Does Caffeine Help A Headache Or Not? Here's What Experts Say.

[Night_Hawk]

Does Caffeine Help A Headache Or Not? Here's What Experts Say.
If a cup of coffee is your go-to remedy for a pesky headache, here’s some confusing news: You may or may not be making your headache worse.
According to experts, caffeine can both relieve and worsen a headache; the outcome depends on multiple factors specific to you and your habits. So before you head to the vending machine for a cola to numb the pain, there are a few things you should consider. Here’s what you should know

There are only a few cases where caffeine makes headaches better
“To be clear, caffeine does not always help headaches,” said Kirsten Ransbury, lead registered dietitian at Kaiser Permanente in Roseville, California.
For headaches caused by swelling of blood vessels in the brain ― a condition known as vasodilation ― caffeine may help by causing the blood vessels to constrict, reducing the swelling. Caffeine might also help soften tension headaches by relaxing the tense muscles over the scalp or the back of the head, explained Kiran F. Rajneesh, director of the neurological pain division at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
But here’s where it gets a little tricky: If you have too much caffeine, your tense muscles could get tenser, Rajneesh said, which would worsen the pain.

There’s no magic dose
As nice as it would be to know exactly how much caffeine you’d need to kill a headache, there’s no one-size-fits-all prescription. This is in part because caffeine affects everybody differently.
“Some people are more genetically predisposed to be sensitive to caffeine,” Rajneesh said, and these folks should probably refrain from using caffeine as a pain reliever.
When it comes to coffee, Rajneesh said, “usually one or two cups” is enough in terms of daily consumption, and three to four cups should probably be the cutoff. So if you’ve already consumed your morning cup(s), caffeine may not be the best headache-soothing option.

The source of caffeine slightly matters
Coffee, tea, chocolate and soda are some of the most common sources of caffeine. Ransbury said any of those sources shouldn’t make a difference, though she suggested using particular caution when it comes to energy drinks, since ingesting too much has been associated with dizziness, seizures and strokes.
Rajneesh advised against energy drinks completely because many contain “neurostimulants that can worsen your headaches.” When it comes to treating patients with migraines, Rajneesh said, energy drinks are off the table.
Something to consider is the amount of caffeine in the source. Ransbury said coffee has about 106 to 164 milligrams of caffeine per 5-ounce cup, while a 12-ounce can of caffeinated soda contains 38 to 46 milligrams.
“I think out of all of them, coffee is probably the most benign,” Rajneesh added, noting that soda contains sugar and chemicals, variables that could have an effect on your well-being (and headaches).
The best headache remedy depends on the individual
Some people swear by ibuprofen and a nap, while others find putting a cold compress over their eyes for a few minutes does the trick when it comes to headache treatment.
The theme of this? Everyone is different, and different kinds of headaches will respond best to different kinds of treatment. Rajneesh said he would most likely first pick caffeine in the form of coffee over an over-the-counter medication because he considers coffee the “more natural” option.
When advising patients, he said he first recommends what he calls a “lifestyle modification,” which includes adjusting your sleep schedule, maintaining hydration and incorporating a moderate amount of exercise into your routine. Before considering medication, Rajneesh said it’s important to attempt to figure out what in a person’s life could be causing headaches and make changes from there. Lack of sleep, a healthy diet and exercise can all contribute to feeling out of balance, which includes headaches, he said.
There are, of course, quicker ways to abate headache pain. Ransbury suggested many caffeine-free and natural remedies, including turning off the lights, relaxing in a quiet space and taking a warm bath. She also said avoiding heavy meals, alcohol, nicotine, excessive screen time and ― surprise ― even too much caffeine may also be enough to ease the pain.

Source
“Living With” is a guide to navigating conditions that affect your mind and body. Each month, HuffPost Life will tackle very real issues people live with by offering different stories, advice and ways to connect with others who understand what it’s like. In April, we’re covering migraines and headaches. Got an experience you’d like to share? Email [email protected].

 

[Iconoclast]

There is too much blood in my caffeine system.

 

[Dilljaly]

سب گورا لوگ صبح صبح نوکری پر جانے سے پہلے سٹار بکس سے کافی لے کر جاتے ہیں،اگر کافی نقصان دہ ہو تو وہ کبھی بھی نہ پیئیں

 

[HimSar]

Caffeine gives a pulse of activity/clarity. Then it's back to baseline. Pity we don't use teas in the medicinal way they ought to be. And I mean teas other than black tea, decaf, right brews and correct steeping times.

 

[Night_Hawk]

Health benefits and risks of drinking coffee

Thu 14 December 2017

By Joseph Nordqvist

1. Benefits
2. Nutrition
3. Risks

A cup of coffee in the morning may provide more than just an energy boost.
Health benefits, say some researchers, may range from helping prevent diabetes to lowering the risk of liver disease.
With over 400 billion cups of coffee thought to be consumed every year, coffee is one of the world's most popular drinks. But is it really healthful, or are there also risks?
Benefits
The potential health benefits associated with drinking coffee include protecting against type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, liver cancer, and promoting a healthy heart.3
1) Coffee and diabetes

Coffee may help protect against type 2 diabetes. Researchers at UCLA identified that drinking coffee increases plasma levels of the protein sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). SHBG controls the biological activity of the body's sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) which play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.4
Dr. Simin Liu, one of the authors of the study, said that an "inverse association" exists between coffee consumption and risk for type 2 diabetes.
Increased coffee consumption may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes - the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers gathered data from three studies. In these studies, the diets of the participants were evaluated using questionnaires every 4 years, with participants who reported having type 2 diabetes filling out additional questionnaires. In total, 7,269 study participants had type 2 diabetes.
The researchers found that the participants who increased their coffee intake by more than one cup a day (on average, an increase of 1.69 cups per day) over a 4-year period had an 11% lower type 2 diabetes risk over the subsequent 4 years, compared with people who did not change their intake.


2) Coffee and Parkinson's disease
Researchers in the U.S. carried out a study that assessed the link between coffee consumption and Parkinson's disease risk. The authors of the study concluded that "higher coffee and caffeine intake is associated with a significantly lower incidence of Parkinson's disease".5

In addition, caffeine in coffee may help control movement in people suffering from Parkinson's, according to a study conducted at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) that was published in the journal Neurology.6
3) Coffee and liver cancer
Italian researchers found that coffee consumption lowers the risk of liver cancer by about 40%. In addition, some of the results suggest that if you drink three cups a day, the risks are reduced by more than 50%.7
The lead author of the study, Dr. Carlo La Vecchia, from Milan's Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, said "our research confirms past claims that coffee is good for your health and particularly the liver."

4) Coffee and liver disease
Regular consumption of coffee is linked to a reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare autoimmune disease of the bile ducts in the liver.8
In addition, coffee consumption can lower the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver for alcohol drinkers by 22%, according to a study at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, California, USA.
The authors of the study concluded that the results "support the hypothesis that there is an ingredient in coffee that protects against cirrhosis, especially alcoholic cirrhosis."9
Research published in the journal Hepatology in April 2014, suggested that drinking coffee is linked to a decreased liver cirrhosis death risk. The researchers suggested that drinking two or more cups of coffee every day can reduce the risk of death from liver cirrhosis by 66%.16
A study published in the journal Hepatology indicates that drinking decaf coffee also lowers liver enzyme levels, suggesting the benefits are not linked to caffeine content.
5) Coffee and heart health
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard School of Public Health, concluded that drinking coffee in moderation protects against heart failure. They defined 'in moderation' as 2 European cups (equivalent to two 8-ounce American servings) per day.10
People who drank four European cups on a daily basis had an 11% lower risk of heart failure, compared to those who did not.
The authors stressed that their results "did show a possible benefit, but like with so many other things we consume, it really depends on how much coffee you drink."

 

[Night_Hawk]

Does coffee offer health benefits?
Answer From Donald Hensrud, M.D.

Coffee has been around for a long time and blamed for many ills — from stunting your growth to causing heart disease — but newer research shows that it may actually have health benefits.

Recent studies have generally found no connection between coffee and an increased risk of heart disease or cancer.


In fact, some studies have found an association between coffee consumption and decreased overall mortality and possibly cardiovascular mortality, although this may not be true in younger people who drink large amounts of coffee.

Why the apparent reversal in the thinking about coffee? Earlier studies didn't always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers.

Studies have shown that coffee may have health benefits, including protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver disease, including liver cancer. Coffee also appears to improve cognitive function and decrease the risk of depression.

However, the research appears to bear out some risks. High consumption of unfiltered coffee (boiled or espresso) has been associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels.

In addition, some studies found that two or more cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of heart disease in people with a specific — and fairly common — genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body. So, how quickly you metabolize coffee may affect your health risk.

Although coffee may have fewer risks compared with benefits, keep in mind that other beverages, such as milk and some fruit juices, contain nutrients that coffee doesn't. Also, adding cream and sugar to your coffee adds fat and calories — up to hundreds of calories in some cases.
SOURCE