Caffeine and its effects on the human body Essay

Over 90% of Ameri bunss neutralize caffein e very day of the year. caffein is the ingredient that makes the public crave java, soda, chocolate and many other caffein-carrying products. Americans consume about 45 million pounds of caffeine each year. In the coupled States, deep brown drinkers drink an aver get on of 2.6 cups per day. Total caffeine intake for deep brown drinkers was 363.5 mg per day this includes caffeine from coffee and other sources like batty drinks, food and medicines. Non-coffee drinkers get plenty of caffeine as well antecedent coffee drinkers get about 107 mg per day and people who fall in never had coffee get about 91 mg per day. many another(prenominal) facts are known about caffeine, such as its composition, effect on the human clay, and origin however, there are many colossal end point effect that are currently being studied in place to discover how harmful this heart truly is. caffein- Neuroscience for KidsCaffeine occurs by nature from the coffee tree indigenous to Ethiopia, and it may have been utilize as aboriginal as 850 AD in Upper Egypt, though it is considered a legend. deep brown is the seed of a cherry from the tree of the genus Coffea. The tree yields about genius kilogram of coffee per year. at that place are over 25 opposite species of coffee, the three main ones being Robusta, Libaria, and Arabica. The Ethiopians mixed crushed dried coffee beans with rolled fat balls used as food on journeys. Its coating and use as a beverage occurred in Arabia. By the archaeozoic 16th century, the beverage was well-established in the Islamic manhood. Through cultural diffusion, coffee was a fashionable drug of the 17th and 18th centuries. From thereon, coffees popularity grew tremendously. America owes its gene footstep day coffee habits to the Boston tea troupe of 1773, which made coffees availability easier. Owen, DanielCaffeine is an organic substance medically known as trimethylxanthine, and its chemical formula is C8H10N4O2. Caffeine is an alkaloid. There are numerous alkaloids. These compounds have different biochemical effect, and are present in different ratios in different plant sources. These compounds are very similar and differ only by the presence of methyl groups in two positions of the chemical complex corpse part. They are easily oxidized to uric blistery and other methyluric acids, which are also similar in chemical structure.Pure caffeine is odorless and has a bitter taste. This chemical is a usable cardiac stimulant and mild diuretic substance, or intensify magnitudes urine proceeds. some(prenominal) people take advantage of its energizing sensation hence, it has become the worlds about widely used drug. Caffeine increases dopamine levels, like cocaine and heroin but to a lower extent. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in specific parts of the wag that can activate amusement sensations. Because caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group, it inte rferes with the production of adenosine in the head word. Xanthenes are yellow polycrystalline organic compounds that are soluble in ether and are used as a fungicide and in organic synthesis.Adenosine is a inbornly occurring xanthine used as a neurotransmitter in the brain. Adenosine binding to the brain causes retardation down of the nerve cells and drowsiness. Caffeine is very similar to adenosine, since they are from the xanthine chemical group. Caffeine interferes with the binding of adenosine because nerve cells recognize the intruding caffeine as adenosine. When caffeine binds to the receptors, nerve cells facilitate up. Caffeine causes the brains bloodline vessels to constrict because it blocks the adenosines ability to open them up. When the caffeine blocks the adenosine, neurons start lighting at an speed up pace.Henceforth, the brains signals help to other body parts, causing them to react. The pituitary gland reacts to the signals of excessive neural activity and sees it as an emergency. It then releases hormones that stimulate the suprarenal gland glands. The adrenal glands then produce adrenaline thought out the body, adrenaline is a hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress and it stimulates autonomic nerve action. Adrenaline causes dilation of the pupils, expansion of respiratory tubes, an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, tightening of muscles in order to make them ready for action, a release of sugar by the liver into the bloodstream for extra sugar, and increase blood flow to muscles. The euphoric feeling induced by caffeine makes the chemical addictive to its consumers. Caffeine, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2004Caffeine, like any other drug, is addictive. The long term effects of caffeine are unhealthy as they change the natural chemistry of the brain, primarily sleep. Adenosine is important to deep sleep because it causes appropriate reactions in the brain during sleep, yet caffeine interr upts itsfunction. The half-life of caffeine in a human body is about sestet hours long, meaning that for half-dozen hours the consumers body and brain will be in an accelerated state. This can tire the body, especially the heart, which has to keep up in speed to pump the necessary blood throughout the body. After months of use, a somebody who consumes caffeine may develop a dependency on the drug because his/her body has grown accustomed to being stimulated by the foreign substance. Withdrawal symptoms are common among caffeine consumers, which is a bodys way to ask for caffeine.Headaches, stomach cramps, irritation, and depression are common symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. These symptoms can occur within 24 hours after the last dosage of caffeine. In huge doses, caffeine is lethal. A fatal dose of caffeine has been calculated to be more than 10 grams (about 170 mg/kg body weight) this is the same as drinking 80 to 100 cups of coffee in rapid succession. Like many other chemic als, caffeine is pestilent in large doses. Caffeine- Neuroscience for KidsThere are many harmful effects which caffeine is blamed for, but there is no solid confirmation of most of the accusations. Pediatricians and Nutritionists argue that caffeine is harmful to developing individuals, mainly children and adolescents. They esteem that by using caffeine, the developing individuals are upsetting the normal and natural balances of neurochemistry. Withdrawal shows that there has been a disturbance in the brain since the brain rewires itself to crave the caffeine. In addition, a guinea pig published by the freshly England Journal of Medicine strand the effects of caffeine on large(predicate) women. The equivalent of one to three cups of coffee increases the risk of miscarriage of enceinte women by 30%. Consumption of three to five cups increases the risk by 40%. The study was directed by Dr. Sven Cnattilgils involved 562 women between six to twelve weeks of pregnancy. After the publication of the study in 2002, the Food and dose Administration (FDA) and the March of Dime, which finds research on birth defects, have apprised pregnant women to avoid caffeine. There were several other studies made with take in to infertility in women between 1987 and 1990 by the Centers for Disease Control and Harvard University.They found that caffeine had little or no influence in infertility. Caffeine has also been linked to calcium loss in bones, yet its effects are not strong enough to beconsidered dangerous by the FDA. Aside from the negative aspects of caffeine, the drug is used in prescription and nonprescription(prenominal) drugs because it boosts their power. Aspirin and other pain come outers contain caffeine to improve its effectiveness. Furthermore, a study by the Journal of the American Medical association suggests that consuming caffeine may help prevent Parkinsons disease.Parkinson disease is a progressive nervous disease happening most often after the age of 50, associated with the destruction of brain cells that produce dopamine and characterized by weakness, muscular tremor, lessen of movement, and partial facial paralysis. Apparently, caffeine reduces the neurotransmitters, such as glutamate, which can kill neurons under certain conditions the same way it reduces adenosine. Caffeine also increases the levels of dopamine in the body, which are destroyed by Parkinsons disease. Caffeine can also be used to treat asthma attacks as it stimulates the production of adrenaline, causing the respiratory muscles to expand. Cherniske, Stephen & Weinberg,B.AIn summary, caffeine is the worlds most widely used drug for a reason. It triggers pleasure areas in the brain that cause its user feelings of elation. However, using caffeine in excess or for a prolonged amount of time can be insecure to health by causing problems such as birth defects, miscarriages, and the bodys dependence. Though there are no concrete studies on the neurological effe cts of caffeine, many doctors and scientists agree that caffeine is not as safe as it appears. They recommend that consumers be careful of how much caffeine they are using or possibly abusing, since health is too extraordinary to ignore.