Tea or coffee: Limitation is the key

Today the scientists have recognised caffeine as the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. Caffeine exists in our diet mainly from coffee, tea, chocolate and some (cola) fizzy drinks.

Caffeine has a wide range of stimulus effects on heart, brain and kidney. According to some scientists the routine consumption of caffeine leads to the development of tolerance to the drugs used for cardiovascular and neuro-endocrine disorders. It is said that caffeine is chemically similar to theophyline, a medicine used in treating asthma. In contrast, because of the biological activities of caffeine and related compounds, excess consumption of tea and coffee may have a number of adverse effects. Those who have heart burn or reflux caffeine is not good for them as it is a stimulator of gastric acid secretion. Even in decaffeinated coffee some biologically active agents remain.

Some scientists believe that tea and coffee also inhibit zinc absorption. Consumption of tea or coffee at mealtime can reduce the amount of iron absorbed from vegetables to one third. So this is not that good specially for women of childbearing age, as they may run the risk of becoming iron deficient. You may also find some people drinking too much coffee suffering from insomnia and passing excessive amounts of urine. Some studies have found abnormal heart rhythms and restless legs at night and some scientists believe that it increases blood cholesterol. In recent times some researchers have found that drinking three/or more cups of coffee a day significantly raises 'blood pressure' and increases the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Then again, there is no obvious confirmation so far that caffeine intake is undoubtedly associated with heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis or high cholesterol. But it is true that the caffeine has complex actions on the circulatory system, and some believe the final effects largely depend upon the dose used and the situation existing at the time of administration. Scientific reports have suggested that pharmacological effects can be experienced from 50 mg upwards, and doses exceeding 250 mg - 300mg are likely to produce significant effects.

Sometimes drinking tea or coffee in the presence of the above-mentioned conditions seems conflicting; as we need more epidemiological and clinical data on caffeine consumption that may help to resolve many questions. In fine, this article wants to address public concerns more than the different diversified scientific conclusions. It would be absurd to forget about tea or coffee as a whole, but it is just as absurd to pretend that the above studies do not exist, or that they should not affect drinking either tea or coffee. This is about a "precautionary approach" to the people who drink tea or coffee a lot, until our gaps in knowledge are filled. But, people who have certain health problems or especially pregnant need to check with a qualified doctor for guidance about their daily tea/coffee consumption. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine's effects than others and may experience effects at smaller doses. So although there are some tasty advantages of tea and coffee, it is better to be aware of its distasteful effects.