. Some people may experience adverse effects at much lower doses.

    5 Factors Affecting Your Kidneys

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    picture of kidneys, for kidney health

    Maintaining the Health of Your Kidneys

    Your kidneys sit close to your back, just beneath (protected by) the ribs in the midback. They are just under the red blobs in the diagram above (the red blobs are your adrenal glands). They filter about 140 liters of blood each day and produce about 1-2 liters of urine.  Their job is to remove waste products from the blood for excretion in the urine.

    Factors that influence kidney health:

    1. Diet – inflammatory foods and high blood sugars will damage the kidneys.  Studies have shown that removing inflammatory foods and better managing blood sugar (especially for diabetics), can improve kidney function.  Foods that tend to provoke inflammation include: sugars, cooking oils, trans fats, red meat, processed meat, refined grains, additives like MSG plus any foods that you are sensitive to such as dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts or beans.
    2. Fiber intake – higher dietary fiber intake improves kidney function.
    3. Sugar and artificial sweetener intake – a recent study found that intake of greater than 2 artificially sweetened sodas per day lead to a decline in kidney function.
    4. Protein intake – high protein diets have been discouraged in the past as putting too much strain on the kidneys.  In healthy kidneys, protein consumption is not of concern.  In fact, one recent study showed that pregnant women with higher protein intake, produced children with better functioning kidneys. The only people who need be concerned with limiting protein intake, are those with kidney disease.
    5. Caffeine – there appears to be no association between caffeine intake and kidney disease.  In fact, one study found a lower risk for kidney stones in those who consumed more caffeine.

    By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), ND

    References:

    Xu H, Huang X, Risérus U, Krishnamurthy VM, Cederholm T, Arnlöv J, Lindholm B, Sjögren P, Carrero JJ. Dietary fiber, kidney function, inflammation, and mortality risk. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2014 Dec 5;9(12):2104-10. doi: 10.2215/CJN.02260314. Epub 2014 Oct 3.

    Xu H1, Sjögren P, Ärnlöv J, Banerjee T, Cederholm T, Risérus U, Lindholm B, Lind L, Carrero JJ. A proinflammatory diet is associated with systemic inflammation and reduced kidney function in elderly adults. J Nutr. 2015 Apr;145(4):729-35. doi: 10.3945/jn.114.205187. Epub 2015 Jan 28.

    Lin J1, Curhan GC. Associations of sugar and artificially sweetened soda with albuminuria and kidney function decline in women. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2011 Jan;6(1):160-6. doi: 10.2215/CJN.03260410. Epub 2010 Sep 30.

    Miliku K, Voortman T, van den Hooven EH, Hofman A, Franco OH, Jaddoe VW. First-trimester maternal protein intake and childhood kidney outcomes: the Generation R Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Jul;102(1):123-9. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.102228. Epub 2015 May 13.

    Ferraro PM, Taylor EN, Gambaro G, Curhan GC. Caffeine intake and the risk of kidney stones. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Dec;100(6):1596-603. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.089987. Epub 2014 Oct 1.

    Heart Disease in a Can

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    can of red bull like energy drink

    Why You Should Avoid These “Energy” Drinks

    I know that none of my dear readers would ever drink it, but maybe someone you know indulges in the occasional can of an “energy” (caffeine and sugar) drink.

    In 2008, Australian medical researchers found that just one can of such beverages can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, even in young healthy people.

    The caffeine-loaded beverage causes the blood to become sticky, a precursor to cardiovascular problems such as stroke.

    One hour after they drank a well known energy drink, the study participants’ blood systems were no longer normal. They were abnormal like you would expect in a patient with cardiovascular disease.

    This particular drink is banned in Norway, Uruguay and Denmark because of health risks listed on its cans. One can contains 80mg of caffeine, around the same as a normal cup of brewed coffee.

    Researchers concluded that this drink could be deadly when combined with stress or high blood pressure, impairing proper blood vessel function and possibly elevating the risk of blood clotting.

    There’s a recipe for caffeine-free chai tea in our healthy recipes section on our website to
    check it out click here.

    Source: Reuters, Aug 18 2008

    by Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), ND.  For heart disease prevention and health promotion, our naturopathic doctors can provide guidance as to what to have and what to avoid.  Call us at 416-481-0222 or book online now.