How Long Does Coffee Caffeine Stay in Your System?

Coffee is so popular that is only second to oil as a source of foreign exchange, according to the Coffee Science Information Centre. Coffee is consumed abundantly and valued by many. Besides savoring the bold, rich taste of freshly brewed coffee, many people consume it for its caffeine content. A hot cup of coffee in the morning to get you going, and a cup of coffee in the afternoon to keep you going, are often the job of the beverage--delivering caffeine reliably throughout the day.

History 

Coffee has been around for thousands of years, but may have been used originally as a food, as opposed to the popular beverage of today. Coffee beans may have originated from Kaffa, today known as Ethiopia, according to the Coffee Science Information Centre. Drinking coffee first started in Mecca, but became popular throughout the Arab world shortly thereafter. Coffeehouses opened in Mecca, then in Dutch colonies and eventually in Venice. They were favorite meeting places for social or business affairs. More recently, coffee has been touted as a potentially healthy drink.

Identification

The coffee tree, native to Africa, usually has two beans in each fruit. The fruit of the coffee tree looks like a red cherry. The two species that are cultivated are robustas and arabicas. Arabicas require little water, grow at high altitudes and have less caffeine than robustas. When the coffee tree is three to five years old, it begins to produce fruit, which is then harvested. The outer layer of the bean is removed to reveal a dry, green coffee bean. The beans then are processed in order to be exported around the world. 

Caffeine

Caffeine is the most widely consumed active substance stimulating the central nervous system, according to the Coffee Science Information Centre. It belongs to the alkaloid family and can be found in over 60 plant species--cocoa beans, tea and coffee being the most popular. Caffeine can have a positive or negative effect on mood, mental performance and sleep. It does not accumulate but is distributed throughout the body shortly after it is ingested, according to the International Coffee Organization. 

Function

Caffeine is fully absorbed by the digestive system in approximately 45 minutes, according to the Coffee Science Information website. Typically, the peak of concentration is 15 to 120 minutes after caffeine is consumed. Caffeine stays in the bodies of men for five to nine hours, but the amount of time is reduced by 30 to 50 percent in smokers. The length of stay for caffeine in women using oral contraceptives is approximately 12 to 15 hours, and can be as long as 15 hours in pregnant women as well, according to the Coffee Science Information Centre and the International Coffee Organization. 

Considerations

The caffeine in coffee may cause unwanted side effects. Too much caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, nausea, irregular heartbeat, muscle tremors, headaches or anxiety, according to the Mayo Clinic. The effects of caffeine are different for everyone, as is the amount of caffeine that may cause these problems.

Tips to Live to 100 Years Old

The average life expectancy in North America is 79, which is pretty good considering 100 years ago it was only 55 in most industrialized countries. Even better news however, is that the amount of centenarians (people who live past 100) has almost doubled in the U.S. over the past 20 years, and some scientists hypothesize that the total number of centenarians will increase a whopping 7-fold by 2020! Although aging and death are inevitable, the following lifestyle and anti-aging tips can help you increase your chances of aging gracefully and joining the centenarian club.
Reduce Stress to Reverse Aging
Stress increases your risk for cardiovascular disease, and it reduces both mental stamina and physical stamina. What’s more, chronic high stress levels are a massive contributor to aging and a high stress lifestyle can shave more than 5 years off of your life. Practicing deep breathing exercises, doing yoga, meditating and simply keeping things in perspective can all effectively reduce your stress levels. Taking regular vacations will give you something to look forward to and it will also help to reduce overall stress levels. Maintaining close, loving relationships, is another great way to reduce stress and increase your lifespan.
Maintain a Healthy Body Weight to Reverse Aging
Being overweight accelerates the aging process and it can reduce your life expectancy by as much as 4 years, while extreme obesity can reduce your life expectancy by a full decade.
Workout to Reverse Aging
Working out 5 days a week will not only increase your strength and stamina, studies suggest it will add between 2 and 5 years to your life! Working-out slows down the aging process in multiple ways–it reduces your risk for developing diseases such as diabetes, it decreases your stress levels, it helps you to maintain a healthy body weight and it helps to keep your heart strong and healthy.
Don’t Skimp on Sleep
Your body does the majority of its reparation while you are sleeping and chronic sleep deprivation, increases stress levels, reduces stamina, raises your risk for multiple diseases and it vastly reduces your life expectancy. Aim for between 7 and 9 hours per night, and try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
Floss Daily
Flossing daily may seem like a strange way to slow the aging process but studies have found this simple habit can increase your lifespan by as much as 6 years. Flossing is essential because it removes harmful bacteria from your mouth and prevents them from migrating to other parts of your body, where they can cause disease.
Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels
The sun is your body’s primary source of vitamin D. If you live in a sunny area, expose your skin to the sun daily for fifteen minutes, this will ensure adequate vitamin D levels. If you do not live in a sunny area, get your vitamin D levels checked by your doctor and consider taking a vitamin D supplement. Maintaining adequate bodily levels of vitamin D helps to strengthen your immune system and it can increase your lifespan by 2 years.
Consume a Healthy, Antioxidant Dense Diet
This is arguably, the most important, amongst all of the anti-aging tips. Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable atoms that attack the body on a cellular level; they damage and destroy your cells and DNA. According to Denham Harman, M.D., of the University of Nebraska, cancer, cardiovascular disease and many other degenerative disorders that we attribute to aging, are not a natural result of aging itself; they are caused by excessive free radical damage.Most fruits and vegetables are antioxidant dense and some of the richest sources include: berries, grapes, oranges, apricots, cantaloupe, cherries and peaches; broccoli, spinach, sprouts, beets, red peppers, sweet potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. Green and white teas are also great sources of antioxidants and their regular consumption is encouraged. Finally, avoid alcohol, cigarettes, junk foods and processed foods because they are full of toxins which encourage the formation of free radicals.

Baggy Eyes Remedies

Puffy eyes are one of the most commonly met problems of modern life. Large bags under the eyes may appear due to several factors such as stress, smoking, aging, health problems, water retention, lack of sleep, unhealthy diet or excess sun exposure. Baggy eye remedies will offer you some great methods in order to treat this frustrating beauty problem that appears right when you want to look your best.

Unattractive baggy eyes give you a tired look as if you haven’t been sleeping for three days. Who wants to look tired on a truly special day such as the day of wedding

or the first date? Of course, nobody wants to wake up with nasty, puffy eyes that can completely destroy a perfect look.

Bags under the eyes affect every age group, however they generally develop with aging, while skin looses its elasticity and becomes saggy. But nowadays this is a common problem with young women as well, mainly because of hereditary factors or due to an unhealthy lifestyle.

If you notice bags under your eyes, it is an evident sign that you need to pay more attention to the inner and outer health of your body. Check out the following natural home remedies to get rid of puffy eyes and have an attractive, wonderful look.

Get Enough Sleep and Avoid Stress

If you had a tiring, stressful day at work, or if you spent long hours in front of your computer or watched too much TV, your eyes get tired and you will most probably develop bags under your eyes. Always pay attention to get proper sleep, which means 7 or 8 hours. Sleeping is one of the most efficient beauty treatment you can give your skin in order to prevent red, puffy eyes and have a radiant, fresh face.

Improve Your Eating Habits

A well balanced diet is composed of natural ingredients that are highly important for baggy eye treatment Avoid fast food and pre-packaged meals that may contain many artificial additives.

Consume instead plenty of fruits and vegetables each day in order to provide your body with necessary minerals and vitamins that are essential to maintain your skin’s health. In order to reduce the puffiness under your eyes, include foods rich in potassium in your diet as well as tomatoes, cucumber, strawberries and watermelon.

Try to reduce the consumption of alcohol and salt as much as it is possible, and avoid smoking, which is one of the major triggering factors of skin problems, such as wrinkles and dark, puffy circles around the eyes. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water every day, as it helps your organism to get rid of excess salt that contributes to the development of baggy eyes.

Apply Cucumber Slices

One of the best instant remedies to reduce bags under your eyes is by applying fresh and cold cucumber slices. If you woke up with annoying puffy eyes, place cucumber slices on your closed upper and lower eyelids and leave them there for about 20 minutes. After a few minutes you can even replace them with fresh slices in order to provide more hydration and refreshment to your eyelids. Cucumber is very effective in fighting against dark circles as well. Apply it regularly and you will see a wonderful improvement in the aspect of the skin around your eyes.

Apply Tea Bags

Chilled green tea bags offer a very effective way to reduce swelling under your eyes. Tea is a wonderful natural substance with great anti-inflammatory properties for your skin. This simple and costless beauty treatment will immediately give your eyes a fresher, brighter look, calming the skin around your eyes. For this purpose take two green tea packs, dip them in water and then squeeze well.

Place them in the refrigerator and leave them there until they are slightly chilled. Lie down and place the frozen tea bags on your closed eyelids for about 5 minutes.

Splash With Cold Water

Give a fresh start to your days by washing your eyes each morning with cold water for a few minutes. You can even prepare a mixture with water and ice cubes that will reduce the bags around your eyes. Then you can massage your eyes with your fingers for 2 or 3 minutes using circular motion, starting from down and moving upwards.

Try out these great home remedies and get rid of unwanted baggy eyes and the tired aspect of your skin. Get a fresh, bright look and feel wonderful for every occasion. 

Grapeseed Extract & Hair Loss

Grape seed extract is known for its antioxidant properties and is used to treat a number of medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Most of the studies on grape seed extract have been performed on animals. There is some evidence to support grape seed extract as a hair loss agent based on studies involving laboratory mice, but grape seed extract is not approved for hair loss by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

About Grape Seed Extract

Grape seed extract is typically made from the seeds of wine grapes. Grape seeds contain high amounts of oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes, flavonoids, Vitamin E and linoleic acid. The primary benefit of grape seed extract is its ability to prevent free radicals from damaging cells. Grape seed extract became popular in the 1970s due to what became known as the French Paradox, which studied the low percentage of heart disease in relation to high fat diets. The French ate a high fat diet but had low heart disease rates and credit was attributed to their daily wine consumption. 

Hair Loss

Little research has been done on grape seed extract as a hair loss treatment but there is some evidence to support the claim. One study performed by Tsukuba Research Laboratories that appeared in the November 1998 issue of the Swedish journal Acta Derm Venereol concluded that the proanthocyanidins extracted from grape seeds yielded an increase in the proliferation of hair follicle cells in mice. The study also concluded the proanthocyanidins quickened the transition of the resting phase to the growing in the hair growth cycle.

Usage

Grape seed extract comes in capsule and tablet forms and the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends you look for pills that are standardized to 40 to 80 percent proanthocyanidins or that posses greater than 95 percent oligomeric proanthocyanidin complex. Recommended doses will range from 75 to 450 mg per day and grape seed extract is considered safe for periods of two to three months as long as the recommended doses are followed.

Precautions

Grape seed extract has not been studied by the FDA for safety or effectiveness, so all potential side effects may not be known. Reported side effects include nausea, dizziness, high blood pressure and headaches. Grape seed extract should not be used by people taking blood thinners. Grape seed extract should not be taken by children or by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. As with all medications or supplements, speak to your physician before beginning any new treatment.

What Are the Benefits of Grapeseed Supplements?

Grapes contain a wide range of nutrients, including vitamin E, folic acid and iron. In addition, they contain potent antioxidants called oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes, which help destroy free radicals that harm healthy cells. Research indicates that adding grape seed extract to your current supplementation regimen might provide several health benefits. Consult your health care provider before consuming grape seed extract supplements. 

Cancer

Grape seed extract might help fight and treat hematological cancers such as leukemia, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Third Military Medical University and the University of Kentucky. Scientists found grape seed extract to be effective in killing leukemia cancer cells by forcing it to undergo apoptosis, or programmed cell death, according to research reported in the January 2009 issue of the journal "Clinical Cancer Research."
Wounds 

Researchers from Ohio State University investigated the impact of grape seed extract on wound healing. They discovered that wounded mice and human skin cells exposed to grape seed extract experienced a significant increase in vascular endothelial growth factor, a protein that helps repair damaged blood vessels and enhance healing. Scientists stated that grape seed extract's high levels of antioxidants were responsible for the results, according to the Science Daily website.

Blood Pressure

Grape seed might improve blood pressure, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California Davis. They discovered that participants with metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors for heart disease, who consumed 150 mg or 300 mg of grape seed extract experienced decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, according to the Science Daily website.

Heart Disease

In research reported in the December 2008 issue of the journal "Nutrition Research," scientists from the Division of Human Nutrition in Australia examined the effects of grape seed extract on cardiovascular disease. They discovered that grape seed extract was associated with inhibiting cholesterol uptake and reducing proinflammatory 5-lipoxygenase, both of which may reduce the risk of developing heart disease.