it must be must be consumed carefully. While moderate doses are considered safe, higher doses may be addictive and people can find it difficult to quit or cut back.
Caffeine suppresses adenosine, a chemical that is secreted by the brain to relax the body. Suppression of adenosine makes the body feel a tense surge of energy. While people might consider this surge of energy as good, the threshold of stimulation continues to rises gradually. This means the brain requires more and more caffeine to keep the body stimulated. Thus people become dependent on caffeine.
2. Caffeine Adversely Affects Pregnant Women
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend pregnant women to limit the intake of caffeine to less than 200 milligrams per day. This is because caffeine crosses the placenta into the amniotic fluid and enters the baby’s bloodstream. Since the baby is still developing, it takes longer to process the caffeine; it is exposed to the effects of caffeine for a longer time, which may be harmful for him/her.
Moreover, an observational study involving nearly 60,000 women found that coffee and other caffeinated beverages increased the chances of delivering a low birth weight baby or extended the time of gestation. In fact, every 100mg of caffeine consumed leads to nearly one ounce reduction in the baby’s weight at birth.
Women trying to conceive are also recommended to lower the intake of caffeine since high levels of caffeine consumption can lead to infertility or delayed conception. High level of caffeine can also result in stillbirth.
3. Caffeine Dehydrates our Body
Caffeine acts as a diuretic (any substance that increases the body’s production of urine) and results