Caffeine Effects On The Body

Scientific Impact of Caffeine On Our Bodies

Caffeine is one of the most consumed psychoactive drugs and it i/s found in a large amount of products. People are aware of the positive effects of caffeine such as the increase of concentration and enhancement of performance and mood. But many aren't aware of the negatives. By looking through the scientific lense this paper will focus on the positive and negative effects of caffeine on the body in order to answer my groups overall question, “Should people cut back on the consumption of products containing caffeine?”

Positive Effects
Caffeine is an alkaloid, a nitrogen based compound that can be found in various plants, meaning that it has “identifiable physiological effects on the human body”
(“Caffeine”, 2014). Because of where caffeine comes from, it is easy to track its effects on our brain and consequently the rest of our body. In Washington University graduate Joseph Stromberg’s article, “This is how your brain becomes addicted to caffeine”(2013), he states that the caffeine molecule parallels the molecule adenosine that is found in our brain. This leads to the blockage of the adenosine molecules in the brain receptors as the caffeine molecule are able to take its place.
This small change then leads to the effect of having more energy and it then allows for the production of adrenaline. It also has the symptoms of “ wakefulness, excitability, increased mental awareness, and restlessness.” (“Caffeine”, 2012). This is extremely important as the consumption of caffeine allows for an increase of productivity in times where the body feels tired. According to the article “What is it about coffee?”, published by the Harvard Medical School (HMS), “The amount [of caffeine] circulating in the blood peaks 30 to 45 minutes after it's ingested” (2012). This discloses why caffeine is the most used drug worldwide. Because it does not take much time for the effects of caffeine to become present, one is able to get results fast and this burst of energy can last for a couple hours, which then makes caffeine the a reliable source for fast energy. Caffeine also has the ability to have positive long term effects. This article also states the numerous benefits that caffeine, specifically coffee, can have to one’s health. Caffeine has the ability to lower the risks of
contracting certain cancers, lowers the risk of having a heart attack, and lowers the risks of obtaining diabetes (HMS, 2012). This is all possible due to the similarity of the caffeine molecules to other molecules in our brain, which then sets of a slope of effects throughout the body. The consumption of caffeine through products like coffee is a convenient way of preventing diseases and helping your body in times of need while drinking something you love. Caffeine has many positive effects, short term and long term, and has the potential of helping one's health if taken in moderation.

Negative Effects Additionally, caffeine can have many negative effects.
Many short term problems can come with consuming a certain amount of caffeine, regardless of the product. The Encyclopedia of Drugs and Addictive substances states that caffeine can “cause users to experience an increase in muscle activity, a rise in body temperature, a decrease in appetite, and problems sleeping” (2010). One only experiences boosts of energy and mood improvement for “four to six hours” (Stromberg, 2013), after this period of time the positive effects are replaced with negative sensations, they are not life threatening but they can be very uncomfortable. This is a problem as your body would crash and feel all the negative effects which were avoided before at a later time. If caffeine is consumed later in the day this can also result in difficulties sleeping which would then affect one's ability to function the next day. According to an article published in the World of Scientific Discovery, the “average cup coffee... contains approximately 100-150 mg of caffeine [and] Cola drinks tend to contain 35-55 mg of caffeine” (“caffeine”, 2012). A safe amount of coffee an adult can drink is 400 mg of caffeine while a teen should drink 100 mg of caffeine a day (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Furthermore, major problems can arise when caffeine is consumed in excessive amounts. When a person drinks or eats a large amount of caffeine they can begin to get all sorts of problems because caffeine molecules affect the brain tissue
first, which then leads to problems in other parts of the body. Some of these major problems can be an “increased heartbeat and rate of respiration, stomach acid production rises, sometimes causing indigestion” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Caffeine not only affects the brain and the central nervous system but it can also affect other systems of the body like the urinary system, digestive system, and other organs. As the amount of caffeine being consumed increases, there is a greater risk for diseases and possibly death. Instead of helping the body caffeine would be deteriorating it quicker. Even if one attempted to quit or decrease their consumption of caffeine they would experience withdrawal effects. Joseph Stromberg argues that high consumers of caffeine build a tolerance, which creates more adenosine receptors, which in result requires even more caffeine to fill these receptors (2013). Caffeine is a drug, so it is easy to get addicted to products which contain caffeine, like coffee and soft drinks. If the need to consume these products is not satisfied then it brings along the problems which have been stated above. Furthermore, caffeine has the potential of causing many negative effects on the body when consumed in excessive amounts, which ultimately would affect productivity, deteriorate one's body and in the worse case scenario, cause death. Caffeine is one of the most used psychoactive drugs worldwide and is found in a variety of products like coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, tea, and even medicines. Caffeine is recognized for the positive effects it can have on our bodies and its ability to improve our health. The catch is that caffeine is only effective and non-addictive if taken in moderation. Many articles stated that there is a safe amount of caffeine that can be consumed before it becomes dangerous and addictive. The implications of decreasing the consumption of caffeine in our “diets” would be that people would experience withdrawal symptoms which would worsen one's health. So, should people cut back on the consumption of products containing caffeine? There is not a definite answer as there are many factors that contribute to the effect of caffeine on one's body like age, weight, diet, and most importantly the amount of caffeine that is consumed on a day to day basis.