Ask the Fitness Guru - Caffeine, Alcohol & Smoking

Ask the Fitness Guru - Caffeine, Alcohol & Smoking

Dear Dave,
What are the effects of caffeine, alcohol, and smoking on your health?

Signed,
Jessie

Dear Jessie,
There are positive and negative effects of caffeine on the body, but there are only negative effects from alcohol and smoking. I have outlined each of the items below.

Caffeine
When caffeine is introduced to the body, the central nervous system is stimulated. Studies have shown that caffeine can increase performance in athletes and also improve mental alertness. Although it can help the alertness of a person who is drunk, it cannot make a drunken person sober. Furthermore, research has shown that caffeine also increases the effects of Aspirin on the body.

There are two main negative effects of caffeine. The first affects your blood pressure. An introduction of caffeine into your body can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure which may affect your health. The second negative affect is how it affects you when you are tired; caffeine can affect your sleeping patterns if taken before bed. Because of its affects, many people have become dependant on caffeine in their daily routine. When people try to eliminate the morning coffee fix they tend to become restless, dizzy, irritable, and unable to concentrate.

Alcohol
The consumption of alcohol does not have any nutritional value and only has detrimental effects on your body. There are four main effects of alcohol:

1. Perception and Decisions
A person's perception is greatly affected when alcohol is consumed. Not only do they make decisions that may be unhealthy to their diet, but they also make decisions that can alter their lives. Many unwanted and deadly decisions have been made because of the consumption of too much alcohol.

2. Relationships
A person's relationship can also be affected by the effects of alcohol. Alcohol has caused many relationships to fail because of fighting and infidelity, caused unwanted pregnancies, and even death because of poor decisions such as drinking and driving.

3. Diseases
The consumption of alcohol can destroy the liver, cause stomach disorders, depression, high blood pressure, impotence, brain damage, muscle disease, hepatitis, cancers, and vitamin deficiency.

4. Calories
Alcohol is also a simple sugar that can increase the amount of calories in a diet. The consumption of these simple sugars can increase obesity and affect blood sugar levels which can have negative effects on a person's health.

Smoking
Smoking is an unhealthy habit that has no positive affect to a healthy lifestyle. There are a range of risks involved which include:

1. Cancer
Smoking increases your chances of lung cancer(and many other types of cancer). Second hand smoke can also affect the health of the people and loved ones around you.

2. Impotence
Many men who smoke have been found to have problems with getting erections. The effects on the body's circulation systems can also reduce sexual performance in a male.

3. Body and Health
The effects on a person health include obesity, increased cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, kidney problems, and liver problems.

4. Cost
Because smoking is addictive, the cost of cigarettes can also affect your wallet. A pack a day habit can cost you a couple hundred dollars a month.