Gastric Consequences of Caffeine, Alcoholic Beverages and Energy Drinks

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Gastric consequences of caffeine, alcoholic beverages and energy drinks

Many individuals usually enjoy taking energy drinks as they are sweet and almost irresistible. The sales of these drinks are normally high owing to their continuous demand. These drinks are taken by a large percentage of teenagers along with young adults. Nevertheless, those who take these drinks are mostly ignorant of even the ingredients of the drinks and never bother to check, and they only go for them as they are readily available as in ready to drink to quench their thirst. These drinks have no health-giving benefit in addition to numerous ingredients being unregulated. The unknown along with the known pharmaceutics of what is contained in the drinks in addition to reports of contamination is alarming considering the rate at which they are taken along with the possible unfavorable consequences of taking them. On the other hand, alcoholic beverages are not that beneficial either to those who take them. Notwithstanding the dose along with the kind of beverage taken, the fact remains that alcohol promotes the growth of gastroesophageal illness through decreasing the pressure in lower esophageal sphincter as well as esophageal motility. Nondistilled along with fermented alcoholic beverages augment gastrin levels as well as acid secretion. Despite the enjoyment which comes with these drinks, the reality is that they are’ silent killers’ as they slowly by slowly gets the best of the person who is consuming especially their health. The chemical which is found in various drinks for instance tea, coffee along with guarana among other products is known as caffeine. This chemical is addictive to some individuals for example in tea, and they feel they cannot do without it. It is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, and it can make an individual feel energetic as well as more awake. Nevertheless, the same stimulant can as well make individual experience nervousness. An overdose of this chemical could cause various problems for the users.
Once alcoholic beverages are taken, they initially go through different sections of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and this is its site of its absorption to the bloodstream. The alcohol in these beverages might interfere with the configuration along with the functions of the GI tract sections. How, one might ask, alcohol, for instance could impair the task of muscles which separates the esophagus from the abdomen, therefore, favoring the incidence of heartburn. Alcohol-instigated damage to the mucosal lining of the esophagus augments the danger of esophagus cancer as well. When alcohol gets to the stomach, it disrupts gastric acid secretion in addition to the activity of the muscles around the abdomen (Tripathi, 390). Likewise, alcohol might damage the muscle motion in the large as well as small intestines, consequently causing diarrhea and this is frequently evident in alcoholics. What’s more, alcohol hinders the absorption of nourishings in small intestines in addition to augmenting the transport of poisons crosswise intestinal walls. Such effects are a threat to the liver such that they could cause the growth of alcohol-associated damage to the liver as well as to other organs. The functional alterations which are brought about by the contact of mucosa and alcoholic beverages consequently interrupt the digestion of additional nutrients along with their assimilation to the body. This eventually causes malnutrition as well as weight loss which is often seen in alcoholics, and this is not good for their health. Alcohol- instigated mucosal injuries-particularly in upper part of the small intestines enable fat molecules for instance endotoxin along with additional bacterial toxins to go by, more smoothly to the lymph. Such poisonous substances could have harmful effects to the liver along with other organs.
One of the major ingredients in energy drinks is caffeine though there are additional substances for instance vitamins, taurine, herbal supplements along with sugar (Tasman et al., 1435). In healthy grown-ups, a 400 mg of caffeine in one day is regarded as safe. Severe clinical contamination of the chemical usually starts at 1 g, in addition to 5 to 10 g being deadly. Nevertheless, various researchers have established that doses of caffeine of above 300 g could cause anxiety as well as panic attacks particularly for people who are under stress. Heavy consumption of caffeine for instance through taking energy drinks have been associated with severe consequences like mania as well as seizures. Other additional health effects of energy drinks are liver damage, agitation, respiratory disorders and hypertension. When consumed at highest levels for example 5-10 g, caffeine has been known to instigate abdominal pain, vomiting, stroke, altered consciousness, seizures and its worse being death. In teenagers, caffeine could bring about physiologic dependence, disruption of their sleep in addition to the danger of succeeding addiction. What about the taurine found in energy drinks? This is a kind of amino acid which is found in foods. In the body, it is produced from aminoalkanoic acid cysteine.Owing to the fact that the body uses taurine when under stress as well as during exercises, hence its popularity in the energy drinks as an ingredient. Taurine might sound beneficial as it depicts an anxiolytic result on the nervous system, bringing a potential decrease of anxiety signs linked with intake of caffeine. However, this might not be the best option when one is seeking for energy as it is not as good as it sounds. With taurine known to somehow mitigate the anxiety brought about by caffeine in energy drinks, it might counteract caffeine effects in energy drinks. The consequence? This might cause an individual to feel discontented with the deficient of adrenalin in the energy drinks they consume consequently making them go for additional caffeine. This might eventually lead to a dangerous pattern of dependence with vicious consequences.
Caffeine is a naturally existing substance which can be found in numerous plants for instance tea leaves and coffee beans among others. However, caffeine has not been associated with any nutritional value. If one consumes an approximately similar amount of this chemical daily, one could grow a tolerance to it. If it is taken in massive quantities, the chemical could bring about various side effects as well as affect someone’s mood. Caffeine is known to increase the amount of acid in one’s stomach which might upset the stomach or bring about heartburn. Caffeine is diureticin addition to stimulating one’s body to dispose of water hence it is not a great quencher of thirst. Big doses of caffeine make a person lose a lot of water, especially when taken at a time an individual is exercising. This acidity which is caused in the stomach could trigger secretion of gastric acids. Getting absorbed, it goes through the bloodstream and gets to the placenta. Considering the fact that it is a stimulant, caffeine especially too much of it is not healthy during pregnancy (Ruiz et al., 339). This is because it could augment the metabolism as well as the infant’s heart rate. After it is absorbed from the stomach, caffeine gets to its uppermost levels in an individual’s bloodstream after some time for instance, an hour or two. It could make the blood pressure of a person rise for a short period.
In conclusion, energy drinks usually have excessive amounts of caffeine which is associated with stimulant properties. However, manufacturers assert that the energy drinks are nutritious with supplements shielding them from limits of caffeine imposed on the drinks. The truth of the matter is that energy drinks do more harm than good to those who consume particularly those who take them in high levels. It is frightening to imagine taking a significant amount of caffeine in one drink in addition to continuing doing so considering the effects which come with it. Individuals ought to take caffeine moderately as large amounts of it could cause them a lot regarding their health. It would be for the best interest of anyone that they mind their intake of caffeine as considering the benefit along with the risks; the dangers far outweigh the benefits. Taking of alcohol could interrupt the functions of GI tract, and abuse of the same could lead to impairing of gastric mucosa inclusive of hermorrhagic lesions. Alcohol in the small intestines hinders absorption of numerous nutrients. Severe consumption of alcohol impairs the upper part of the small intestines and might also bring about the damaging of the tips of villi. Motility disorders and maldigestion in people who take alcohol could lead to digestive issues like abdominal pain. Caffeine has no nutritional value as well as augments the acid in one’s stomach thereby inconveniencing the stomach or causing heartburn.
Work cited
Ruiz, Pedro, Eric C. Strain, and Joyce H. Lowinson. Lowinson and Ruiz’s Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011. Print.
Tasman, Allan, Jerald Kay, Jeffrey A. Lieberman, Michael B. First, and Michelle B. Riba. Psychiatry. , 2014. Print.
Tripathi, K D. Essentials of Medical Pharmacology. , 2013. Print.