Reduce caffeine consumption gradually
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Today, in the ER, I saw two young ladies who had different manifestations of the same problem. The problem was too much caffeine intake. One of the ladies regularly takes in lots of caffeine. She arrived in emergency department with a heart rate more than 200, and heart medication was required to bring her heart back to a more normal rate. The other young lady had drunk 32 ounces of Diet Coke this morning and had not eaten breakfast. She ultimately passed out and was brought to the emergency department for evaluation.
For these young ladies and for those of you who feel that you take in too much caffeine each day, an abrupt decrease in caffeine will likely cause withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, irritability and nervousness. These symptoms usually resolve after several days.
To adopt new caffeine habits, try these tips:
Know how much caffeine is in the foods and beverages you consume. You may be consuming more than you think.
Gradually reduce the amount of caffeine you consume. For example, drink one less can of soda or drink a smaller cup of coffee each day. This will help your body get used to the lower levels of caffeine and thereby lessen the withdrawal effects.
Replace caffeinated coffee, tea and soda with their decaffeinated counterparts. Most decaffeinated beverages look and taste the same.
When preparing tea, brew for less time to cut down on its caffeine content or choose herbal teas, which do not contain this stimulant.
Check the caffeine content in over-the-counter medications that you take. Pain relief or headache medications, such as Excedrin or Anacin, can contain from 65 mg to 130 mg of caffeine in one dose. Switch to caffeine-free versions, if possible.
If you are like most adults, caffeine is a part of your daily routine. Most often it does not pose a health problem. However, we must keep in mind those situations in which you need to decrease your caffeine consumption.
Now that I have mentioned some of the problems with caffeine, I would like to include a few bits of good news for those of us who still consume the stuff.
New research has suggested that three cups of coffee a day may help keep Alzheimer's away. A 10-year study found this was all it took to make a four-fold reduction in the rate of mental decline in old age. Scientists who tracked 670 elderly men aged 70 to 90, from Finland, Italy and the Netherlands, found those drinking three cups a day had a smaller decline in mental ability. Researchers believe caffeine protects the brain from damage by the disease.
Another study indicates that long-term consumption of coffee is associated with reduced risk for gout in men older than 40 years. Coffee consumption was associated with a lower blood level of uric acid, which causes gout when it crystallizes in the joints.
The study consisted of 45,869 men with no previous history of gout and measured intake of coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea and total caffeine every four years for 12 years. Caffeinated coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk for gout, while consumption of decaffeinated coffee was associated with a modest reduction in risk for gout. Tea intake and total caffeine intake from all sources were not associated with risk for gout one way or the other.
Swedish researchers published the results of a study involving more than 3,000 individuals to evaluate the impact of various lifestyle factors on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD or acid reflux disease). This occurs when the stomach s contents flow back into the esophagus causing heartburn and other symptoms such as nausea, gagging, coughing and hoarseness. The scientists found that smoking and sodium-rich diets strongly increase a person s risk for GERD, but consuming coffee, tea and alcohol do not. However, many doctors advise that if coffee worsens your GERD (and you know who you are) avoid it, no matter what the latest survey says.
Other studies show that non-coffee drinkers faced double the risk of developing Parkinson s disease when compared to men who drank just one to two small (4-ounce) cups of coffee a day. Even more, the non-coffee drinkers were at five times the risk of developing the disease relative to heavy coffee drinkers.
Caffeine also benefits the endurance athlete, the weekend warriors, the rowers, cyclists, swimmers and runners who cover long distances. It seems to have no effect on sprint events that are less than 90 seconds long. In fact, coffee gives exercisers its biggest boost when the workouts are four to 20 minutes long and the intensity is high. To get the perfect performance kick, the average 150-pound athlete should drink anywhere from two to three mugs of brewed coffee in one sitting (about 300 to 500 milligrams of caffeine) about one hour before your workout.
Although I can (and do) go on and on about coffee and caffeine, I will close for now. I know that very long columns will make you drowsy and feel the need to drink too much for your own good. I also need to stop writing so I can brew up another cup for myself.
Dr. Terry Gaff practiced family medicine in Albion for 17 years and is now medical director of the emergency department at Parkview Noble Hospital in Kendallville and the Noble County EMS. He welcomes your questions. He can be reached at terrygaff@pol.net
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