Is caffeine really that bad? …. read the facts

Coffee - Latte Art

There is a lot of talk about caffeine and theine. It would be unhealthy, addictive, but we can't really miss caffeine in our coffee.
In this blog we will consider the facts and the pros and cons of this substance in coffee and tea.

Let's start with the positive facts. De Volkskrant even wrote last year that anyone who does not drink coffee should start immediately for health reasons. Caffeine would have a beneficial effect on the mood and on Parkinson's disease. And as for blood pressure: it is true that coffee briefly raises blood pressure. But it drops quickly after that. The effect is comparable to walking up stairs.

Monicque Lorist, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Groningen, knows a lot about caffeine and concentration: “Caffeine or theine, because that's just another name, has a wide spectrum of effects. People experience more positive emotions, can concentrate longer and better and caffeine has an effect on learning because you can better focus on information that is important. It also increases the response speed, without increasing the number of errors. That is special, because in general faster reactions are accompanied by more errors”.

There are also downsides to caffeine. “You can become restless and agitated if you drink too much coffee, but that effect doesn't last long,” says Monicque Lorist. It is true that when you are pregnant, caffeine is broken down less quickly, especially in the later stages. Pregnant women are advised to limit caffeine intake to 200mg per day.
The effects of caffeine are not so great that you can become addicted to it. Energy drinks are sometimes said to be addictive and that this can be dangerous for children. If that is the case, however, it would be due to the caffeine, but to other substances in such a drink, says Monicqu Lorist.

Caffeine molecule

Caffeine also has the following effects:

  • It causes fat burning.
  • Physical performance is enhanced with caffeine. A cup of coffee before the sport is not a bad idea.
  • It makes you happy. Caffeine makes you happy. Research even shows that coffee drinkers are less likely to suffer from depression, because caffeine facilitates the transfer of happiness hormones serotonia and dopamine.

The caffeine is also due to the natural defense system of the plant, which uses the substance to keep vermin and parasites away. Clearly, this has not been achieved with the animal called man.