Introduction
Caffeine is the most widespread
psychoactive substance and food used worldwide. As Caffeine is naturally
present in much plant-based food such as coffee, tea, cocoa, and cola,
therefore it imparts a greater impact on the cognitive functioning of humans.
According to literature, the caffeine is cognitive enhancer and helps in
improving the logical, abstract thinking, memory, and work performance. While
according to other contradictory studies, caffeine adversely affects cognitive
functions and health. The current essay provides evidence if the caffeine is an
enhancer or hazardous to people health.
Impact of Caffeine
Caffeine is used as a stimulant
among people, and the most reports advantages of moderate caffeine consumption
include betterment in cognition, physical endurance, alertness, mood, and
fatigue. The wide variety of risk and advantages are associated with caffeine
consumption, but for an adult, 400 mg considered does not cause any risk to
health and cognition (Nehlig, 2010). The impact of caffeine on cognition has
been derived from literature, as literature is enriched with the evidence-based
study concern the impactor caffeine on cognition. Caffeine reported having
inhibitory or facilitator effects on learning and memory.
According to a study, caffeine
facilitates passive cognitive learning, but it does not help when the task is
being learned intentionally. Caffeine
helps in performing tasks involve in working memory to some extent, but do not
facilitate the tasks, which entirely depend on working memory. Studies suggested that caffeine does not
affect on long-term memory (McLellan, Caldwell, & Liberman, 2016). Caffeine
helps in enhancing memory under suboptimal alertness state. Apart from memory
and cognition, caffeine also reduces anxiety and hedonic tone, but the high
dose cause stress, jitteriness, and nervousness (Nehlig, 2010). The diversity
of researches produced different result s concerning the results of the
caffeine to human health and cognition. According to some studies, the caffeine
effect varies according to the age range, while some other studies suggested
that cognition oriented effect of caffeine are sex-related. Caffeine causes
cognitive decline among the oldest population and female spatial or abstract
thinking.
In contrast, the literature provides
substantial data, which depicted that the excessive use of caffeine increases
the risk for sleep disturbance, cognitive decline, a decline in long term
memory, logical or abstract thinking (Shukitt-Hale et al., 2013). Furthermore,
the high dose of caffeine not merely affect the cognitive functioning, but also
adversely impact the overall health of human being including physical or
psychological aspects such as anxiety, headache, and dehydration. The excessive
use of caffeine is prevalent all over the world as human are more mechanical in
current times. They spent more time on cyber or technological advances, as a
result manifest joint problem and chronic back. The lack of physical activity
makes them clumsy, and to keep them fresh, they consume a high amount of
caffeine. Another reason for the high consumption of caffeine take is the
western trend (Cappelletti, Piacentino, Sani, & Aromatario, 2015). The
cocoa, coca, and other caffeine substances are trendy in South Africa and
America. The high enhancement of performance in fatigued participants
substantiates that caffeine is a mild stimulant.
Conclusion
Considering the above evidence, it
appears that caffeine is not a pure cognitive enhancer. The indirect effect of
caffeine on mood, arousal, and concentration impacts on cognitive enhancing
properties. Despite its positive impact, the negative consequences cannot be
ignored, either it's I cognitive, psychological or physical. From the above
evidence, it has been concluded that the balance and low usage of caffeine are
positive for human cognition and health. In contrast, excessive use has been
found negative for the health and cognition of the human being.