Caffeine: benefits, harms, content

Today, a modern person cannot imagine a morning without a cup of aromatic coffee. The main component of the drink is caffeine, which actively stimulates the brain, invigorates, helps to overcome drowsiness and concentrate. Today, this component is one of the components not only of coffee, but also of sports nutrition, as well as numerous "invigorating pills". However, how useful caffeine is and what its effect on the body as a whole is, many do not think. Today we'll talk about caffeine, but note that we are talking about the quality alkaloid found in freshly brewed coffee, not instant coffee.

The benefits of caffeine

Caffeine is an alkaloid that is extracted from coffee beans. Today they learned to make it by means of chemical reactions of their uric acid. In its pure form, caffeine is a white powder and has a rather bitter taste.

Professor I. Pavlov was still studying this component. He confirmed that caffeine in moderate doses helps to relieve fatigue, stimulates mental activity.

Today, research has shown that caffeine:

• stimulates brain activity;
• increases mental activity;
• enhances physical activity;
• helps to relax smooth muscles;
• relieves fatigue;
• improves mood;
• regulates the activity of the digestive tract;
• is an excellent diuretic;
• stimulates metabolic processes.

In addition, experts have conducted research and proved that people who consume no more than three cups of natural coffee a day reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Coffee drinkers are less prone to suicidal tendencies and stress.

Athletes consume caffeine-based sports nutrition to increase stamina and tone.

The harm of caffeine

However, despite the positive effect, this drug is contraindicated for a certain category of citizens, for example, for diabetics, because it stimulates the liver by forcing it to produce sugar in an even greater volume. Also, coffee is not recommended for persons prone to heart disease, as the drink increases the amount of contraction of the heart muscle and their strength, and quickens breathing.

But even a perfectly healthy person should be wary of caffeine. Its excessive use can cause addiction and cause anxiety, anxiety, insomnia, as well as such serious diseases as tachycardia, atherosclerosis, hypertension.

Caffeine interferes with the absorption of certain beneficial trace elements, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins.

If you suspect you have a caffeine addiction, stop drinking coffee for a while, if you feel a noticeable deterioration in mood, fatigue, drowsiness, muscle pain, irritability, nausea, and depression, then you are right in your suspicions. Symptoms can appear all at once or separately, depending on the degree of addiction to caffeine. In this case, it is better to give up the drink for a while, and after recovery, you should not consume more than 2 cups of the drink a day.

You should not consume the drink during pregnancy, an excessive passion for coffee can cause the death of the fetus or harm its development.

Caffeine use

Today, caffeine is used not only as an invigorating drink or medicine, but also in cosmetology. At home, you get a wonderful scrub from freshly brewed coffee, or a remedy for anti-cellulite wrap, as well as for facelift and elimination of mimic wrinkles.

Doctors prescribe pills if the patient has a permanent depression leading to depression, if vascular spasms, drowsiness, or decreased mental activity are found.

Athletes use caffeine as a stimulant to increase physical activity, endurance, performance, increase alertness and relieve fatigue.

People who are engaged in active mental work prefer to drink a cup of coffee to increase the efficiency of the thought process and improve memory. In this case, 75 mg of caffeine is sufficient.

Nutritionists recommend drinking 2-3 cups of freshly brewed drink to speed up the weight loss process.

Where is caffeine found

Caffeine is found not only in coffee but also in many other products. It is especially abundant in energy drinks, the excessive use of which leads to irreversible consequences in the body. 100 g of such a drink contains up to 40 mg of caffeine, therefore, a 250 ml can already contains about 100 ml of caffeine. Pay special attention to this.

In addition, caffeine is found in chocolate, tea, in many medicines.

The presence of an alkaloid in chocolate is up to about 30 mg per bar. Thanks to him, the bar of chocolate cheers up. However, there is no caffeine in white chocolate.

Many plants contain caffeine. For example, guarana, mate, cola. The fruits of these plants contain enough alkaloid.

Caffeine for weight loss

Today, caffeine is actively used in the fight against extra pounds. A cup of flavored drink per day stimulates physical activity and speeds up the process of burning fat. For example, the number of calories burned during training for a 76 kg person who drinks coffee increases to 15-17%.

Free fatty acids, which are part of natural coffee, stimulate the body to burn excess fat deposits, using them as fuel.

The effect of caffeine on the diaphragm helps a person breathe better during exercise, and oxygen is known to also help shed those extra pounds.

Experts believe that caffeine should be used for weight loss just before training 15-20 minutes before it starts. To do this, you can drink a cup of unsweetened drink or take a pill. Particular attention should be paid to the dosage, which is best calculated individually for each. See a doctor who can do it more competently, taking into account all the features of your body.

Caffeine for cellulite

Cosmetologists are actively using caffeine in the fight against cellulite. It not only decomposes subcutaneous fat deposits, but also has a fairly strong tightening effect. Acting on the skin, the drug helps to tighten it, reduce the number of mimic wrinkles, stop aging and restore turgor to the skin.

Green coffee wraps help fight cellulite. It helps to remove excess fluid from the body, improve body tone, and promotes the decomposition of subcutaneous fat. For the procedure, mix ground grain and white clay, dilute the composition with water and apply to the body. Wrap yourself in plastic wrap and lie under a warm blanket for 25-30 minutes. Then remove the excess mixture and apply an anti-cellulite product to the skin.

Before the procedure, do not forget to steam the body and treat it with a scrub.

To obtain a persistent visible effect, it is necessary to carry out about ten procedures. You need to do wraps regularly, but every other day.

How to take caffeine tablets

It is better to start taking pills after consulting a specialist. However, this drug is available in pharmacies without a prescription and anyone can buy it. Before starting the course, carefully read the instructions. Pay attention to the available contraindications. Start taking with minimal doses, keep in mind the fact if you also drink coffee during the day. Then it is necessary to accurately calculate the required rate, otherwise an overdose may occur.

A cup of freshly brewed coffee can contain up to 120 mg of caffeine. Up to 350 mg of the drug can be consumed per day, it is safe for health.

150-210 mg of caffeine for every kilogram of weight consumed during the day is considered a lethal dose for humans.

Tablets are taken 2-3 times a day, no more than 0.1 g. The maximum daily rate, according to the instructions, is 1 g per day.

The above factors are quite controversial. On the one hand, caffeine is invaluable for a person, on the other, it is harmful. Drinking a drink or giving it up is a personal matter for everyone, but you should always remember one rule, everything is good in moderation. Do not overdo it with caffeine, and it will become a real helper for you.