Features

Coffee’s benefits . . .

- May have a lesser chance of obtaining Type 2 diabetes.

- Could increase chances of avoiding liver cancer and cirrhosis:

- Could lower the chances of gallstone disease.

- May decrease the risk of Parkinsonʼs disease.

Coffeeʼs downsides . . .

- More than three cups per day can cause insomnia, headaches, irritability, dehydration and nervousness.

Caffiene is considered to be a psycho stimulant.

It blocks adenosine — a chemical that helps people fall asleep — from adhering to its receptors in the brain.

Adenosine helps open up blood vessels. Blocking it constricts the brain’s blood vessels, which injects adrenaline into the system. This results in a ‘coffee boost’.

It increases the release of dopamine in the centre of the brain.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates pleasure centres in certain parts of the brain.

Caffeine has been the universal stimulant for hundreds of years — sometimes out of enjoyment, and sometimes out of necessity.

Europeans have been enjoying coffee since the 16th century, and people in the Middle East long before that, but the true “coffee culture” took a while to reach North America, according to Shannon Ripley of Equator Coffee, a company seeking to expand the use of fairly traded coffee in Canada.  

While some students have the need to speed up to get themselves through the day, others are exploring the option of slowing down.

A McDonald’s run at 3 a.m. can be tempting, says Sofia Timkovski, a law student at Carleton. Yet in order to stay healthy, she says she knows how to make the right decisions.

“Nutrition, to me, means making a conscious choice of eating right and staying healthy almost every waking moment,” Timkovski says.

Exercise and diet must work in unison, says Natalie Brown, a dietitian specializing in active living and competitive sports.