Caffeine: Does it Harm the Body?

1353 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: effects of caffeine on our health essay

Several people rely on caffeine to wake them up or give them a boost of energy when they feel down. Acting as a stimulant, caffeine not only improves concentration and focus, but also stops fatigue (Staff 1). Considered the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world, approximately 90 percent of adults consume it daily (“MedicineNet.com” 1). But do caffeine buyers really stop to evaluate the possinle harmful effects on their body? Health scares similar to this are not recent. In fact, they have been going on for over 100 years. In 1911, the US Government sued the Coca-Cola company for making their drinks hazardous to other’s health (Lovett 2). Although the Coca-Cola company won, it proves that people worry about what they put into their bodies, even if it does help them stay up to finish their homework. Not everybody will experience the same effects from caffeine. Some people seem more sensitive to caffeine than others (Staff 1). While some will express unwanted effects after only one cup of coffee or tea, others will not notice these same effects until after maybe four or five cups. Although caffeine does include benefits, many downfalls exemplify the stimulant as well. Drinking even small amounts of caffeine daily develops harmful effects on most people’s body and health.

According to Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard school of public health, one risk of drinking caffeine is an increase in bone fractures because caffeine causes calcium loss which then affects bone density (Lovett 3). Mostly, this effect occurs in people who drink four or more cups of caffeine a day. Too much caffeine entered into the body causes bones to break more easily than if drinking no caffeine at all. In the lon...

... middle of paper ...

...people’s body and health.

Works Cited

Goodman, Ericka. "What caffeine can do for you. (anti-tired tactics)." Redbook Feb. 2003: 48. Gale Power Search. Web. 26 Feb. 2012

Lovett, Richard. "Demon Drink." New Scientist (London, England) Vol. 187, No. 2518. Sept. 24 2005: 38-41. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 26 Feb 2012.

"MedicineNet.com." MedicineNet. Web. 26 Feb. 2012.

Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Caffeine: How Much Is Too Much?" Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Mar. 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2012.

Stroh, Michael. "Just One Cup a Day Is Enough to Hook Coffee Drinkers." Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA). Nov. 29 2004: F3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 26 Feb 2012.

Weinberg, Linda. "Coffee Break or Caffeine Fix? Pros and Cons of Stimulating Beverages." Environmental Nutrition. Nov. 2000: 1+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 26 Feb 2012.

Show More
Related

  • Using Caffeine is a Sin Against God

    2101 Words  | 5 Pages

    By this definition, and after knowing the effects of caffeine upon the human body, I have come to the conclusion that drinking caffeine is a sign of a lack of respect for oneself, and of an unappreciative attitude toward the life that each of us has been blessed with. Furthermore, it shows of either our inability, or unwillingness to learn to think clearly.

    Read More

  • THE FDA SHOULD BE REQUIRED TOREGULATE THE INGREDIENTSIN ENERGY DRINKS

    1777 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yew, D. M. (2014, March 31). Caffeine Toxicity. (A. M. Tarabar, Editor) Retrieved June 18, 2014, from Medscape: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/821863-overview

    Read More

  • Caffeine Essay: Does One Drink Caffeine?

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Does one drink caffeine? Caffeine is everywhere, it's in everything, it's apart of our daily lives. That’s what people doesn’t realizes; every soda drink, every cup of coffee, and every energy drink he or she gulps down before a thrilling game, all of that is caffeine. Caffeine is only completed when he or she get addicted. Caffeine can be an exceptional threat to the human body; energy drinks for example, it has enough caffeine to kill someone if he or she drinks enough. Energy drinks has been the number one drink high school students drink to stay awake in school; they even bring the drink in classrooms, and more than one energy drink. Soda has enough caffeine to destroy ones inner body. Soda is a everyday drink for some individuals, they

    Read More

  • Caffeine Investigation Folio

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...y, this experiment would be useful for caffeine consumers in determining whether caffeine will have a positive or negative effect on their alertness. After completion of the experiment, it can be concluded that this investigation would be a useful reference for caffeine consumers interested in the effect of caffeine on psychological and physiological reaction times. However, the results will not be specific to them, and must be generalised, risking the reliability of the results. That being said, this experiment will have introduced a method of testing the effect of caffeine on psychological and physiological reaction times, which they may undergo for themselves.

    Read More

  • Caffeine And Coffee Drinks

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caffeine, commonly found in coffee and many other beverages, and containing certain chemicals compounds leading to the constant necessity of fidgeting, jitters, sleepless hours, and health hazards as though being tormented by a hobgoblin with the irresistible sweet aroma and multiple flavors trapping you into a path, not being able to truly quit as desired or consequences attached, but is it the world’s most used legal drug addiction or something enjoyable, you decide? “The delicious chemical in caffeine is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine”(Linn). “Caffeine is made by pressuring cooking beans with CO2 to produce the drug in powder form”(Linn). “In caffeine the consumption breakdown in Coffee is 54%, Tea it’s 43%, Food and misc it’s 3% and used as a common mood-altering drug in the world, most popular way of ingesting is through coffee”(Linn). The issue with drinking coffee is due to the fact that caffeine can cause some troubling effects like insomnia activity in the brain that prevents sleep, constant need to urinate leading to dehydration due to the lack of fluids in the body, and diarrhea causing the food right out because it accelerates the digestion in the stomach. The consumption of too much caffeine can cause damage in human health also causing an overdose leading to death. The impact in society is through how much caffeine Americans consume daily, and the effects it causes in human health and sleep patterns. Throughout the years past caffeine consumption in America has increased jarasicaly, about 90% in some form daily. “On average Americans have been known to consume 280 mg of caffeine per day or 2-3 cups of coffee”(Linn). Strangely enough, caffeine is still contained and found in decaffei...

    Read More

  • Malcolm Gladwell Java Man

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Java Man” by Malcolm Gladwell is an essay describing caffeine, its uses, and social standing. The essay describes how this particular stimulant has been widely accepted by society throughout time. Malcolm Gladwell recounts how caffeine appeals to different classes when used in different beverages; gives examples of how this legal stimulant affects the body for different individuals and gives examples of a very short and unconventional study, which showed the harmless affects of caffeine; and is consumed by a variety of age groups in many ways. Malcolm Gladwell says it best in his essay, “Java Man”: “At one moment, in one form, it is the drug of choice of café intellectuals and artists; in another, of Zen monks; and yet another, of children enthralled by a fat man that slides down chimneys” (233). The setting and

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of Caffeine

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    One thing that has been the same for many years. Has always been society 's intake of caffeine even in the early eighteen hundreds caffeine played its role (Gladwell 235). In the American Revolution mainly remember it with the “symbolic rejection” of the people pouring tea into Boston Harbor (233). Boston Harbor is one of the most known conflicts that caffeine has brought into this society. In the Twenty-First Century over ninety percent of Americans have a cup of coffee in the morning (Collingwood). In many studies, caffeine, when it is consumed in the afternoon, will stimulate the brain which will have side effects that are similar to insomnia (@healthline). When anyone doesn’t get the rest that they need, their brain will not react properly to any situations. Caffeine is what drives, crashes, and tear apart this society. Will caffeine run this world or will the world run without the harmful embrace of a

    Read More

  • Caffeine Addiction : The Legal Drug to Which our Society is Addicted

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    As America quickly become the most unhealthy nation with approximately sixty-eight percent of adults over twenty classified as overweight or obese, citizens still choose to not find out what they are consuming and how their eating choices can affect their bodies (United States, Behavioral Effects of Caffeine in Children). When examining health, aspects such as calories, weight, and fitness levels are all inspected. Other factors such as the everyday drug that up to ninety percent of people around the world consume in one form or another need to be addressed in an inspection of the national health (“Caffeine” Health Education). Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant than modifies mood and can be found addictive (“Caffeine” Health Education). American’s average daily intake of caffeine is two hundred and eighty milligrams (“Caffeine” Alcohol and Tobacco). Many people consume much more than that; they are addicted. Caffeine is a drug common in our society that brings negatively affects the the consumer both mentally and physically and the true facts of the substance’s affects stay concealed such as how it affects the heart, brain, and other organs of adults, children, and animals alike.

    Read More

  • Caffeine and Sports Performance

    1798 Words  | 4 Pages

    Caffeine is a mild stimulant that occurs naturally in at least 63 plant species. Caffeine can be found in the leaves, stems, seeds, and roots of these various plants. Caffeine is part of the methylxanthine family. It consists of a xanthine molecule with three methyl groups attached to it. Caffeine can be found in many products like sodas, tea, and coffee, but it also occurs in several other products such as prescription medications, diuretics, and pain relievers. Caffeine’s widespread use and popularity have caused many people to view the substance as an addictive drug. Thus making caffeine the most inexpensive and readily available drug known to man. Then on the other hand there are people who view caffeine as a helpful stimulant that increases the individual’s concentration and awareness as well as many other physical traits. The important thing to remember is that caffeine’s affects vary based on the person, the amount ingested, the frequency of consumption, and individual metabolism. (http://www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/kopykit/caffeine.html)

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Caffeine Consumption

    1976 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the vast majority of Americans are addicted to caffeine, studies show that the effects during post-consumption, can be positive or negative depending on the amount and frequency of caffeine intake. As the demand for caffeine has increased, the caffeine industry has increased its amount of marketing and establishments to help aid this demand. Caffeine addiction can lead to serious health detriments and physiological detriments. It is evident that the primary reason for consumption of caffeinated beverages is due to positive effects, such as alertness. The media has an abundance of marketing to continue to illustrate this main effect. The media fails to project the negative effects of excessive caffeine intake. This literature review will illustrate how excessive caffeine consumption can be detrimental to one’s life, and how problematic caffeine use derives from conditioning by the caffeine industries.

    Read More

  • College Students Who Consume Caffeine Energy Drinks And Alcohol

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    The following study will examine and provide research methods, results and conclusions about college students who consume caffeine energy drinks, alcohol or both to get an energy boost for one reason or another. Coffee which use to be the highlight of boosting energy and staying up late nights to complete homework assignments or study has taken a fall in the 20th century. The study will also point out the effects of the energy drinks and alcohol and the harm and health concerns that contribute to the students behaviors when consumed. The first study examines energy drinks and alcohol among college students and the fact that more students are consuming the product. The study is a web based questionnaire. The article “Caffeinated cocktails: energy drink consumption, high-risk drinking, and alcohol-related consequences among college students”, paints a good picture of the behaviors followed by drinking energy drinks and alcohol such as; heavy drinking, increased alcohol-related consequences, taken advantage of sexually, traveling with intoxicated drivers, getting injured or physically hurt, and those requiring medical attention. The second article “A survey of energy drink consumption patterns among college students” utilized a field research focus group of 32 to determine how much college students drink energy drinks including the benefits and the health issues. The energy drinks Red Bull, Amp, Monster, Rock Star, Rip It, Full Throttle, and Cocaine, just to name a few were created to give individuals a “Jolt” of energy with a combination of stimulants or “energy boosters” that include caffeine.

    Read More

  • Social Relevance Report: Caffeine

    1779 Words  | 4 Pages

    Caffeine has been used widely by our modern society to keep up with their hectic lifestyles. One of the many benefits of caffeine is that it increases alertness and prevents fatigue. The main source of caffeine is in the form of coffee, tea, coke and much more. However, due to its addictive characteristics, caffeine is now the most consumed drug all around the globe. Caffeine abuse results in many negative effects such as insomnia, increases blood pressure and heart rate (Pollick, 2010).

    Read More

  • Coffee Persuasive Essay

    1655 Words  | 4 Pages

    Americans are obsessed with a lot of things: our smart phones, celebrities, and finding a good bargain. But perhaps the thing we’re most obsessed with is good ol’ coffee. For many of us, our mornings are perfectly diabolical without at least a cup or two or three of the stuff. And, come 2 o’clock, when we know in our heart and bones we’ll never make it ‘til five and we need that pick me up, many of us head to the nearest deli or barista to grab a cup of “second wind.”

    Read More

  • Informative Speech On Coffee

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ledbetter, Carly. (2015, Feb. 27). How Much Coffee Do Americans Drink Every Day?. Huffpost Taste.

    Read More

  • Caffeine Addiction

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    Millions of Americans begin each day by consuming the most widely used drug in the United States: Caffeine. Over 90% of United States adults consume caffeinated food or beverages on a daily basis and over 50% take more than the recommended amount. Our innocent daily ritual can turn into an addiction for some because many do not realize that caffeine is even a drug let alone the effects it can have on their bodies. Its use it becoming more and more prominent in our society. It’s not uncommon to walk outside and see a Starbucks or coffee shop on each corner. Innovative foods are coming out infused with coffee, and energy drinks are being pushed at every angle. Caffeine to many is a necessity to wake up in the morning and for others to stay up all night. This is dangerous because people are not only becoming more and more dependent on coffee drinks and energy drinks but they are beginning to ingest more of it each day and are now mixing it with other drugs that can be life threatening. Proper knowledge is important when taking any drug including one that the FDA considers to be a safe multi-purpose food substance and education is the key.

    Read More

More about Caffeine: Does it Harm the Body?

Open Document