Caffeine as a Drug

Waking up to a hot cup of coffee, relishing the cool tingling sensation of a cola with your lunch, or relaxing in the afternoon over a cup of tea, all have similar ingredient caffeine. Caffeine has been consumed ever since the 2700 BC, with its conjunction in tea, for the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. In 575 AD, the first use of coffee beans where in Africa where it was used as currency and food. Even more today, caffeine consumption has become an integral part of millions of people’s daily lives. According to David Weaver, “Caffeine and theophylline are among the most widely consumed neuroactive substances. These drugs are consumed most frequently in beverages, but also are present in certain over-the-counter diet aids, ‘alertness tablets’ some analgesic preparations, and in chocolate, and are also administered for therapeutic effects.” The problem with caffeine is that many students/adults are uneducated about this subject. Stereotypically, caffeine has been labeled harmless. However, most caffeine consumers have no idea how they react to their body chemistry, the chemical mechanism, the hidden side-effects, and the actual daily amount which they intake.

“Researchers have attempted to find out how much caffeine people consume every day. It was estimated that in the United States, coffee drinkers drink an average of 2.6 cups per day. Total caffeine intake for coffee drinkers was 363.5 mg per day – this includes caffeine from coffee AND other sources like soft drinks, food and drugs. Non-coffee drinkers even get plenty of caffeine: former coffee drinkers get about 107 mg per day and people who have never had coffee get about 91 mg per day.” (Schreiber et. Al) It is ironic that with such a large caffeine byproduct industry, …

… middle of paper …

…dy:

Chocolate mg caffeine

baking choc, unsweetened, Bakers–1 oz(28 g) 25

german sweet, Bakers — 1 oz (28 g) 8

semi-sweet, Bakers — 1 oz (28 g) 13

Choc chips

Bakers — 1/4 cup (43 g) 13

german sweet, Bakers — 1/4 cup (43 g) 15

Chocolate bar, Cadbury — 1 oz (28 g) 15

Chocolate milk 8oz 8

Desserts:

Jello Pudding Pops, Choc (47 g) 2

Choc mousse from Jell-O mix (95 g) 6

Jello choc fudge mousse (86 g) 12

Beverages

3 heaping teaspoons of choc powder mix 8

2 tablespoons choc syrup 5

1 envelope hot cocoa mix 5

Dietary formulas

ensure, plus, choc, Ross Labs — 8 oz (259 g) 10

Cadbury Milk Chocolate Bar

Guarana “Magic Power” (quite common in Germany),

15 ml alcohol with

5g Guarana Seeds 250.0 mg

Guarana capsules with

500 mg G. seeds 25.0 mg / capsule

The Physiological Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine, probably the most widely used drug, is a potent pharmacological and psychotropic agent. The white, bitter-tasting, crystalline substance was first isolated from coffee in 1820. The origins of the words, caffeine and coffee, reflect the spread of the beverage into Europe via Arabia and Turkey form North-East Africa, where coffee trees were cultivated in the 6th century. Coffee began to be popular in Europe in the 17th century, and plantation had been established in Indonesia and the West Indies by the 18th century. Nowadays, it is a regular component of the diet for most people. Caffeine is considered as a cheap drug that could be found in many nature sources such as tea, chocolate, and cocoa.

What happen to the caffeine when it is ingested, and what are its consequences? In addressing these questions, there have been many contributors spent much time to prove that caffeine has been shown to behave as an adenosine antagonist to stimulate motor activity, mood and behavior. This antagonist behavior is the basis for an increase in cholinergic and dopaminergic behavior after caffeine intake. Beside of that, the acute administration of caffeine has been reported by several laboratories to elevate brain level of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). This increase of serotonin may be associated with the improvement in good mood. Recent studies also show the higher caffeine intake to a lower suicide risk. In this paper, I will investigate the caffeine at a biochemical level and relate its effects on physiological behavior of human with information from the recent research.

For many years, the mechanism of caffeine was not yet clear. However, it was thought that the mechanism involves the re…

… middle of paper …

…arches about caffeine in order to provide the benefits to the human health.

Reference

Garcia, R. 1994. The cardiovascular effects of caffeine. In Caffeine, Coffee, and Health, edited by S. Garattini. NewYork: Raven.

Gilbert, R. M. 1998. Caffeine, the Most Popular Stimulant. New York: Chelsea House.

Glass, R. M. 1995. Caffeine dependence: What are the implication? Journal of the Medical Association 272:1065-1066.

Kaplan, G., D. J. Greenblatt, M.A.Kent, and M.M. Cotreau-Bibbo. 1996. Caffeine treatment and withdrawal in mice: Relationships between dosage, concentrations, locomotor activity and A1 adenosine receptor binding. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 266:1563-1573.

Phillis, John W. 1989. Caffeine and premenstrual syndrome. American Journal of Public Health.

WWW1: Caffeine home page