'Caffeine and its effects on the human body Essay\r'

' all over 90% of Americans consume caffein every solar day of the year. caffein is the ingredient that makes the public crave burnt umber, soda, cocoa and many former(a)(a) caffein-carrying products. Americans consume round 45 million pounds of caffein each year. In the united States, drinking chocolate drinkers drink an average of 2.6 cups per day. Total caffeine intake for hot chocolate berry bean tree drinkers was 363.5 mg per day †this includes caffeine from coffee and other sources equivalent soft drinks, victuals and drugs. Non-coffee drinkers get plenty of caffeine as swell up: former coffee drinkers get about 107 mg per day and people who put one across never had coffee get about 91 mg per day. galore(postnominal) facts atomic number 18 known about caffeine, such as its composition, effect on the human form, and origin; however, in that respect argon many capacious term effects that argon currently being studied in order to discover how ill th is eye rightfully is. [caffeine- Neuroscience for Kids]\r\n caffein occurs course from the coffee tree autochthonic to Ethiopia, and it may postulate been use as archaeozoic as 850 AD in Upper Egypt, though it is considered a legend. Coffee is the seed of a ruddy from the tree of the genus Coffea. The tree yields about one kg of coffee per year. in that respect atomic number 18 over 25 different species of coffee, the three main ones being Robusta, Libaria, and Arabica. The Ethiopians merge crushed dried coffee beans with rolled full-bodied balls used as food on journeys. Its finale and use as a beverage occurred in Arabia. By the early 16th century, the beverage was well-established in the Islamic world. Through cultural diffusion, coffee was a fashionable drug of the 17th and 18th centuries. From thereon, coffee’s popularity grew tremendously. America owes its present day coffee habits to the Boston tea party of 1773, which made coffee’s availability eas ier. [Owen, Daniel]\r\n caffein is an organic substance medically known as trimethylxanthine, and its chemical radiation diagram is C8H10N4O2. Caffeine is an alkaloid. There are numerous alkaloids. These compounds have different biochemical effects, 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 structure. They are easily oxidized to uric panelling and other methyluric acids, which are likewise similar in chemical structure .Pure caffeine is odorless and has a bitter taste. This chemical is a useful cardiac stimulant and mild diuretic substance, or increases peeing production. Many people take advantage of its activation sensation; hence, it has become the world’s around widely used drug. Caffeine increases dopamine levels, like cocaine and heroin but to a cut extent. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in specific split of the brain that can activate pleasure sensations. Because caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group, it interferes with the production of adenosine in the brain. Xan thuses are discolor crystalline organic compounds that are soluble in ether and are used as a fungicide and in organic synthesis.\r\nAdenosine is a infixedly occurring xanthine used as a neurotransmitter in the brain. Adenosine covert to the brain causes slowing 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 speed up. Caffeine causes the brain’s linage vessels to constrict because it blocks the adenosine’s ability to open them up. When the caffeine blocks the adenosine, neurons start discharge at an intensify pace.\r\nHenceforth, the brain’s signals care to othe r body parts, ca use them to react. The pituitary gland reacts to the signals of excessive neural activity and sees it as an emergency. It then muster outs hormones that stimulate the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands then green groceries adrenaline thought out the body, epinephrin 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 tautological sugar, and increase blood flow to muscles. The euphoric contact induced by caffeine makes the chemical habit-forming to its consumers. [â€Å"Caffeine,” Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2004]\r\nCaffeine, like any other drug, is addictive. The long term effects of caffeine are sore-eyed as they change the natural chemistry o f the brain, in the beginning sleep. Adenosine is important to deep sleep because it causes proper reactions in the brain during sleep, yet caffeine interrupts its function. The half-life of caffeine in a human body is about six hours long, meaning that for six hours the consumer’s 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 person 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 body’s way to ask for caffeine.\r\nHeadaches, stomach cramps, irritation, and depression are common symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. These symptoms can occur at heart 24 hours afterwards the last venereal disease of caffeine. In huge doses, caffeine is lethal. A fatal dose of c affeine has been calculated to be more than 10 grams (about 170 mg/kg body weight) †this is the very(prenominal) as drinking 80 to 100 cups of coffee in rapid succession. Like many other chemicals, caffeine is deadly in large doses. [Caffeine- Neuroscience for Kids]\r\nThere are many harmful effects which caffeine is blamed for, but there is no hearty proof of most of the accusations. Pediatricians and Nutritionists argue that caffeine is harmful to developing individuals, mainly children and adolescents. They think 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 check published by the New England ledger of Medicine establish the effects of caffeine on pregnant women. The equivalent of one to three cups of coffee increases the risk of miscarriage of pregnant women by 30%. Co nsumption of three to five cups increases the risk by 40%. The study was directed by Dr. Sven Cnattilgils compound 562 women between six to twelve weeks of pregnancy. After the take of the study in 2002, the Food and Drug brass (FDA) and the March of Dime, which finds research on birth defects, have advised pregnant women to avoid caffeine. There were some(prenominal) other studies made with regard to infertility in women between 1987 and 1990 by the Centers for Disease Control and Harvard University.\r\nThey found that caffeine had little or no check in infertility. Caffeine has also been linked to atomic number 20 loss in bones, yet its effects are not strong enough to be considered breakneck by the FDA. Aside from the negative aspects of caffeine, the drug is used in prescription and nonprescription drugs because it boosts their power. Aspirin and other pain defeaters contain caffeine to improve its effectiveness. Furthermore, a study by the Journal of the American Medical joining suggests that consuming caffeine may help forestall Parkinson’s disease.\r\nParkinson’ 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, slowing of movement, and partial seventh cranial nerve 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 undone by Parkinson’s 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.A]\r\nIn summary, caffeine is the world’s most widely used drug for a reason. It triggers pleasure areas in the brain that cause its user feelings of elation. However, us ing caffeine in excess or for a draw out amount of time can be wild to health by causing problems such as birth defects, miscarriages, and the body’s dependence. Though there are no concrete studies on the neurological effects 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 cute to ignore.\r\n'