Caffeine is the most abused drug in the world. Many people wake up, and start there day with some sort of caffeine. Some it is for the energy boost, and to help them stay awake and focused. Others it is for the addictive crave. It is the most popular drug in the United States. Caffeine is in almost everything such as, sodas, over-counter medication, prescription drugs, cigarettes, foods, etc. The most consumed sources of caffeine are coffee and tea, and it [caffeine] can be harmful on your health, as well as addictive. America should be aware of the causes and effects caffeine has on the human body, which can lead to addiction and bad side effects.
Coffee and tea have been used by humans for many years. Those beverages are the primary source of human’s caffeine intake. Coffee and tea go back to the earliest human history. A Greek poet Homer, who lived in the ninth–eighth centuries B.C., talked about a drink that helped people stay awake, biographers believed that he was referring to tea. Back in the day, coffee was very popular in the Middle East and North Africa. While tea is believed to have developed in China, coffee was brought to other countries by travelers. There were many religious people who disapproved of it, saying caffeine was an “instrument of evil”. In the 1900’s there was a doctor name T.D. Crothers, who said, caffeine was bad and caused rarely violent and destructive behavior. Crothers also talked about a general in the Civil War, who had several cups of coffee and afterwards appeared on front of the line acting recklessness, shouting and waving his hat and giving orders, as if he was confused. He was thought to have been intoxicated, but afterwards it was found that he had only consumed several cups of coffee (...
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...ing it total up (What). So in the end after all the facts are broken down in front of someone, they can see how many negative effects caffeine has on a person, and why caffeine is harmful to the human body. Will they still consume large amounts of caffeine or any caffeine at all?
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“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
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.
Caffeine raises your blood pressure when you drink/eat it, raising your blood pressure in general is not a good thing but imagine drinking and/or eating caffeine daily, and your blood pressure constantly rising. Another negative aspect is that caffeine can have a disruptive effect on your sleep. The most obvious effect of the caffeine is that it can make it hard for you to fall asleep. It can help you stay awake during the day but can also make you stay awake during the night when you are trying to fall asleep. You can also have withdraws from caffeine, going back to the story “Java Man” the author Malcolm Gladwell considered it a drug and remember you can get addicted to drugs (you can really get addicted to anything). There are plenty more negative ways caffeine can disrupt your lifestyle but you know what they say for every negative thing you can say there can be some
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)
Caffeinate drinks and energy drinks are very common on amongst adolescents, and the consumption of alcohol is also a regular occurrence among adolescents (Rohsenow et. Al, 2014). At that age, they may consume caffeine or energy drinks to wake themselves up or stay up late when working on homework assignments. Which at times can be helpful when working on multiple assignments. When a person consumes a certain amount of alcohol, he or she begins to feel drowsy/tired. There is nothing wrong with having a drink on occasions, especially if you drink responsibly. Recently people have begun to mix caffeine with alcohol, resulting in Alcoholic Energy Drinks. People buy and consume these drinks to combat the drowsiness that comes with drinking, so if he or she is out partying, it won’t interrupt his or her drinking and the can consume more alcohol because they will not feel as tired as quickly as the normally would. Alcoholic Energy Drinks have been a trend in recent years, and this is especially true among college and high school students (Kponee, Siegel, & Jernigan, 2014). Do Alcoholic Energy Drinks represent responsible drinking? Should companies mix caffeine and alcohol and sell it in stores? To go even further, should the drinks be legal in the United States? Alcoholic Energy Drinks are harmful because they affect the person’s ability to judge his or her level of intoxication, it also influences people to drink more than he or she should because he or she feels less intoxicated, and because of those reasons, people who consume Alcoholic Energy Drinks are more likely to drive while intoxicated, among other dangerous risk-taking behaviors (Kponee, Siegel, & Jernigan, 2014). Because of the adverse effects, Alcoholic Energy Drinks should...
Caffeine is the most popular and most widely used stimulant in the world. In Canada, the average person drinks 2.6 cups of coffee a day; that is equivalent to 949 cups of coffee a year. (Van Houtte) Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that improves ones attention, focus, and fatigue. When caffeine is ingested it causes your neurons to move at a faster rate, increasing alertness. (Fit Day) Caffeine also binds to the neural receptors, which blocks the adenosine, which prolongs tiredness. Caffeine is a white odorless powder that is most commonly found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, and pops. Caffeine can also be considered and ergogenic aid. Ergogenic aids are external influences that enhance/ improves ones strength, endurance, reaction time and speed of recovery. (Healthline) The three theories that make caffeine an ergogenic aid during exercise is the effect it has on the central nervous system, skeletal muscles, and metabolic changes. (Sheila G. Dean) Caffeine also has a positive effect on an individual’s health, some positive effects include: reduces risk of developing liver cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s. (Chawala) Caffeine has been proven to have positive effects on an athlete’s performance, and ones overall health.
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
Its 3AM in the morning and you still haven't finished your research paper. You are tired, tense and your caffeine addiction isn’t helping either. You're in need of coffee but at the same time, you're trying to evade it. You are stuck between either staying tired and tense or indulge caffeine and increase the tension. Caffeine and especially coffee became a very reliant drug by many to "perk-up" and stay productive throughout the day. Once it's excessively consumed, its effects on the human body are numerous and lead to an unhealthy lifestyle if not treated.
Scrutiny of caffeine and its effects has increased dramatically in the last 20 years, due in part to an increase in consumption of caffeine. In fact, coffee consumption among young adults rose to 3.2 cups per day in 2008 from 2.4 cups per day in 2005 (Rokerya 1). For instance, in a one hour period, on Richland College’s on-campus Starbucks, the author took note of how many customers arrived and purchased a cup of coffee. Between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, there were 51 customers, implying that – especially at college - many people are dependent on coffee in the mornings. However, the results from these studies are inconclusive and often somewhat contradictory – many studies (such as that by Tetsuya Ohara et al.) show that caffeine is a great boon to
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 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.
Scientists Ricardo Mora-Rodriguez and Jesus G Pallares executed a study observing the performance outcomes and side effects of energy drinks. They confirmed that due to their high carbohydrate concentration and lack of salts, energy drinks are not a good beverage choice when prolonged exercise in a warm environment is likely to require rehydration. They also found that ingestion of high doses of caffeine, although ergogenic, could result in negative side effects that could counteract the caffeine’s ergogenic effect. Even though energy drinks have the ability to increase a certain amount of energy, the energy would be short lived, due to lack of hydration. A similar study was performed by a team of scientists in Nepal. They tested on medical students at a Nepalese medical school. After the experiment, they concluded that energy drinks give energy and increase the stamina but they produce neurologic, psychiatric, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal complications on health. Certain students that participated in the study started to experience palpitation (increased or irregular heartbeat), nausea, constipation, and abdominal pain. These symptoms are just a few of the health risks that regularly consuming energy drinks can
Do you know what the most commonly used drug around the world is? It’s not cocaine nor marijuana, but surprisingly caffeine.
Coffee is the first thing that people associate with instant energy on a groggy morning. “In the U.S., coffee is king of beverages” (Reinke) Research has been done that has named coffee as an addiction to the people who consume large quantities of it. Coffee was named the top source of antioxidants. This is partly because of the amount consumed each day. Some of the antioxidants that coffee has are quinines and chlorogenic acid. It also contains trigonelline, an antibacterial compound. This is where coffee acquires its delicious aroma. Now let’s step back for a minute and just think about how much caffeine people consume. In an 8oz cup of coffee it has about 85 milligrams of caffeine. This is about double the amount that tea contains. Studies have shown that caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system. This is where you get that energized feeling. After about the third cup, knees start to bounce, pens are clicking and people start running laps around the office. Caffeine can become addicting if you drink too much. Coffee can become that addictive habit people are unable to shake.
... I chose to do my presentation on caffeine because I see people around me consuming it every day. I also was curious about the science behind it. I hope that my speech has helped to inform and educate you some more about it, and learn some more about this popular drug.
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.