There are more than 170 million drug addicts in the U.S., and the strange thing is that you can be counted as one of them. You consume your of choice every day; you’d feel ill if you couldn’t have it; you’d have a hard time quitting it.
____1__ And if you think you get it only in coffee, tea, coca cola, or in smaller bite of chocolate, you haven’t been paying attention. Food manufactures recognize a hot market when they see it, and with anywhere from 55% to 90% of the U.S. population consuming caffeine every day. _2___ The popular Red Bull energy drink is one of them, and others like caffeine boost through the skin.
Regular amount of caffeine has been the subject of endless medical studies. We know caffeine could work effectively by controlling neurotransmitters that would normally make you sleepy, improving cognitive function and even athletic performance. ___3__ “Exactly what level of caffeine is harmful is not clearly established, but generally more than five cups of coffee is too much,” said physiologist Harris Lieberman from U.S. Army Research Institute of environmental Medicine, who has been studying the effects of caffeine for more than 20 years. “It’s typically possible to die from a caffeine overuse, but,” says Dr. Eric Lavonas, a North Carolina emergency-room docter, “you have to really work at it.”___4__ Bill Btadley, in 2000 presidential candidate, attributed his irregular heartbeat to caffeine overuse.
In a country of caffeine addicts, it’s unlikely that you’ll never develop a serious problem, and there aren’t any repair centers for coffee dependence. __5___ The highest caffeine boost can be felt one hour following input, but significant effects can last for eight hours. If you’re at risk for heart disease or digestive disorders, talk to your doctor about how much caffeine you should be drinking. Like any pleasurable substance, caffeine can be abused. So enjoy—but with care.
A. Depending on the study, the stuff now is turning up everywhere.
B. The chemical that has you addicted, of course, is caffeine.
C. But how much is too much?
D. Far more common are people who simply fall ill from eating or drinking too much of that stuff.
E. Here are seven tips to loosen the death grip of caffeine addiction .
F. So the best advice is to know your limits.