Caffeine

Caffeine
How much coffee do you drink a day? One cup? Two cups? More? How about caffeinated sodas?
Caffeine is pervasive in our society these days and every few months we hear about how a study has shown that it is bad for us or good for us. What are we to believe?
I'd like to give you some of the facts about caffeine and its effects on your body. It may not cause you to change your coffeeconsumption but at least you'll be better informed about what you are drinking.
I'm going to talk about the beneficial effects of caffeine, the negative effects and discuss what are considered safe levels of caffeine consumption.
Let's start with the good news. Caffeine, which comes from the leaves, seeds and fruits of about 63 different plants, is well known as a stimulant. That's why peopledrink it, right?
Caffeine does help you wake up and feel more alert and it has been shown to increase attention spans. This is a beneficial effect for people who are driving long distances and for people who are doing tedious work. Calling this a health benefit may be stretching it, though staying awake while you are driving a car is definitely a benefit to your well-being!
Caffeine also containsantioxidants which have been shown to have cancer prevention qualities.
The negative effects of caffeine are largely dependent on how much you consume.
When consumed in small quantities like, for example when you have one cup of coffee or one soda, caffeine can cause your heart rate to increase, you urinate more which can cause dehydration, and your digestive system produces more acid.
In largeramounts, caffeine can cause you to have headaches, feel restless and nervous, be unable to sleep, and even, in very large quantities to have hallucinations. When larger amounts of caffeine are used over long periods of time you can develop sleep problems, get depressed and have problems with your digestive system. It can make you have different diseases like Heart Attack, high blood pressure,arrhythmias, high cholesterol levels, sleeplessness, etc.
Having up to 3 eight ounce cups of coffee a day or 250 mg of caffeine is considered "average or moderate". 10 cups of coffee a day is considered excessive. Also, remember that the amount of caffeine per cup can vary greatly depending on the type of beans that are used and the strength of the brew.
Most sodas with caffeine, have about 35 mgof caffeine per 8 ounces so you don't have to worry too much unless you are drinking several 2 liter bottles per day. Also, the effect of caffeine on you personally will depend on a number of factors like your weight, general health, mood and personal sensitivity to caffeine.
You can see that caffeine have both positive and negative effects on our health and well-being but the bottom line is thatif you drink your coffee or sodas in moderation, you don't have to worry too much.
The next time you are wondering whether you should have that second cup of coffee to perk you up, relax.

Childhood Obesity
Obesity has been called the new American epidemic by many doctors. It is estimated that fifty eight million Americans living in the United States are obese, and that eight out of tenpeople who are over twenty-five are overweight.
Obesity is, easily, America's fastest growing health concern. This condition, though, is not limited to American adults. Doctors have recently found that nearly thirteen percent of all American children suffer from this problem and that statistic seems to go up each year.
Understanding the jump in childhood obesity rates is directly linked tounderstanding obesity itself. The American Academy of Pediatricians defines childhood obesity as occurring in kids who have a BMI of more than 30. Other institutions, though, suggest that a child whose body weight is at least 20% higher than a child of a similar height is obese. No matter what the exact definition, obesity is, simply, excess body fat.
Why, though, is obesity such a concern? I mean, hey,...