How would you answer if someone asked you if you were sensitive to coffee? This question may seem a bit vague. But caffeine sensitivity, the main ingredient in coffee, is a problem that everyone has.
The question is, if everyone has it, why is it that everyone can drink coffee comfortably? Yes. Most people can drink coffee every day comfortably. This is because caffeine sensitivity is not a disease but a symptom related to a person’s ability to tolerate caffeine.
Everyone’s tolerance to caffeine varies. Some people can only drink one or two cups a day, while others can drink up to 4, 5, or 6 cups a day. Most people think it’s just a habit, but it’s not.
Some people experience anxiety, irritability, and insomnia after consuming even a small amount of caffeine, not just coffee but other caffeinated foods. For some people, the opposite is true. There are still people who say that no matter how much they drink, they can relax.
How is caffeine sensitivity?
A person’s level of caffeine sensitivity can be determined by their age, gender, and genetics.
How much caffeine a person can tolerate is directly related to the CYP1A2 enzyme in their liver. The more active this enzyme is, the less caffeine they can tolerate.
Basically, the following five factors affect the CYP1A2 enzyme and caffeine sensitivity.
Age: As you get older, the ability of CYP1A2 to function decreases. This makes caffeine sensitivity stronger. This is why you may see more caffeine sensitivity in older people.
Gender: Women’s CYP1A2 is more active than men’s. This is why women are less likely to be caffeine sensitive. This is why women may drink more coffee than men.
Pregnancy and childbirth: Another advantage for women is that during pregnancy and lactation, CYP1A2 is more active due to estrogen levels, which can further reduce caffeine sensitivity.
Genetics: Caffeine sensitivity does not vary by genetic type. Different genes have different responses.
High blood pressure: Yes. High blood pressure is also linked to being sensitive to coffee. People with high blood pressure may experience insomnia or jitters after drinking even a small amount of coffee.
Normal caffeine sensitivity: A healthy person can easily consume an average of 400 mg of coffee per day without any side effects.
Low Caffeine Sensitivity: People with low caffeine sensitivity have overactive CYP1A2. However, smoking is more dangerous for them than coffee.
Additionally, people with caffeine sensitivity can be divided into three groups. These are normal sensitivity, hyposensitivity, and hypersensitivity.
Normal sensitivity: As mentioned above, people with normal sensitivity can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day from foods and coffee without any side effects. This amount is about the same as 2 cups of coffee. Some people can consume up to 600 mg per day.
Hyposensitivity: People with hyposensitivity make up about 10% of the world’s population. They are genetically sensitive to caffeine. They are sensitive to caffeine but are unlikely to experience any significant effects even if they consume large amounts.
Hypersensitivity: People with hypersensitivity are extremely sensitive. Even small amounts of caffeine can cause serious side effects, such as a weakened immune system. They cannot tolerate even 30 mg.
Caffeine Sensitivity Symptoms
If you have caffeine sensitivity, you may experience the following symptoms: Symptoms usually appear within 4 to 6 hours. In severe cases, they may appear in less than 4 hours. Symptoms include rapid heartbeat, headache, shaking, feeling nervous or anxious, fatigue, insomnia, etc.
There are other conditions that may cause more severe symptoms.
This is called a caffeine allergy. If you develop a caffeine allergy, you may experience itchy skin, a tingling sensation throughout your body, an immune system response, a swollen throat or tongue, difficulty breathing, etc.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should contact your nearest health facility for immediate treatment.
Who is right when people say coffee is good or bad?
Everyone enjoys and becomes hooked to coffee. Some people are addicted to coffee, as if they can’t get enough of it without drinking a cup of coffee a day. There have been two camps arguing for over a century that drinking coffee is good for your health, while others say that coffee is bad for your health. Who is right in these two camps? Who is wrong?
The benefits and harms of coffee
In the two camps of good and bad coffee, there is no one who is completely right and no one who is completely wrong. Because drinking coffee can be both beneficial and harmful to health.
Benefits of drinking coffee
The caffeine in coffee blocks the nerve signaling system in the brain that causes fatigue, so drinking coffee makes you feel refreshed and energetic.
Caffeine also speeds up your metabolism, which helps burn fat. Good news for those who like to drink coffee and don’t want to gain weight. .
You’ve probably heard that drinking coffee makes you feel happy and energetic. This is because caffeine, the main ingredient in coffee, stimulates the release of a hormone called adrenaline. .
Coffee is also rich in B vitamins and minerals such as magnesium and potassium, which provide many nutrients.
Caffeine is a great way to reduce pain and inflammation.
Coffee can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Caffeine also directly affects the memory storage area in the brain and stimulates memory, which reduces the risk of dementia and dementia that occur with age.
Coffee is rich in antioxidants, which can reduce the risk of cancer.
Caffeine also stimulates the release of dopamine, which makes you feel happy. So for those who are depressed or anxious, drinking coffee will definitely make you happy.
You can also read : Coffee for Weight Loss: Drink 4 Cups Daily
The effects of drinking coffee
All the above are the benefits of coffee sensitivity, so you might think that drinking coffee is good. Everything in the world has both good and bad sides, so drinking coffee also has its own side effects.
The amount of coffee that the body can tolerate varies from person to person. So, when it exceeds the acceptable amount, it can cause palpitations and weakness. The caffeine in coffee sensitivity can disrupt your sleep cycle, causing you to have trouble sleeping at night. When you drink coffee for a long time, you get bad breath because of coffee. It often causes nausea. Coffee is addictive. Coffee, like drugs, is addicting to everyone who consume it. If you drink more than one cup of coffee during pregnancy, the caffeine will get to the infant and cause to be toxic, causing the baby to be underweight. Coffee relaxes the muscles of the esophagus, causing stomach acids to reflux and causing heartburn. Now, I think you know enough about drinking coffee that it has both benefits and negative effects.