As we grow older, the more we appreciate the serenity of a cup of coffee in the morning and another in the mid-afternoon. How about caffeinated beverages that could never go wrong with our snacks and quick binges? Yes, these have all seem to fit in easily with our daily diet.

However, for older adults, caffeinated drinks may be a great potential threat to their health. How come? You might wonder having read all the articles about the benefits of caffeinated drinks to your body. Remember that everything has its pros and cons particularly for elders with health conditions.

Aztek Nursing Registry, Inc., a steadfast health care center in Miami FL, shares to you today on the health risks involved when it comes to aging and coffee. We all know how coffee houses have become a trend recently; however, caffeine should only be taken by people without the following concerns.

Seniors with ulcers and other gastric/digestive problems

People who love drinking coffee but have gastric problems are not recommended to drink coffee anymore. Coffee is considered acidic which can worsen problems by irritating the stomach and intestine linings making the treatments also more difficult to take place.

Drinking coffee with an empty stomach can increase the levels of HCI leads to problems in breaking down and making use of nutrients from our food like protein. And since they become undigested, protein becomes food for the intestinal bacteria that create those really smelly farts.

Other problems that can take place are ulcers, IBS, Chron’s disease, gastritis, and heartburn. Take note that decaf has the same irritating oils, compounds and acids giving off the same diuretic effect and has been known to produce a more acidic effect in the gastrointestinal tract.

Seniors with diabetes

First thing’s first, people WITHOUT diabetes can drink coffee because it can reduce the risks of having diabetes. But people WITH diabetes (especially type 2) should avoid coffee to avoid the negative effects in their body. Studies have shown that coffee actually increases blood glucose among people with type 2 diabetes.

More importantly, people WITH or WITHOUT diabetes that drink coffee with dairy products or sweeteners can have adverse effects. If you already know that sugary drinks found at café chains have tons of unhealthy carbs, it is the same as coffee placed with sugar sweeteners, creamers, and artificially-sweetened beverages with caffeine. It can increase the risks of having diabetes.

The side effects can range from mild to serious including restlessness, muscle tremors, insomnia, irritability and fast heartbeat. Some people can have overactive stomach which still depends on the age, body mass, medications and health conditions. Medicalnewstoday.com affirms that the best thing to do is not to rely on caffeine for energy but to get the right hours of sleep.

Seniors taking certain types of medications

Medicines such as theophylline and other antibiotics may interact and react with caffeine negatively; hence, it is very important to ask your doctor about your prescriptions and what foods and drinks could possibly interact with the medicines. Drug interactions can reduce or intensify the medications you are taking and could produce different side effects that can often times be fatal.

Seniors with osteoporosis

One major cause of osteoporosis is hormonal imbalance. And this imbalance can be age-related as our bones lose its density. Osteoporosis would likely develop anytime soon so better think about it before drinking coffee. As aforementioned, coffee often decreases the capability of the body to absorb nutrients such as iron, magnesium, zinc, and calcium.

Seniors have a higher requirement of calcium for optimum bone health which is why it is very important for them to avoid consuming caffeinated drinks such as coffee. The concern here is the amount of calcium in the body and caffeine intake as for the case of older people is often associated with other harmful habits such as alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.

Think about your elderly loved ones now. Are they drinking coffee given the above conditions which is not also limited to the aforementioned? Find out about your loved ones’ condition today! Visit or call Aztek Nursing Registry, Inc., a committed health care center in Miami FL!