Too much caffeine comes with risks
Healthy diet, sleeping habits helps students keep up energy
Jessica Leggin / Campus Editor
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: News
Possible risks such as insomnia, nervousness and an increased possibility of seizures can all be related to caffeine intake.
High-caffeinated drinks, such as Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy and coffee have become the norm for college students in order for them to sustain their energy to stay up and complete various projects or to study for tests.
Some students have made these drinks a part of their daily routine without knowing the consequences or side effects of the constant intake.
Ryan Messinger, health education coordinator for the Health Education Resource Center, said when it comes to energy drinks he feels as if they give off an "illusion" of energy by chemically stimulating the body for a short period of time.
"People need to remember that caffeine is a drug and with any drug it can lead to the person needing more and more to achieve desired results," he said. "This can cause strain on the body."
Messinger said side effects and risks of caffeine intake could vary from person to person.
"Caffeine may also affect certain medications and could aggravate certain conditions such as acid reflux disease," he said.
Acid reflux disease is when acid from the stomach travels to the esophagus, causing it to become irritated or inflamed.
Messinger said there is much debate on how much caffeine is deemed acceptable and safe.
"This depends greatly on the person," he said. "In general, it is thought that 200-300 milligrams of caffeine per day should be safe for most people, which is equivalent to three cups of coffee."
Messinger said a cup of coffee every morning is routine for habitual coffee drinkers.
"Some side effects are that many people would find that they may experience is withdrawal-like symptoms such as headaches if they were to forgo their morning coffee," he said. "This just further demonstrates the addictive qualities of caffeine."
Messinger said students should also be reminded that caffeine is a diuretic, which will cause a person to urinate more and have their body become dehydrated.
"So it is important for people to remember to consume non-caffeinated beverages and water regularly to keep the body hydrated," he said.
Messinger said he also wants students to know that some of them might be sensitive to caffeine.
"I want to stress that some people may be very sensitive to caffeine at even low doses which may cause adverse health effects," he said. "Also, the FDA advises that pregnant women should consume caffeine in moderation."
Messinger said students do not always have to look toward high-caffeinated drinks for energy.
"The best way to obtain high energy is through a well-balanced array of foods that will sustain energy," he said.
Messinger said a healthy diet, and good sleeping habits can cause a student to keep up their energy.
"Regular sleeping, going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning, exercising and eating nutritious foods and snacks to sustain energy throughout the day," he said. "Also taking measures to reduce stress since it can be quite an energy drainer."
Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmleggin@eiu.edu.
High-caffeinated drinks, such as Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy and coffee have become the norm for college students in order for them to sustain their energy to stay up and complete various projects or to study for tests.
Some students have made these drinks a part of their daily routine without knowing the consequences or side effects of the constant intake.
Ryan Messinger, health education coordinator for the Health Education Resource Center, said when it comes to energy drinks he feels as if they give off an "illusion" of energy by chemically stimulating the body for a short period of time.
"People need to remember that caffeine is a drug and with any drug it can lead to the person needing more and more to achieve desired results," he said. "This can cause strain on the body."
Messinger said side effects and risks of caffeine intake could vary from person to person.
"Caffeine may also affect certain medications and could aggravate certain conditions such as acid reflux disease," he said.
Acid reflux disease is when acid from the stomach travels to the esophagus, causing it to become irritated or inflamed.
Messinger said there is much debate on how much caffeine is deemed acceptable and safe.
"This depends greatly on the person," he said. "In general, it is thought that 200-300 milligrams of caffeine per day should be safe for most people, which is equivalent to three cups of coffee."
Messinger said a cup of coffee every morning is routine for habitual coffee drinkers.
"Some side effects are that many people would find that they may experience is withdrawal-like symptoms such as headaches if they were to forgo their morning coffee," he said. "This just further demonstrates the addictive qualities of caffeine."
Messinger said students should also be reminded that caffeine is a diuretic, which will cause a person to urinate more and have their body become dehydrated.
"So it is important for people to remember to consume non-caffeinated beverages and water regularly to keep the body hydrated," he said.
Messinger said he also wants students to know that some of them might be sensitive to caffeine.
"I want to stress that some people may be very sensitive to caffeine at even low doses which may cause adverse health effects," he said. "Also, the FDA advises that pregnant women should consume caffeine in moderation."
Messinger said students do not always have to look toward high-caffeinated drinks for energy.
"The best way to obtain high energy is through a well-balanced array of foods that will sustain energy," he said.
Messinger said a healthy diet, and good sleeping habits can cause a student to keep up their energy.
"Regular sleeping, going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning, exercising and eating nutritious foods and snacks to sustain energy throughout the day," he said. "Also taking measures to reduce stress since it can be quite an energy drainer."
Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmleggin@eiu.edu.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Be the first to comment on this story