Caffeine is naturally found in the seeds, fruits, and leaves of many plants. In fact, it is commonly collected and extracted from the seed of the "coffee plant" and the leaves of the "tea bush." These plants use caffeine as a natural pesticide to protect against insects, who like to feed on them. The effect caffeine has on humans is quite different. Instead, caffeine acts as a stimulant drug for the central nervous system, providing alertness and energy to those who consume it. Therefore, it is often found in coffee, tea, soda products, and energy drinks.

There are many rumors, beliefs, and myths about what caffeine can and can't do. Here are ten myths about caffeine that we either busted or confirmed:

1. Caffeine causes heart disease – False Although caffeine will stimulate your heart, it will not cause heart disease. However, if you already suffer from over stimulation, it will worsen the symptoms.

2. Caffeine helps you exercise – True Not only can caffeine provide short bursts of energy, the effects of this chemical can enhance endurance and last for a considerable length of time.

3. Caffeine gets rid of the effects of alcohol – False Despite the common belief, drinking coffee will not eliminate the effects of alcohol.

4. Caffeine will cure a migraine – False Caffeine will relieve a migraine, but it will not cure all the symptoms. If you are taking other headache medications, caffeine will help your body absorb the medication more quickly and bring faster relief.

5. Caffeine will dehydrate you – False Caffeine will not dehydrate you. In fact, if you drink a caffeinated beverage like coffee, it counts toward your hydration for the day, just like water.

6. Caffeine will help with exercise recovery – True People who consume caffeine between sessions of physical activity have more strength than those who do not. Caffeine may also improve exercise recovery by helping to reduce muscle pain and soreness after work outs, training, or any other physical activity.

7. Caffeine can help you lose weight – False Although caffeine can speed up your metabolism, it does not have long-term effects leading to weight loss.

8. Caffeine will cause insomnia – False Because the human body can absorb caffeine so quickly, it also eliminates it quickly. Due to this short life span, having caffeine earlier in the day will not cause insomnia. However, if you decide to have caffeine later in the day, it may interfere with sleep (leave roughly six hours free of caffeine before sleep).

9. Caffeine is harmful for women trying to conceive – False There have been many studies conducted that have not shown any links between consuming low amounts of caffeine and harmful effects that prevent women from getting pregnant. It is suggested however, that when trying to conceive, you should regulate the amount of caffeine you do consume.

10. There are no health benefits to Caffeine – FALSE There are many benefits to consuming caffeine from the obvious signs of alertness, energy, concentration, sociability, and clear-headiness to an improved immune system (anti-inflammatory effects) and helping to lessen allergic reactions by reducing the concentration of histamines.

At our Orlando chemical supply company, caffeine is just one of the many chemical products we offer. In addition to nutritional chemical products, we stock many hard to find tech-grade chemicals and custom compounds. Our chemicals are used in a wide range of applications such as health and nutrition, personal rare care materials, pharmaceuticals, coatings, and industrial applications. Call us at 407-339-BELL (2355) for a full list of our chemical products.