Caffeine is a chemical compound. Caffeine naturally occurs in many plants, including coffee and cocoa beans, and tea leaves.
What Caffeine Does
Caffeine is a stimulant. It acts on the central nervous system. Its role as a stimulant is why you feel alert and a boost of energy when you consume caffeine.
In addition to increasing alertness, caffeine also:
Acts as a diuretic, which means that it will make your body get rid of more water and salt; this is why you often need to pee more when drinking caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea.
Causes more acid to be released in the stomach, which may make you have heartburn.
- Increases your blood pressure.
Foods and Drinks That Contain Caffeine
As caffeine is naturally occurring in many plants, it can be commonly found in several foods and drinks. The most common is coffee and tea.
Common caffeine-containing drinks include:
- Coffee
- Espresso
- Tea (green, black, and oolong)
- Yerba mate
- Energy and sports drinks, like those that include guarana (a seed from a South American plant)
- Soda, like cola
Common foods with caffeine include:
- Chocolate and chocolate-flavored foods (cacao pods being the caffeine source)
- Foods with coffee in them, like tiramisu, coffee ice cream, and even some pastries
- Kola nuts, which are native to tropical Africa
- Energy snacks, like gels for sports activities
- Gum
Health Benefits
Caffeine does have some health benefits on the brain and body including:
Sharper Brain Function
It is no secret that a lot of people use coffee to focus and get work done. This is because the caffeine in coffee has stimulatory effects that can have positive effects on brain function. Research has shown that caffeine can make you more alert and help you concentrate. Too much caffeine, though, and sleep disturbances may decrease the positive benefits of caffeine’s impact on the brain.
Improved Exercise Performance
Caffeine is commonly known to enhance exercise performance, and it seems that this is the case for trained and untrained individuals. The type of exercise that caffeine seems to have the most beneficial effect on is aerobic exercise, though it differs between individuals.
How much caffeine needs to be taken to benefit from its exercise-enhancing effects depends on body weight. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 3-6 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of bodyweight seems to be the dose at which people see the benefit, and it is generally taken one hour before exercise.
Other Benefits
Related to brain function benefits, caffeine may be able to improve mood. Combined with the usual suspects of improved mood like good sleep and exercise, caffeine consumption can be beneficial for mental health. There’s also the fact that caffeine-containing drinks and foods like coffee, tea, and chocolate are tasty and pleasurable to eat and drink, which shouldn’t be discounted in terms of well-being.
Caffeine Side Effects and Safety
Despite its health benefits, caffeine can have negative side effects.
Some common side effects of too much caffeine include:
Insomnia or sleep disturbances
- Headache
- Stomach ache or heartburn
- Dizziness
- Increased heart rate
Caffeine is a chemical compound that many people consume every day. It is most commonly consumed in coffee and tea. Caffeine does have health benefits, but excessively high doses can pose health risks. For most people, the everyday use of caffeine through coffee or tea is just fine.
