What Are the Health Benefits and Side Effects of Guarana?

Guarana is known for its fruit, which is coffee berry-sized and has exceptional health benefits for humans. Health benefits of guarana include that it enhances focus and memory and side effects include seizures and headaches.

Guarana, or Paullinia cupana, is a Brazilian plant grown mainly in the Amazon Basin. The plant is known for its fruit, which is coffee berry-sized and has exceptional health benefits for humans. The mature guarana fruit is like a human eye, with a black seed surrounded by a red shell and covered with a white aril.

The black seeds are processed into a powder to consume the health benefits of guarana. The native tribes of the Amazon basin have been using guarana due to its therapeutic properties for decades.

Guarana consists of several beneficial compounds, including theophylline, caffeine, and theobromine. Also present are antioxidants, such as tannins, catechins, and saponins. These ingredients account for several of the plant's benefits, but some people may also experience side effects.

Primarily used in the production of beverages, like carbonated and energy drinks, guarana is also turned into a powder and consumed for its health benefits. Some scientifically proven health benefits of guarana are:

Antioxidant properties

Guarana is rich in antioxidants like tannins, caffeine, theobromine, and catechins. These compounds are essential for neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to your body related to cancers, aging, and other conditions. 

Guarana's antioxidant properties can suppress the growth of cancer cells and also lowers the risks of several heart diseases and age-related effects.

Enhances focus

Guarana is high in caffeine, an ingredient that enhances focus and stimulates mental energy. The plant is said to have more effective caffeinated power than coffee beans. 

Adenosine is a compound known to promote relaxation and drowsiness. Caffeine prevents the activation of adenosine by binding to the cellular adenosine receptors. Several studies show that people who take guarana vitamin supplements experience less physical and mental fatigue and stay fresh for a longer time.

Improves your memory

Compounds in guarana, especially caffeine, enhance your learning ability and memory. One study found that low doses of guarana helped the participants achieve better results in the study assessments.

Researchers believe guarana has more powerful brain-boosting characteristics than ginseng. In another study, people who consumed guarana were more attentive to their tasks and finished them quicker than those who took ginseng. 

Helps lose weight 

Obesity is an international public health concern linked to many chronic conditions in humans, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiac diseases, and cancer.

Guarana can help you lose weight as it contains caffeine that boosts your metabolism by 3% to 11% within a few hours. This boost means your body will burn more calories even when at rest. In addition, studies have found that guarana can suppress fat cell production and boost genes that slow the process. However, many studies have been performed only in the laboratory, so guarana's health benefits are still unproven in humans.

Eases diarrhea and constipation 

Guarana has been considered a natural stomach cleanser for years due to its anti-diarrhea and constipation properties. The tannins in the plant may help relieve diarrhea by preventing excessive water loss from your body.

Tannins have exceptional astringent properties, so they can easily bind to tissue, enabling tannins to control the amount of water secreted into your bowels in the digestive tract.

The caffeine in guarana also helps relieve constipation as it promotes peristalsis, a process that triggers contractions in your intestines and colon muscles. Peristalsis pushes intestinal contents toward your rectum for elimination.

Promotes heart health 

Heart diseases are one of the most prevalent causes of death in America. Guarana can help lower the risk of heart diseases because of its antioxidant properties that promote blood flow to and from the heart, preventing blood clots. 

The plant also improves heart health by decreasing bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation. Oxidized LDL is a significant reason for plaque development in your arteries, resulting in inadequate blood flow to the heart. People who consume guarana can expect to have 27% less oxidized LDL than their counterparts.

Relieves pain 

The Amazonian tribes use guarana as an effective pain reliever because of its high caffeine content. Since caffeine binds with the adenosine receptors, A1 and A2a, it plays a significant role in stimulating and managing pain-related feelings, giving guarana pain-relieving health benefits. 

Enhances skin texture 

The powerful antioxidants and antimicrobials in guarana make it an essential part of skincare and cosmetic products. Thought to enhance the blood flow to the skin, caffeine improves its texture.

Multiple laboratory studies have indicated the anti-aging effects of guarana, most notably for enhancing skin health and reducing damage.

Anti-cancer properties

Cancers begin as an uncontrolled or abnormal growth of specific cells. Guarana may have anti-cancer properties because of its xanthine content, components similar to theobromine, and caffeine.

Animal studies indicate that guarana guards the DNA against damage, plays a role in managing cancer cell growth, and possibly causes the death of cancer cells in mice. 

Test-tube research showed guarana's ability to suppress the cancer cells' growth in the colon and stimulate their death. However, more human-based research is still needed to confirm the cancer-related health benefits of guarana.

Antibacterial properties 

Guarana contains several antibacterial compounds that prevent the entry of harmful bacteria, suppress their growth, or kill them entirely. One such bacteria is Escherichia coli (E. coli), which lives naturally in human and animal intestines. These bacteria are usually harmless but can cause several gastric issues like diarrhea. 

Scientists also believe that guarana can suppress the growth of another bacteria, Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), which causes dental plaques and tooth decay.

Guarana is generally considered safe with low toxicity when consumed in moderate ratios. However, it may cause side effects in people who take it in high doses. Most of the side effects of guarana are similar to excessive caffeine intake.

Some guarana side effects are:

• Seizures
• Heart palpitations
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Upset stomach
• Anxiety
• Nervousness
• Shakiness

Caffeine can become quite addictive and may make you dependent when you continue consuming it in higher doses. The compound can also penetrate the placenta of pregnant women, leading to abnormal growth of the child. Higher caffeine doses also enhance the risk of miscarriage, so pregnant women must avoid or limit their guarana consumption.

It's vital to consume guarana in moderate doses. Even though there is no standard safe guarana dosage recommendation, multiple human-based guarana research studies tell us that a dosage as minimal as 50 milligrams to 75 milligrams would work best. 

If you have any underlying health condition or caffeine addiction issue, it's better to consult your doctor before using guarana supplements on your own. Your medical professional will evaluate your overall body health and recommend a safe dose to enjoy guarana health benefits.