Science & The Spirit
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TROUBLE BREWING
Health Helps Part 14
By Dane and Vicki Griffin
Picture Niagara Falls, in
full flow. Think of the enormous quantity of water that flows
over the falls every second.
Now imagine collecting all this water for thirty seconds. We’d
have a huge amount of water—33 million gallons, to be exact!
This is how much caffeine-containing coffee Americans drink each
day. That works out to about 28 gallons per person every year!
In fact, so many people use caffeine every day that it has been
called “the world’s most widely-used psychoactive1 drug.”
Toxic ingredients
What do we actually put in our bodies when we use coffee or its
calamitous cousins—tea, cola, and chocolate? All of these
contain methylated xanthines. In other words, toxic
chemicals—stuff you wouldn’t give to your dog! Some of the
best-known methylated xanthines are theobromine,
theophylline, and caffeine.
Borrowed energy
When caffeine enters your body, you feel a burst of energy.
Because caffeine contains no nutrients, it draws on the body’s
emergency reserves of energy. But, just like a credit card
purchase, what is borrowed will come due—with interest.
Here’s what Maxwell House will never tell you: As caffeine
enters the system, blood flow to the brain decreases by as much
as 30%. Stress and anxiety increase, while fine motor skills—and
memory—decrease. What a lift! And that’s not the end of the
bad news! Keep using the stuff, and you’ll permanently damage
your memory. What’s more, you’ll accumulate a surplus of
stress hormones in the brain.2 This can promote long-term
depression. People who use caffeine are three times as likely to
be stressed about their life situations, and to react in an
impulsive way. They are also more likely to experience
hostility, anxiety, and fatigue.
Are the perks worth the price?
Want to have a higher risk of cancer? Drinking just one cup of
coffee a day will increase your risk for cancer of the stomach,
kidneys, lungs, rectum, and esophagus! Two cups a day doubles
your risk of cancer of the bladder, and more than triples the
chance of colon cancer.
Do you prefer heart trouble? Drink one to five cups a day, and
you’ll increase the chance of a heart attack by 60%. Drink six
or more cups, and the risk more than triples. Just two cups a
day can raise blood pressure by 20%. Caffeine also stresses the
pancreas, which can increase your chance for diabetes. It even
encourages loss of calcium from the bones.
Don’t drink coffee?
Good! But if you drink colas or other sodas containing caffeine,
you’re at risk. A child drinking a 12-ounce soda gets a dose
equal to that of an adult drinking four cups of instant coffee!3
Need a lift?
In spite of what all the ads tell us, caffeine does not help a
person cope. Instead, it adds to life’s bundle of problems. If
you need a “lift,” try a big, sparkling glass of water and a
brisk jaunt up a flight of stairs! Many times we’re droopy
because we are dehydrated or in need of some exercise.
And if someone you know is addicted to caffeine, here’s the
good news: The Lord has the power to deliver us from the strong
bondage of harmful habits—and to keep us free!
Part 1
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4
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10
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Copyright © LifeStyle Matters, Inc.
1. Having a specific effect on the mind.
2. In particular, cortisol.
3. Based on body weight.
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