According to the French Food Safety Agency (ANSES), caffeine acts on our body “ by countering the sedative effect due to the activation of certain receptors present in the brain ».
It will therefore increase our alertness during the hours following its consumption, with a potential impact on our sleep, between delay in falling asleep and reduction of time and/or its quality.
So much so that some people find their night seriously affected by even the slightest drop of coffee swallowed after 5-6 p.m….
Slowed metabolism of caffeine
Because the effects appear to vary greatly from one person to another. And for good reason, depending on the case, the metabolism of caffeine can be slowed down.
-In broad terms, this means that it will therefore stay longer within our body with consequently effects that will be amplified. Different parameters can be the cause of this slowdown, such as:
- state of health : liver diseases, psychiatric diseases, high blood pressure, urinary and fecal incontinence and even ulcers – in certain conditions, the metabolism of caffeine is thus impacted;
- age: authors show that older people eliminate caffeine from their body more slowly than younger people. The reason would lie in certain liver enzymes that metabolize caffeine and which, with age, become less effective;
- genetic factors : studies suggest that a genetic variation – of ADORA2A gene receptors – could determine individual sensitivity to the effects of caffeine on sleep.
Tobacco too, but…
As for smoking, it would also influence the metabolism of caffeine, not by slowing it down but by accelerating it. This time, a protein called CYP1A2 is believed to be involved. Incidentally, studies report a correlation between cigarette consumption and coffee consumption: when the first increases, so does the second!
In any case, as recommended by Dr. Elizabeth Ko, Eve Glazier of the University College of San Francisco (UCLA), “ When a person becomes sensitive to caffeine, it may be necessary to rethink their consumption to avoid unwanted effects. To manage caffeine sensitivity, try limiting yourself to one cup per day ».
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