Effects Of Too Much Coffee Intake

Millions of people start their day with a warm cup of coffee. At present, it has been one of the most popular beverages.

Coffee contains polyphenols and phytonutrients, which are believed to have an antioxidant benefit. It also has caffeine, potassium, niacin, magnesium, riboflavin (vitamin B2), manganese, magnesium, and pantothenic acid.

Coffee can provide many health benefits when it is taken in moderation. It can fight free radicals, lower your risk of heart disease, improve your liver health, boost your mood, and stimulate adrenaline to make you more alert.

However, drinking coffee can cause several potential health problems if you become addicted to it and find it difficult to go a day without it.

Here Are The Side Effects Of Excessive Coffee Intake:

Causes Insomnia

Drinking coffee later in the day can lead to insomnia or make it worse if you already have it.

Likewise, coffee can keep anyone up when you drink it later in the afternoon or too close to bedtime. Its caffeine content works as a stimulant, thus resulting to an increase in alertness, causing dizziness, nervousness, sleep disturbance and insomnia. Moreover, caffeine can interfere with normal REM sleep and make you feel exhausted.

Increases Anxiety And Panic Attacks

Though caffeine can make you more focused and alert, high intake of it can affect your mood and cause anxiety as well as panic attacks.

Drinking coffee in excess can create dependence, thereby resulting in a withdrawal symptom when you go without it. This can cause nervousness and jitteriness and increase anxiety and panic attacks.

Causes Heartburn Problems

Excess coffee consumption can cause acid reflux and heartburn.

It contributes to gastroesophageal reflux by reducing pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter which in turn can either cause or exacerbate heartburn in susceptible individuals.

Moreover, coffee also tends to speed up the process of gastric emptying, which results to more rapidly passing of highly acidic stomach contents into the small intestine.

It’s best to quit drinking coffee completely if you have stomach problems like heartburn or acid reflux.

Damages Kidneys

Coffee stimulates your kidneys to excrete more fluid and this makes you urinate more often.

Caffeine interferes with the way fluid is reabsorbed into the blood. This is not a problem for individuals with normal kidney function. But in the long-run, too much intake of coffee (more than 1 to 2 cups a day) can affect your kidneys.

Affects Unborn Babies

High caffeine intake works as a stimulant that can affect your baby’s heart rate. It also raises the risk of miscarriage or of a baby being born with a low birth weight. Plus, excess caffeine causes dehydration which is not good for unborn babies.

Drink no more than 2 cups of instant coffee or 1 cup of filtered coffee if you are pregnant.

Increases Cholesterol Levels

Particularly when unfiltered, coffee may increase total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol) levels. Unfiltered coffee contains cafestol and kahweol, which are two cholesterol-raising substances.

You should limit or avoid unfiltered coffee if you have high cholesterol and opt for filtered versions.

Weakens Bones

Too much coffee consumption raises your risk of developing brittle bones or osteoporosis. This is mainly because of excess amounts of caffeine which may interfere with the absorption and metabolism of calcium.

Refrain from drinking more than 1 cup of coffee a day. Plus, limit your intake of caffeinated beverages.

Raises Blood Pressure And Heart Rate

Due to the caffeine’s impact on hormones and neurotransmitters, drinking large amounts of coffee can lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

Gives You Bad Breath

Drinking 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day cannot cause bad breath. However, too much intake of it can give you bad breath.

Drinking coffee in excess can dry out your mouth because of its dehydrating nature. This will result in a lesser saliva production as the mucosal cells that line the inside of the mouth becomes dry. Saliva helps digest food particles and kills bacteria found in your mouth. Without it, the bacteria will grow out of control and cause bad breath.

Stains Your Teeth

Drinking a lot of black coffee can stain your teeth.

Found in your tooth’s enamel are microscopic pits and ridges that can hold particles of food and beverages. Dark-colored drinks, like coffee, have pigments that can become embedded in those pits and ridges which lead to yellow stains on your teeth.