though i have read a long term study before about the risk of caffeine..here is another good article about too much intake of caffeine.. not sure if the Italians were the number one coffee drinkers and then next were the Americans.. read on..
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Coffee culture carries caffeine risk
Bae Ji-sook
The Korea Herald
Publication Date : 23-03-2012
Koreans are definitely caffeinated: They love coffee, cola and chocolate as well as foods that contain a large amount of the stimulant.
Though it has been less than two decades since global coffee shop franchises were introduced to the country, industry insiders said about 37 million cups of coffee are sold every day, which means that 24 million economically active people drink more than one cup of coffee a day.
“I love coffee. I started with easy ‘coffee mix,’ powdered coffee extract with powdered cream and sugar. But now I am addicted to brewed coffee, which smells and tastes better. I drink about 4-5 cups a day,” said Kim Seo-yeon, a 32-year-old office worker. “Right after I wake up in the morning, after I have my lunch, during an afternoon break and while I watch TV at night, I always sip coffee.”
In addition to the frequent consumption of cola and chocolate, caffeinated energy drinks are gaining popularity among teenagers, who struggle to stay up at night to study.
However, experts warn that excessive caffeine intake could be harmful, especially since they are disguised with flavors, making easy to consume too much.
Caffeine is known for its short-term relief of fatigue or drowsiness since it stimulates the brain and nervous system. It is also known to speed up the dissolution of fat, which may lead to weight loss.
Usually, caffeine leaves the body through the urine system hours after it has been consumed, so there is not much to worry about in regards to intake. But if excessively consumed, it could lead to a fast heart rate, anxiety, depression, difficulty in sleeping, nausea, restlessness, tremors, frequent urinating or vomiting. It even has some reported withdrawal symptoms of drowsiness, headaches, irritability, nausea and vomiting.
“About 400 milligrams of caffeine is tolerable for adults, 300mg for pregnant women, or 2.5 milligrams per kilogram of weight,” said Dr. Seo Jeong-wan of Ewha Womans University Medical Centre. “It is equivalent to three-four cups of brewed coffee. But it could easily be filled by drinking 250 millilitres of cola, one canned coffee and 1 gram of chocolate, too. Therefore, people should watch what they are eating.”
Seo said teenagers should be extra alert about caffeine intake since they are in a critical stage of bone formation.
“If you drink caffeinated drinks instead of dairy, the facilitation of urination will take away the essential calcium and curb the growth of bone. If you are an adult, osteoporosis could be forecasted, too,” he added.
He advised teenagers to not rely on caffeine to overcome drowsiness.
“It could lead to insomnia if you take it for too long. Open the window, do stretching and eat food that are abundant in vitamin C such as citrons and other fresh fruits,” he said.
http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=28922&sec=9
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Signs of Caffeine Addiction
U.S.News & World Report LP
Yahoo Lifestyle Entertainment – Wed 18 Apr, 2012 10:27 AM IST
Miss your morning cup of coffee and get a pounding headache? Feel grumpy if you haven't had a cup of Joe in hours? Caffeine addiction is easy to develop and hard to kick. Though caffeine is prevalent and legal, it's the most commonly used drug in the world. In addition to coffee, it can lurk in soda, tea, energy drinks, chocolate, gum, vitamins, snacks like "caffeinated peanuts," and even some over-the-counter medicines. Last year, "caffeine withdrawal syndrome" was recommended for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which is used by mental health professionals to diagnose and research disorders. That's because caffeine can alter mood and behavior and caffeine withdrawal can interfere with sleep, work, and the ability to function at peak capacity. (The proposed revision has not yet been approved.)
"People are hesitant to think of [caffeine] as a drug of addiction because it doesn't have a lot of the health and adverse social consequences associated with our classic drugs of addiction," says Roland Griffiths, a professor in the departments of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "Yet the basic mechanisms by which it hooks people are very much like our classic drugs of addiction."
Most people experience mild to modest withdrawal, Griffiths says, which is relieved by drinking coffee in the morning after abstaining from it overnight. Many people say, "'I really don't get going until I have coffee, [and] then I feel great.' What they're not recognizing is that if they didn't consume coffee [at all], they would wake up feeling great," Griffiths says.
Griffiths' research suggests that it only takes 100 milligrams of caffeine a day--the amount found in a moderate-strength 8-ounce serving of coffee--to trigger at least mild withdrawal symptoms. And coffee isn't the only culprit--any type of caffeine can cause withdrawal. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms typically appear 12 to 24 hours after abstaining from coffee, and peak within 24 to 48 hours. They include: headache; lethargy and drowsiness; depressed mood; anxiety; nausea; vomiting; muscle pain and stiffness; and inability to concentrate. For those who are more caffeine-sensitive, symptoms could begin within three hours and last for up to a week. Those with the heaviest habit usually experience the most severe side effects.
More severe than caffeine addiction and withdrawal? Caffeine intoxication. It's a recognized clinical syndrome that causes nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, stomach problems, tremors, rapid heartbeat, restlessness, and pacing. It can even lead to death. Caffeine intoxication cases typically stem from caffeine pills and overdosing on energy drinks, though the DSM defines caffeine intoxication as recent consumption of more than 250 mg. of caffeine (about two to three cups) coupled with five or more symptoms that occur during or shortly after caffeine use.
Luckily, kicking the habit is doable. Most experts suggest cutting back gradually, drinking one fewer can of soda or a smaller coffee each day. That helps your body adjust to lower levels of caffeine, lessening potential withdrawal effects. Opting for decaf coffee or green tea is also smart, as is keeping a written tally of caffeine consumption each day.
http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/signs-of-caffeine-addiction.html
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Study finds coffee lovers may live longer
AFP Relax
If you love your morning coffee, a new study finds that your daily habit could protect your health. In a study by researchers from the National Cancer Institute in the US, older adults who drank coffee -- caffeinated or decaffeinated -- had a lower risk of death overall than others who did not drink coffee.
The java drinkers -- especially those who drank three or more cups a day -- were less likely to die from a number of illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and infections -- although researchers found no link with cancer. Results of the study were published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Head researcher Neal Freedman and his colleagues examined the association between coffee drinking and risk of death in 400,000 American men and women ages 50 to 71 who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.
"The mechanism by which coffee protects against risk of death -- if indeed the finding reflects a causal relationship -- is not clear, because coffee contains more than 1,000 compounds that might potentially affect health," said Freedman. "The most studied compound is caffeine, although our findings were similar in those who reported the majority of their coffee intake to be caffeinated or decaffeinated."
Still, while more research needs to be done to fully understand the protective components of coffee, Freedman adds that "these results do provide some reassurance that coffee drinking does not adversely affect health."
Coffee has also been shown to improve brain function in mice studies, with researchers probing the possibility of using coffee as a treatment for people with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers in Portugal also recently found that the consumption of caffeine could protect against memory loss associated with advanced diabetes.
Still health experts don't recommend overdoing your coffee intake. The US-based Mayo Clinic suggests no more than two to four cups a day, since more than that can cause insomnia, upset stomach, and anxiety.
http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news/study-finds-coffee-lovers-may-live-longer-112209926.html
