It's the world's most popular drug. More than 90% of North Americans consume it every single day. That number won't be going down anytime soon, especially because there are no legal or age limits on it. Most people assume that caffeine is harmless, but there are deadly dangers in every can of soda.
Here are 12 horrific things that caffeine is doing to your body:
1. Osteoporosis
Caffeine can flush out calcium in your bloodstream, which makes it harder for bones to repair themselves or get stronger. This side effect is compounded by the fact that caffeine is usually found in soft drinks, which means that it is accompanied by lots of sugar and carbonation-both of which are also detrimental to bone health.
2. Anxiety
Caffeine can overstimulate your central nervous system. As your nerves try to cope, you may experience panic attacks, jitters, fear, and other anxiety-related feelings.
3. Seizures
The sudden stimulation for caffeine can trigger seizures, especially in people who already have epilepsy or other disorders. Use extreme caution when using caffeine or any other stimulant drugs.
4. Insomnia
As a stimulant, caffeine naturally helps you stay awake longer. But if you take it excessively, it can mess up your sleeping patterns and cause insomnia.
5. Infertility
Caffeine affects your hormone excretion and metabolism, which can make it difficult to conceive.
6. Miscarriage
If you are currently pregnant and consume a lot of caffeine, be extra careful. The caffeine can alter your hormone excretions and may limit your body's ability to sustain a baby. Miscarriage can also occur because the caffeine can be transmitted to the baby through the umbilical cord. The baby's growth can be stunted from too much caffeine.
7. Diarrhea
Caffeine is a diuretic drug, which means that it triggers your body into draining a lot of its water. If you take too much too quickly, your body may try to get rid of excess water in the form of diarrhea.
8. Dehydration
In addition to the diarrhea, caffeine will make you need to urinate more often. If you're thirsty, don't reach for a soda-it will only drain your body more!
9. Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disease that is one of the leading causes of blindness. There is no cure, and the disease develops as high blood pressure crushes part of the optic nerve in your eye. High blood pressure is one of the side effects of caffeine, so if you are at risk for glaucoma, be very careful about how much caffeine you consume.
10. Breast cysts
Estrogen is heavily affected by caffeine. If you take too much caffeine, it can disrupt your hormone production, and the irregular amounts of estrogen can cause painful breast cysts.
11. Heart murmurs
Because your respiratory and circulatory systems are suddenly stimulated with caffeine, your heart may get put on overload. Fast heartbeat, irregular beating rhythms, and sometimes heart attacks may follow.
12. Headaches
This is a double-edged sword. Many people take caffeine for the purpose of relieving headaches. But as you develop a dependence on the drug, your body becomes more tolerant of it. You have to take more and more to give your body the same effect. If you don't consume your normal amount of caffeine, you can develop headaches as a withdrawal effect.
