Coffee Lovers Beware: Here’s What Happens to Your Body Within One Hour of Drinking a Cup of Coffee
The battle of the beverages is continuing. First we found out what happens to our body after drinking one can of Coke. Then, someone decided it was time to find out what one Diet Coke did to our body after an hour. And it was only a matter of time before someone analyzed what happens to our body within one hour after drinking a beer. Now coffee lovers beware, it's your turn.
It doesn't matter if you are a designer-coffee lover or more of a black-coffee traditionalist, about 59 percent of Americans need that jolt of coffee to get them through their day. But there is a pretty good chance that you probably don't know what that one cup of coffee does to your body within an hour of drinking it. Believe it or not, everything from your eyes to your blood is affected.
Coffee is full of caffeine, which is a stimulant that affects your brain. This might not actually be a bad thing, however. If you need to stay alert, a shot of caffeine from a cup of joe could be beneficial, with some evidence showing that caffeine can increase mental functions and strengthen your ability to concentrate. This one-cup shot of caffeine will allow you to be more alert for an average of about 30 minutes before the effects wear off.
Just remember that for clearer thinking, moderation is best. Too much caffeine can overwhelm your body and it's thinking processes, making you more jittery and anxious, both of which you don't want to be feeling while trying to make important decisions.
Caffeine may also trigger your flight-or-fight mode, telling your body to make adrenaline. Again, this may not be a bad thing, because with increased adrenaline, you may experience sharper vision.
Everyone knows that coffee can stain your favorite shirt or tie. So it only makes sense that one cup of coffee (over time) will stain your teeth. However, according to a New York dentist, coffee contains micro-nutrients that can actually aid in killing plaque and bacteria, but that's only if you drink it black. When you start adding milk, cream, sugar or your favorite flavored sweeteners, tooth decay will begin. Dentists suggest brushing your teeth after drinking coffee to help keep your teeth pearly-white and healthy.
The most immediate effects of drinking a cup of coffee can be felt within 15 minutes, especially with our heart. Marc Leavey, a primary care specialist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore says,
About 15 minutes after drinking a cup, the caffeine begins to elevate your pulse and blood pressure by an average of 10 to 15 percent.
Dr. Leavey says that drinking one or two six-ounce cups of coffee a day shouldn't be a problem, but those that drink more may have to deal with heart disease, high blood pressure and a faster-than-normal heartbeat.
Working our way further down the body, coffee (and the caffeine in it) can also affect your stomach. Caffeine will boost the gastric juices in your stomach, causing the food to be digested faster, but this then leads to potential cramping, acid reflux or heartburn.
After the stomach, the bowels are then affected by the caffeine in that coffee. Dr. Leavey says,
Caffeine stimulates your bowels, telling them to work harder and faster.
Time is of the essence here, because if "things" move faster then they should, you could develop irritable bowel syndrome.
And of course every coffee drinker knows, it won't be long after that cup of coffee, that the urge to use the restroom will follow. Coffee acts as a diuretic, causing you to pee more.
And finally, studies have shown that coffee will cause problems with your cholesterol levels. Coffee beans contain natural oils that will cause an increase in your cholesterol levels, especially if you drink an unfiltered brew.
Source: Yahoo Health
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