March is National Caffeine Awareness Month. How Important is Caffeine to You?
But first, coffee. We see this saying on café walls, t-shirts, and even embroidered on kitchen towels. Few of us couldn’t imagine going through a day without a cup of coffee or our favorite energy drink in hand. March is National Caffeine Awareness month, which allows us to take stock of our caffeine usage and educate ourselves on healthy practices with caffeine.
Coffee in History
Historically coffee has been essential to the American culture; we switched to coffee from tea during the tea tax and the Boston Tea Party in 1773. During the time of the American Revolutionary War, drinking coffee became a method to show patriotism. Shortly after World War I, America became the leading coffee consumer globally, consuming more than half of the world’s coffee. By the time America was in World War II, the U.S. Government had to ration coffee to citizens.
It’s Legal, Why Does It Matter?
Yes, caffeine is a popular legal drug, but with everything else in life, moderation is key. Consuming more than the daily allotment of 400 mg a day can increase blood pressure, produce an irregular heartbeat, promote headaches and migraines, cause insomnia, and initiate anxiety. It is worth noting that there have been some fatal overdoses when someone has taken a single dose of caffeine at 500 mg. For pregnant women, doctors recommend reducing their coffee intake to 200 mg or less of caffeine a day.
Health Benefits
There are some health benefits from drinking coffee, such as:
- Reducing the risk of liver damage as much as 84 percent
- Reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis by 30 percent
- Improving overall mood and brain function by blocking the molecule adenosine. When the adenosine molecule is blocked, the brain signals to increase dopamine and norepinephrine production, causing a mood boost and improved brain function.
- According to a study published in the Obesity Society journal, caffeine can boost metabolism and fat burning. The study states that consuming 300 mg of caffeine per day may allow you to burn an extra 79 calories daily. While this might not seem like much during the study participants, they were 0.8 to 1.1 pounds lighter than when they started.
- Enhanced exercise performance. Caffeine improves muscle contractions and increasing your body’s tolerance to fatigue.
- Lower risk of liver and skin cancers. Researchers found that people who drank 4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day reduced their liver cancer risk by 64 percent and skin cancer by 20 percent.
- Increase beneficial digestive bacteria. Drinking 3 cups of coffee a day for three weeks increase the amount of beneficial digestive bacteria.
These benefits are specific to drinking coffee and typically without any cream, sugar, or syrups. The trouble is, caffeine is not just in coffee. Now we can find significant sources of caffeine in sodas, teas, chocolate, other foods like specialty protein bars and energy drinks. As we go through March, take time to determine the amount of caffeine you are ingesting every day and possibly switch that sugary energy drink to coffee instead.
