Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of "berries" from the Coffea plant. Coffee plants are cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in the equatorial regions of the Americas, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. The two most commonly grown are the highly regarded arabica, and the less sophisticated but stronger and more hardy robusta.
Nigerians have been urged to consume coffee in moderation owing to its potential health risks.
The warning was issued by Yemisi Olowookere, a Nutritionist at the Garki Hospital, Abuja.
According to her, while a small amount of caffeine may have positive effects like boosting energy and alertness, it could also have adverse negative effects.
Said Olowookere,
“If you have moderate to high levels of caffeine, you can build up a tolerance. This means you will need more caffeine to give you the same effects. Also, if you have a high caffeine level, you may feel withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, tiredness, anxiety and irritability if you stop having caffeine."
She also said "in large amounts, it can make you feel nervous, restless and make sleeping well harder"
She added that caffeine was a stimulant that worked on the brain and the nervous system, adding that caffeine could affect people differently depending on the amount of intake.
She however said the real issue for coffee drinkers was in the case of people who have trouble sleeping, these people she said need to cut down their coffee intake.
According to her,
"If one is agitated or a person has high blood pressure, it is advisable to cut back on caffeine intake. If an individual is stressed or has symptoms that can be related to caffeine, then maybe such an individual needs to reduce intake"
She also said people should not be deceived by decaffeinated drinks, saying they could be just as bad as caffeinated drinks.
“Depending on how much you consume in a day, you can end up consuming more caffeine from decaffeinated drinks than you would in one cup of coffee" she said.
Olowookere explained that one could not know the exact level of caffeine consumed per day but one should put a limit on the total amount of caffeinated and decaffeinated products consumed.
She recommended drinking 8 ounces of water instead of coffee as this will counteract the desire for other less healthy beverages
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