There is no denying it: college students love their caffeine. When life is full of late nights, procrastinated homework assignments and cramming way too many things in 24 hours, it seems impossible to make it through the day without it.
While there is certainly no debate about college students’ caffeine consumption, there is debate surrounding which form of caffeine is “best.”
One day, coffee is the miracle drug guaranteeing alertness and cancer prevention, but the next day it will lead to anxiety and a slew of other problems. While soda is never truly endorsed, the reasons behind the concerns and the level of actual concern vary every day, sometimes every hour. To add to the mix, energy drinks are now so popular that they can be found in vending machines only a few feet away from bedrooms in college dorms.
Coffee: Best Bet
“Coffee is one of the good, healthy beverage choices,” said Dr. Rob vam Dam of the Harvard School of Public Health, in an article written by The New York Times in 2006. The article was written by Nicholas Bakalar, and researched studies that claimed coffee had various health benefits. “Along with an extra jolt of energy when you need a pick-me-up at work or while running errands, coffee has been shown over years of medical research to prevent many diseases.”
A Norwegian study found that women who drank one to three cups of coffee a day reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent compared with those drinking no coffee at all, according to the Bakalar article. The study also mentioned that the high level of antioxidants found in coffee can decrease inflammation as well as related health disorders such as heart disease.
Starting to feel better about your coffee addiction? Just be careful.
When it comes to coffee, moderation is essential. As soon as you have too much, the benefits dramatically decrease and negative side effects, such as anxiety and even nausea, can occur. No one wants to be that kid who has definitely had one too many lattes and can’t stop shaking.
Additionally, with coffee consumption, what you add to your cup is extremely important. Black coffee has no calories, but add sugar or milk, and that’s no longer the case.
Soda: health problems ahead
While black coffee offers some health benefits, soda only generates health problems. Besides actually extracting calcium from your bones (due to the combination of high levels of phosphate and low levels of calcium) one extra Coke a day gives a child a 60 percent greater chance of becoming obese, no matter how much they exercise or what else they eat, according to Greg Critser, author of the book, “Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World.”
Energy drinks: fastest way to zero health benefits
Likewise, energy drinks, which are extremely addicting due to their “jolt-crash” effect, provide absolutely no health benefits. Their potential harms span heart palpitations, seizures, strokes and — in most dramatic cases — sudden death, according to an MSNBC report.
These dangers largely stem from the unusually high contents of some ingredients such as B vitamins, which, when consumed in too high amounts, can lead to increased heartrate, as well as numbness in the hands and feet.
So the next time your 5 p.m. class rolls around and you are craving nothing more than a nap, walk far, far away from the vending machines and head toward the Dav or the Mudbox.
Black coffee may be bitter at first, but you’ll get your extra jolt and some health benefits to boot. What could be better?
