– [Announcer] The Fox
Carolina Health Minute is sponsored by Spartanburg
Regional Healthcare System. – Well lots of us, hey we enjoy a cup of coffee or tea or two in the morning to help us wake up and sometimes then we
reach for that energy drink in the afternoon to get over that slump. But how much caffeine is really safe? – We were just talking about this today February is actually American Heart month so we spoke with a cardiologist at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare to find out what you
should know before reaching for that second cup of coffee. Here's Margaret Burnquist with more. – [Margaret] Between coffee,
tea and energy drinks it's safe to say that caffeine
is a big part of our lives, and the lives of people around the globe. – Caffeine has long been
recognized as a stimulant. It's consumed around the
world in very high volume. 90% of the world population drinks tea and about 45% of the worlds
population drinks coffee. – [Margaret] Dr. Robert
MacDonald is a cardiologist with Spartanburg Regional
Healthcare system and we spoke to him
about what caffeine does to our bodies to help us wake up.
He says it has a lot to do with our heart. – Caffeine stimulates
the body in many ways. The heart is stimulated
to beat a little faster, the brain is stimulated
to function more quickly, the energy level of the body is increased. So it makes people feel better more alert. – [Margaret] But like most
things the key is moderation. Dr. MacDonald says coffee,
tea and energy drinks are safe to consume in small doses but too much caffeine can
have a negative effect on our health and even lead
to problems with our heart. – If you take too much caffeine you can overstimulate your heart. People who have normal
hearts and take a small dose of caffeine tend not to
have heart rhythm problems.
If you took excessive doses
the heart rate would speed up, this could stress the heart,
raise the blood pressure, potentially lead to heart rhythm problems. – [Margaret] And heart
health isn't the only issue that too much caffeine can cause it can also lead to a
false sense of awareness. – For the most part it
heightens our awareness and allows us to respond more quickly but if you to an extreme
you may be at the point where you're making bad decisions and bad judgements that
could lead to harm.
– [Margaret] All in all Dr. MacDonald says caffeine is safe to consume as long as you monitor
how much you're taking. He says to treat caffeine
like you would a medication. – With caffeine, I think
caffeine is very safe and it is widely used around
the world in appropriate doses. So one to three cups of coffee a day are certainly appropriate, helps people function well at work. Keeps them awake, improves
their performance. Caffeine is a medication, it's a drug, and like any drug there's
the potential for abuse.
– And if you feel like caffeine is causing negative effects on your body, Dr. MacDonald advises
cutting back on the number of caffeinated drinks
you do have in a day. You can also speak with
your doctor about the risks of consuming too much caffeine..
