The Role of Caffeine in Society

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Caffeine plays an enormous role in society today, from coffee to cokes to candy bars. Companies have made billions off the desire for that extra kick. Caffeine is the most widely consumed behaviorally active substance in the world making it one of the world’s most popular drugs. It’s known for the ability to stimulate the brain and central nervous system. The Chemical structure of caffeine is C8H10N4O2. Before the popular use of caffeine one can assume that people were sleepier, and less alert.
Consumption of 1000–1500 mg per day is associated with a condition known as caffeinism. Caffeinism usually combines caffeine dependency with a wide range of unpleasant physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, restlessness, insomnia, headaches, and heart palpitations after caffeine use. Caffeine blocks the neurotransmitter adenosine, which acts as an inhibitor of the other neurotransmitters. “When adenosine flows normally through the brain, it slows down the brain and body… When adenosine is blocked, the brain and body become more alert and active (Marcovitz 33).” Caffeine from coffee or other beverages is absorbed by the small intestine within 45 minutes of ingestion and then distributed throughout all tissues of the body. Peak blood concentration is reached within one hour. The biological half-life of caffeine the time required for the body to eliminate one-half of the total amount of caffeine varies widely among individuals according to such factors as age, liver function, pregnancy, some concurrent medications, and the level of enzymes in the liver needed for caffeine metabolism. It can also be significantly altered by drugs or hormonal states. In healthy adults, caffeine's half-life has been measured with a ra...

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...natural pesticide and an inhibitor of seed germination of other nearby coffee seedlings, thus giving it a better chance of survival. Caffeine has also been found to enhance the reward memory of honeybees, improving the reproductive success of the plant.
People are renovating new ways to use caffeine all the time. For example two Harvard undergraduates are working on new product called Energy Spray. This new idea is making it to be you don’t need to drink coffee, or an energy drink to obtain the caffeine to wake you up. They decided to make something that you can spray on skin that will be absorbed into your body. Containing water, caffeine, and amino acids this shouldn’t give you the caffeine rush, but giving you a natural feeling of being more awake. Caffeine has shaped everything for office work to physical work. Who knows what the world would be like without it.

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