Originally posted by: Descartes
Originally posted by: Vaerilis
Originally posted by: fanerman91
I hardly drink any caffeine. Partly because I don't think it does much for me. Partly because Coke/Pepsi are acidic and my stomach can't take it. And so on...
I'm the same...
Caffeine could only keep me awake until the age of 12-13.
As for the acid: i don't have any heartburns, just mild "acid reflux" every time I consume too many acidic drinks. Pepsi and Coke contain way too much phosphoric acid for me.
I'm quite certain the acid reflux has little to do with the little bit of acidity in the drinks you consume; rather, it's the caffeine acting as a relaxant on the cardiac valve allowing some of the gastric nonsense to get into your esophagus. Some people are more sensitive than others it seems.
Then it might not be acid reflux, my medical skills are very elementary.
However, I'm pretty sure that caffeine has nothing to do with it.
After consuming too much acidic food (lemons, vinegar, etc.) I tend to get an acidic, burning feeling in my throat [in extreme cases (certain fishes) I get a weird feeling in my esophagus/chest/??? as well, but that could be an allergic reaction, since I got that every time I ate those fishes in my life and this problem in particular only appeared when I was about 16]. Sometimes I get the feeling that I need to clear my throat (Well, it's not just a feeling, I can clear my throat).
Stress worsens the problem. Eating something (cookies, rice, bread, potatoes...) or drinking water makes it go away.
Taking a little "Natrium-Hydrocarbonicum" makes it go away as well.
Not drinking any severely acidic beverages or eating certain amounts of some foodstuffs makes the problem disappear.
When I was on a family vacation last year (about two weeks in Italy), I only drank water and ate the most healty foodstuffs I could. I was relaxed and felt much better.