"Why do I drink coffee?"
"It helps me wake up"
"It gets me going in the morning"
"It pulls me out of my afternoon slump"
"It stimulates me and gives me energy"

Many of us "get up" by "being down in our cups"... of coffee, that is.  American citizens consume more than 50% of all the coffee that's produced in the world.  Dieters are among the most prevalent coffee drinkers.  After all, black coffee contains only five calories per cup.  It seems to be an easy way to fill up the face of diet restrictions.  But there's more to caffeine than meets the eye.

Caffeine has been labeled "the world's most used and abused drug" and it's one we may ingest dozens of times a day.  Much of the caffeine we consume may come from unsuspected sources.  Caffeine is hidden in products such as non-cola drinks (Mello Yello, Mountain Dew), cocoa, chocolate, over-the-counter pep pills, many brands of headache remedies, weight loss aids, cold and cough preparations and diuretics.

Caffeine has been domesticated.  It's been incorporated into our way if life in a manner that makes it socially encouraged; this tends to minimize, in our minds, the hazards present in caffeine.  Let's take a deeper look at caffeine.

Caffeine acts as a stimulant drug in the brain and nervous system with it's effect usually noticed in thirty minutes or less.  It stimulates the central cortex of the brain which handles our thought processes as well as the medulla which regulates heart rate, respiration and muscular coordination.  It is this assault on our nervous system that produces that "jumpy" or "hyper" feeling associated with over-consumption of caffeine.  This stimulation of the nervous system gives us the feeling of having energy but this is a false energy.  While the capacity for muscular work might be temporarily stimulated, the overall effect of caffeine is to sap our energy.  More of our energy is used up by the nervousness and irritability than is provided by the drug effect.  So following an initial stimulation, our energy crashes.  It is at this point that we begin looking for the next cup of coffee.

You may have read that caffeine raises the body's metabolic rate.  It does appear to cause a slight rise in the metabolic rate soon after it is taken.  However, caffeine also triggers the release of insulin which can cause blood sugar level to fall, thus, stimulating the appetite and making us feel hungrier.  Many people try to counteract this by adding cream, milk or sugar to their coffee.  But this can add thousands of calories per week and result in an additional ten to fifteen pounds of fat accumulation during the course of the year.  Elevated insulin levels are also associated with a reduction in the rate of "fat burning".

The consumption of caffeine has been associated with several medical problems such as ulcers, gastritis, colitis, heart rhythm disturbances, headaches, insomnia, anxiety and fibrocystic disease of the breast.  Researchers have concluded that caffeine consumption is a physically and mentally burdensome habit which has unfortunately become our cultural norm. It's definitely a habit that many find difficult to break.

Before you reach for your next caffeine "fix" remember: "Everything that goes up must come down."

Caffeine's initial effects seem good:
* A temporary sense of well-being
* A feeling of stimulation
* A relief from fatigue

However, it is followed by secondary effects which do not seem so good:
* A let-down feeling
* Nervous exhaustion
* Mental and physical depression
* Decreased muscular power
 

Like most addictive drugs, the short-term benefits of caffeine do not appear to be worth the long-term price we have to pay.  Why not trade your "caffeine high" for the "natural high" that comes from proper nutrition and regular exercise?