5 Health Risks of Caffeine

Caffeine is a great natural stimulant, it’s more or less a ‘socially acceptable psychoactive drug’ that helps combat tiredness and improves concentration and focus. Caffeine has a number of health benefits, but like many other things, it becomes dangerous when it’s consumed in excess. Here are 5 health risks of caffeine.

Indigestion

Caffeine raises the amount of acid in your stomach; therefore, caffeinated beverages tend to cause stomach upset or indigestion, especially when taken on an empty stomach. Caffeine is also a diuretic that triggers your body to get rid of water, and as a result it’s not a great thirst quencher.

Headaches and Migraines

Typically, caffeine can actually help to reduce headaches symptoms, but when it is consumed in excess it can cause severe headaches. The headaches are associated with caffeine withdrawal symptoms. When the amount of caffeine ingested daily is unstable, it tends to cause more frequent headaches as a result of its withdrawal symptoms.

It Can Raise Blood Pressure

Caffeine is absorbed from your stomach and reaches the highest levels in your bloodstream within an hour or two, in the process it can make your blood pressure go up for a short time. In most people, there are no long term effects but in those who have underlying heart problems like hypertension or irregular heartbeats, they can experience a more pronounced elevation in their blood pressure.

It Can Interfere With Fertility

Consuming excessive amounts of caffeine has been found to potentially interfere with estrogen production and metabolism, which can make it harder for women to get pregnant.

It Can Inhibit Collagen Production in the Skin

This is another dose-dependent effect of caffeine consumption. For those who heavily consume caffeine, there is an increased risk of inhibited collagen production in their skin.