What Do Coffee & Cigarette Smoke Have in Common?

What Do Coffee & Cigarette Smoke Have in Common? – Heavy Metal Cadmium

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that’s mainly used in batteries, though it can also be found in cigarettes, hydrogenated oils, and coffee. It’s also used plastics and textile manufacturing and metal plating. Many foods may contain it merely due to its presence in our water and soil. It’s been estimated that the average person ingests 30 micrograms each day, with anywhere from about 3 to 10 percent of it retained by the body. Smokers (or second hand inhalers) have been found to have double the amount of cadmium in their bodies as compared to nonsmokers because of the large amount of it in cigarette smoke. For years you could sit in a restaurant at a non smoking table and be one table away from the smoking table. Only until recently years has smoking been outlawed from indoor establishments in some countries. And for some families it’s perfectly acceptable to smoke near or infront of children, while they inhale the smoke.

There is no amount of cadmium considered safe – it’s toxic even at low levels and can impact just about every system in the body, including the brain, kidneys, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, and the eyes. It affects blood pressure, prostate function, hormones, and can induce bone damage too. In children, it can also affect dopaminergic and renal systems. The EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have noted that this heavy metal can induce organ damage, and is considered a carcinogen that’s been linked to pancreatic cancer.

Caffeine and Anxiety

A 2008 study showed how caffeine increases alertness by blocking a brain chemical (adenosine) that makes you feel tired, while at the same time triggering the release of adrenalin that’s known to increase energy.

If the amount of caffeine is high enough, these effects are stronger, resulting in caffeine-induced anxiety. While there are mental benefits to caffeine, high doses are known to induce anxiety symptoms, and people with panic disorder and social anxiety disorder are especially sensitive.

A 2005 study noted that excessive caffeine consumption can lead to symptoms similar to psychiatric conditions including sleep and anxiety disorders, increasing hostility, anxiety, and psychotic symptoms.

Cadmium and Anxiety

Nicotine-cadmium treatment increased bioaccumulation of Cd 2+ in the serum which corresponded to a decrease in body weight, motor function, and an increase in anxiety.

Many people choose to do a heavy metal detox to offset our constant exposure to cadmium and other heavy metals such as mercury and aluminum.