Caffeine: Harmless Helper or Energy-Boosting Enemy?
—Jay Sailors
People the world over love caffeine. This chemical, which is found in tea, coffee, and soda, helps us stay awake and makes us feel good. But even if you consume it every day, there are many things about caffeine that you may not know.
First of all, caffeine isn't only in drinks. There is caffeine in several foods, including chocolate, cereal, and protein bars. But caffeine can do more than just wake you up. It is often added to pain medicines to speed up their effects. Caffeine is also used in weight-loss products for appetite control. Today, you can also find caffeine listed in the ingredients for products that you don't consume but apply to your body, such as soap. Caffeine is used in items like eye cream because the chemical can temporarily reduce inflammation in the skin.
Studies have shown that regular caffeine consumption has long-term health benefits. For instance, caffeine has been shown to sharpen the memory. It can even lower the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. However, caffeine is not a miracle drug, and caution must be applied when you use products that contain it.
咖啡因的利弊得失
世界各地的人都愛咖啡因。這種在茶、咖啡和汽水裡找得到的化學物質幫助我們保持清醒並使我們心情愉快。但即使你每天都飲用，關於咖啡因你可能還有很多不知道的事。
首先，咖啡因不只在飲料中。好幾種食物包括巧克力、早餐麥片和蛋白質能量棒都含有咖啡因。但咖啡因不只能讓你清醒。它常被添加在止痛藥中來加速藥效。咖啡因也被用在減重產品中來控制食慾。今天，你也可以在你不會食用而是塗抹在身體上的產品成分表中發現咖啡因，像是肥皂。咖啡因被用在眼霜之類的產品中，因為這種化學物質可以暫時減輕皮膚的發炎現象。
研究已證實經常攝取咖啡因對健康有長期的好處。舉例來說，咖啡因已被證實能增強記憶力。它甚至可以降低心臟病和某些癌症的風險。然而，咖啡因不是特效藥，當你使用含咖啡因產品時必須謹慎。
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