Caffeine, found in coffee and tea in particular, is well known for its stimulating properties on the nervous system. This is why many drink coffee in particular to avoid sleeping or to increase their physical performance, for example. Caffeine also has many beneficial effects in terms of reducing the risk of certain age-related diseases or stimulating memory, concentration, etc. If caffeine has "anti-aging" virtues, it's all a question of the dosage of consumption. Caffeine abuse can also have negative effects on health, especially in people with age-related pathologies.
Caffeine refers to an organic substance of plant origin (called an alkaloid) which is present in more than 60 plants, as indicated by the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses), a public institution of an administrative nature placed under the supervision of the ministries responsible for Health, Agriculture, the Environment, Labor and Consumer Affairs. Caffeine can also be produced by chemical synthesis.
Thus, caffeine is mainly found in coffee and tea, but it is also present in kola (an African tree that produces the kola nut), guarana (a vine native to Amazonia) and mate ( a variety of holly whose dried and roasted leaves can be infused).
So-called “energy” drinks, that is to say drinks that claim to have stimulating properties both physically and intellectually, are also composed of caffeine. In adults, it is mainly in the form of coffee that caffeine is consumed, while for the youngest, its consumption occurs more through these energy drinks.
Caffeine essentially acts on certain receptors present in the brain, eliminating their sedative effect. This is why caffeine is well known for delaying sleep and its stimulating effect on physical performance. But not everyone reacts the same way to caffeine consumption. Instead of stimulating, caffeine can thus have anxiety-provoking effects in some people.
But, if these exciting actions are appreciated by some people, the consumption of caffeine is not without danger for some of them. Especially when caffeine is consumed in large quantities, but also if it is associated with taking certain medications, alcohol and tobacco in particular, or if the people who consume it are suffering from certain diseases such as hepatic pathologies, that is, those related to the liver.
In these cases, the adverse effects of caffeine are increased and its consumption can lead to hypertension, mental illness, urinary and fecal incontinence, ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux, etc.
Caffeine has the effect of increasing blood pressure and can thus cause tachycardia, i.e. an acceleration of the rhythm of the heartbeats.
Among the effects of caffeine on the body, and more particularly on its aging, it is now recognized that it can have a protective effect against Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disease that affects certain brain cells, more specifically dopaminergic neurons whose role is to produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for controlling body movements. This disease most often appears just before the age of sixty and evolves slowly and differently from one patient to another.
However, the benefits of caffeine in relation to the occurrence of Parkinson's disease do not affect all people in the same way. This effect would be more evident in women, and in particular in those who do not take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to combat the negative effects of menopause, and who do not drink a lot of coffee.
Even if the link is not yet really proven, caffeine would also have positive effects on Alzheimer's disease.
Caffeine consumed in moderation also has beneficial effects on memory, which it stimulates, as well as on concentration and morale, all cognitive functions that tend to decrease or experience problems with advancing age.
On the other hand, the consumption of 5 to 6 cups of coffee per day would also help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, also called "non-insulin dependent diabetes" (DNID) or "fatty diabetes", a disease which mainly affects people over 40 years old.
Caffeine also has a diuretic function, that is to say it fights against water retention by increasing the production of urine, and thus helps to treat high blood pressure and heart failure, among others.
Given its composition, caffeine can cause adverse effects in people who consume it, especially in large quantities. This substance can indeed be the cause of the occurrence of cardiovascular, psycho-behavioral or even neurological problems, mainly in certain categories of people such as children, adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women, but also in those more sensitive to the effects of caffeine.
Caffeine, consumed without moderation (4 cups of coffee or more per day for example), and in a prolonged manner, could, according to studies, contribute to the onset of osteoporosis, a disease which mainly affects women at the time of menopause, and therefore would have an effect on the loss of bone density causing falls, and often fractures of the neck of the femur.
