
Caffeine is the world’s most popular psychoactive drug. Yes, that’s right, it’s a central nervous system stimulant. The fact that caffeine is found in so many different foods and drinks, is deeply rooted into world’s culture and is legal – all that makes it the most widespread psychoactive drug in the world. Each part of the world has its’ caffeine – Americans have sodas, Arabs have their kahve, the Chinese drink teas. Everyone loves caffeine. How much do we know about it?
Coffee, in particular large Starbucks servings, seems to have most caffeine according to MayoClinic. Teas, on the other hand, have milder amounts of caffeine. At the same time, teas (especially green tea), are packed with useful substances, which makes them lower cholesterol level and supposedly even prevent cancer. This puts teas slightly above coffee that does not have any of the health properties.
The worst way to get your caffeine, however, is from soda drinks and energy drinks. Those beverages are packed with sugars, colorants, artificial aromatic substances and much more. The whole “energy” component consists of injecting several teaspoons of sugar with caffeine into your system, which makes you hectic for a short while and leaves you in low spirits and dehydrated for the rest of the day.
Stimulating properties of caffeine have found application in weight-loss as well. The famous green coffee diet relies on caffeine as part of its’ effectiveness, (click here to learn more about the rest fat burning properties of green coffee), because caffeine increases body energy consumption and tones your tissues better.
If you love drinking tea or coffee, there is nothing wrong with it. Be sure, however to cut down on the amounts you drink, because if you abuse it, your body develops tolerance, pretty much taking the pleasure out the whole process. And stay away from the energy drinks,since their effect is so short-term.



