To be totally honest I cannot live without my morning cup of coffee. Could you? The caffeine present in yourcup of coffee when in small amounts increases the speed and accuracy of your recognizing power with positive associations. So you feel entirely positive and geared up to face the challenges with a fearless heart.
But all is not well with caffeine and scientists are singing a different tune about its effects. So what is caffeine, anyway? It is a bitter stimulant found in varying amounts inseeds, leaves and fruits. It acts on the central nervous system in humans and wards off drowsiness and restores alertness.
Now scientists say that humans as well as other mammals sleep intensively during the puberty period. At the same time the brain too matures at a faster rate. When scientists gave caffeine to young pubescent rats the maturation process of the brain was delayed. Shouldn’t we be more cautious about this fact?
Caffeine laden energy drinks are selling like hot cakes in the market. Kids and young people enjoy these beverages. The consumption of these energy drinks in this age group has jumped to 70% in the last 30 years. The scientists say that in young rodents caffeine intake which equals to 3 to 4 cups of coffee per day in humans results in decreased time ofdeep relaxing sleep and delayed brain development.
A word of caution for all thepregnant women and breastfeeding mothers out there! A research study says babies are not able to metabolize or excrete caffeine. So caffeine consumption by itsmother may contribute to caffeine accumulation and leads to symptoms such as wakefulness and irritability. Caffeine is also linked to low birth weight babies. It is even linked to increasing the length of gestation.
And so moderation is the key to a healthy lifestyle.
Take good care,
Swarnam
Photo courtesy of ponsulak
Take care,
Swarnam
Swarnam
