Even though many of us consume caffeine without a second thought, we should be aware caffeine triggers a classic fight-or-flight reaction in the body.  The fight-or-flight response was designed for events happening only occasionally (such as a lion chasing you).  Now, with the help of caffeine, we can put our bodies in fight-or-flight every day!  Of course, we don’t respond in a literal fight-or-flight way.  Instead, other physiological things may happen.  For example, sugar and fat get dumped unused in the bloodstream.  The sugar creates more stress.  The fat clogs the arteries.  The digestive system slows or shuts down.

Most people drink caffeine for energy.  Caffeine stimulates your nervous system and adrenals.  That’s not energy; that’s stress.  As you may have guessed, this type of unhealthy stress is a major factor in disorders such as anxiety, insomnia, depression, ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, headache, hypoglycemia, asthma, herpes, hypertension, and heart disease.  Students traditionally use caffeine not only to stay awake but also as a drug to improve their exam performance.  Solid research, however, illustrates as little as 100 milligrams of caffeine (one cup of coffee, two cups of cola) can cause a significant DECREASE in recall and reasoning!

Malnutrition is one of the most well-defined effects of habitual caffeine intake.  A single cup of coffee can reduce iron absorption from a meal by as much as 75.  Caffeine also depletes your supplies of thiamin and other B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc.

For your good health, take a closer look at your caffeine intake.  Most likely, a gradual reduction in consumption is recommended. 

However, it is not recommended you make a “cold turkey” stop!  After a gradual cleansing of this drug from your body, you’ll feel better and be healthier as well!

Link to Morter March Monday Rebroadcast: