- Coffee can have a drastic effect on your body and mood
- Caffeine increases alertness and stimulates the production of adrenaline
- It also causes a spike in blood pressure and a tightening of the veins
- Coffee gives your metabolism a kick but can also irritate your bladder
- The jury is out on whether coffee is good or bad for you in the long run
Steven Trask For Daily Mail Australia
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A cup or two of coffee is an early-morning ritual that many rely on to start the day.
Although Australians love to perk up with their morning cup, most are oblivious to the longer-term effects of coffee and caffeine.
With that in mind, FEMAIL lifts the lid on your coffee cup to discover what your wake-up brew really does to your body.
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Morning boost: Having a coffee is a morning ritual that many of us rely on to start the day
Waking up: Everybody knows how caffeine gives us a boost when we drink coffee. But what about the other effects?
COFFEE IS A STIMULANT THAT ‘SWITCHES ON’ THE BRAIN
The most obvious physiological effect of drinking coffee is the feeling of alertness we get from caffeine.
Caffeine is a stimulant that travels to our brain and temporarily stops us from feeling tired.
It does this by blocking receptors for the chemical adenosine, a naturally-produced substance that regulates sleep patterns and makes us feel drowsy.
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Caffeine also stimulates the production of adrenaline, the energy-inducing hormone responsible for coffee’s ‘get up and go’.
Researchers at Harvard University have even found that coffee stimulates the production of mood-enhancing chemicals that can help stave off depression.
However, the brain gets used to coffee over time and these effects get blunted – explaining how we get dependent on caffeine (and cranky without it).
Smiling start: Harvard University researchers have found that coffee produces anti-depressant chemicals in the brain
COFFEE CAUSES A TEMPORARY SPIKE IN BLOOD PRESSURE
Coffee can cause a temporary spike in blood pressure as the veins tighten and the heart works harder. In medical terms coffee acts as a ‘vasoconstrictor’.
THE PROS AND CONS OF DRINKING COFFEE
The benefits of drinking coffee
Stimulates adrenaline making you more alert
Contains antioxidants which repair body damage
May stimulate the production of anti-depressant chemicals in the brain
Some evidence it lowers the risk of heart disease
The drawbacks of drinking coffee
May increase cholesterol levels
Risk factor associated with osteoporosis in women
Mildly addictive and can cause irritability and stress
Can lead to insomnia and lack of sleep
This is a fleeting reaction as the release of adrenaline increases your heart rate, and it typically dies down after about three to four hours.
While some suggest there is a link between drinking coffee and heart disease, the jury is still out on whether this is actually the case.
COFFEE SPEEDS UP YOUR METABOLISM BUT IRRITATES YOUR BOWELS
Coffee has a pronounced effect on the body’s metabolism.
It is a diuretic, meaning it causes the kidneys to release the fluid they are holding.
Coffee can also irritate the bladder and it speeds up the rate of constrictions in our bowels – explaining why we need to go to the bathroom soon after drinking a cup.
Other effects include stimulating the secretion of gastric juices in the stomach (which can irritate the bowels further if the stomach is empty) and prompting the release of cortisol – the hormone responsible for feelings of stress.
Up and running: Coffee temporarily speeds up your metabolism and could even improve your sex life
IT COULD EVEN GIVE YOUR SEX LIFE A KICK
It is a popular myth that caffeine can dampen your sex life.
Some studies go as far as to suggest that it actually lifts sex drive in men and women.
A 2015 study from the University of Texas found that men who drank two cups a day were almost 50 per cent less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
And in 2006 a study on lab rats found that coffee stimulated areas of the female brain that regulated sex hormones.
SO, IS COFFEE GOOD OR BAD FOR YOU?
There has long been debate over whether coffee is ultimately good or bad for the body.
A stream of studies have prodded its link with heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, obesity, the risk of stroke and more.
In 2012 the National Institute of Health in the United States found that coffee consumption could actually be linked to longer life expectancy.
However, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health say the positives and negatives of caffeine probably cancel out.
Both sets of researchers caution that more research is needed to confidently draw either conclusion.
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