Some people find it difficult to function well in the morning without that first cup of coffee to help kick start the day – it being the prime means of delivering caffeine into the body’s systems.

The National Institutes of Health describe caffeine as a white, bitter, crystalline substance found in some seeds, nuts and leaves, such as coffee beans, cola nuts, cacao and herbs such as guarana and yerba maté. It can also be made artificially.

Dr. Clint N. Wilson, a family physician at Family Medicine Associates in Bossier City,said, “Caffeine is perhaps the most socially accepted stimulant out there. It can increase mood, alertness, concentration and perception.” 

The NIH lists the following approximate amounts of caffeine that can be found in various processed foods and beverages:

• Coffee – 100 mg per cup

• Tea – 14 mg to 60 mg per cup

• Chocolate – 45 mg in 1.5-ounce bar

• Most colas (unless they are labeled “caffeine-free”) – 45 mg in 12-ounce drink

• Candies, energy drinks, snacks, gum – 40-100 mg per serving

Caffeine may also be added to various over-the-counter medications to counteract drowsiness caused by some medicines or to increase the effectiveness of various pain relievers.

Wilson said, “The typical OK amount of caffeine for a healthy adult is 400 mg a day. The typical coffee has around 140 mg in it. It’s hard to give an exact ‘what is too much,’ though, because we all have different metabolisms and all have different medical histories.” 

According to the Mayo Clinic one’s particular reaction to caffeine may be partially determined by how much caffeine you habitually consume. They claim that people who don’t regularly drink caffeinated beverages tend to be more sensitive to its negative effects, listing other factors such as body mass, age, use of medications and health conditions.

According to The American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs moderate tea or coffee drinking is not likely to be harmful to one’s health as long as they have other good health habits. Two to three 8-ounce cups of brewed or drip coffee per day or five servings of caffeinated soft drinks or tea is considered an average or moderate amount of caffeine for most people. The NIH lists the following potential effects of too much caffeine:

• Jitteriness or restlessness

• Anxiety, nervousness and irritability

• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

• Dizziness and headaches

• Rapid heartbeat or abnormal heart rhythms

• Dehydration

• Dependency and withdrawal

• Muscle tremors

• Stomach upset

• Frequent urination

• Nausea

Wilson said, “People with known abnormal heart rhythms should probably avoid large quantities of caffeine. We also know that in folks that don’t ingest much caffeine, there can be as much as a 10 point raise in blood pressure; however, in habitual coffee drinkers, there’s little to no acute change. Chronic effects on blood pressure aren’t as clear.”

The NIH also suggests limiting caffeine intake if:

• You are prone to stress, anxiety or sleep problems.

• You are woman with painful, lumpy breasts.

• You have acid reflux or stomach ulcers. 

• Have high blood pressure that does get lower with medicine.

• You have chronic headaches.

The NIH warns parents to monitor how much caffeine a child gets. While a small amount during pregnancy is safe, they urge the pregnant mother to avoid large amounts, stating that caffeine travels through the bloodstream to the placenta, where it can have a negative effect on a developing baby. Because it is a stimulant which increases heart rate and metabolism, high caffeine consumption may affect the baby’s development. They state that a hyperactive child may also need to avoid it. 

Despite caffeine warnings, research led by Dr. Neal Freedman of NIH’s National Cancer Institute examined the association between coffee drinking and risk of death. After analyzing data on more than 400,000 U.S. men and women between the ages of 50 and 71, they concluded after adjusting for other risk factors that older adults who drank coffee were found to have a ten percent lower risk of death when compared to those who didn’t drink any coffee at all. Coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes and infections. The study could not be directly correlated to the caffeine in the coffee, however, because of the presence of hundreds of compounds that could potentially affect health. Although the researchers stress that the associations found don’t prove that drinking coffee makes people live longer, the study did conclude that for a person without specific contraindications against caffeine, coffee drinking does not adversely affect health.