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The goal of the project is to study

coffee addiction its causes and


effects of coffee withdrawal in humans.
Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted seeds, commonly
called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of coffee cherries that
grow on trees in over 70 countries, cultivated primarily in Latin America,
Southeast Asia, and Africa. Green unroasted coffee is one of the most
traded agricultural commodities in the world. Due to its caffeine content,
coffee often has a stimulating effect on humans.
Today, coffee is the third most popular drink in the world, behind
water and tea. Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and
its impact on the environment. Many studies have examined the
relationship between coffee consumption and certain medical conditions;
whether the overall effects of coffee are ultimately positive or negative has
been widely disputed. The method of brewing coffee has been found to be
important to its health effects.
Global consumption of caffeine
has been estimated at 120,000 tonnes
per year, making it the world's most
popular psychoactive substance. This
amounts to one serving of a
caffeinated beverage for every person
every day
What is Caffeine?
A General Introduction
Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the
methy xanth ne
*
class. It is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive
drug. Unlike many other psychoactive substances, it is legal and
unregulated in nearly all parts of the world.
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that is a
psychoactive stimulant drug. it was isolated in 1820 by a German chemist,
Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge. In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous
system (CNS) stimulant, temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring
alertness.
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*Methylxanthines represent a unique class of drugs for the treatment of asthma.
The methylxanthine theophylline has demonstrated efficacy in attenuating the three
cardinal features of asthma - reversible airflow obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness,
and airway inflammation.

It is most commonly consumed by humans in infusions extracted from


the bean of the coffee plant and the leaves of the tea bush, as well as from
various foods and drinks containing products derived from the kola nut.
Caffeine can be found most commonly in coffee, tea, energy drinks,
soft drinks, chocolate and some of the medications.
Natural occurrence of caffeine
Around sixty plant species are known to contain caffeine. Common
sources are the "beans" (seeds) of
the two cultivated coffee plants,
Coffea arabica and Coffea
canephora ; in the leaves of the tea
plant; and in kola nuts. Other
sources include yaupon holly
leaves, South American holly yerba
mate leaves, seeds from
Amazonian maple guarana berries,
and Amazonian holly guayusa
leaves.
In Products & everages
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The Cofee
The world's primary source of caffeine is the coffee "bean".Caffeine
content in coffee varies widely depending on the type of coffee bean and the
method of preparation used; even beans within a given bush can show
variations in concentration.
An average cup of instant coffee contains around 70-100 mgs. Instant
decaffeinated coffee contains about 3 mgs.
A 6 oz cup of espresso coffee (much larger than the normal cafe cup,
incidentally) contains about 80-90 mgs. A single-hit cappuccino will
contain the same amount. Filter coffee can contain 25-50% more caffeine than instant.

Tea
Tea contains more caffeine than coffee by dry
weight. A typical serving, however, contains much
less, since less of the product is used as compared
to an equivalent serving of coffee.
An average cup of tea contains around 50 mgs of
caffeine.
Soft drinks and energy drinks
Caffeine is also a common ingredient of soft drinks,
such as cola, originally prepared from kola nuts. Soft
drinks typically contain 0 to 55 milligrams of caffeine per
12 ounce serving. By contrast, energy drinks, such as Red
Bull, can start at 80 milligrams of caffeine per serving.
A 340 ml or 12 oz can of regular or diet cola contains
between 35 and 45 mgs. of caffeine depending on the
brand
Other beverages
Popular South America drink “Mate”, Brazilian drink
“Guaraná Antarctica” etc. Some so-called 'energy drinks'
contain very high doses of caffeine - equivalent to to 4 or more cups of
strong coffee in one dose!
Chocolate
Chocolate derived from cocoa beans
contains a small amount of caffeine. A typical
28-gram serving of a milk chocolate bar has
about as much caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated
coffee. By weight, dark chocolate has one to two
times the amount of caffeine as coffee: 80–160
mg per 100g. Higher percentages of cocoa such
as 90% amount to 200 mg per 100 g
approximately and thus, a 100-gram 85% cocoa chocolate bar contains
about 195 mg caffeine.
One ounce or 28 grams of chocolate contains about 10-15 mgs.
Is caffeine a drug?
Absolutely
Caffeine belongs to a group of drugs known as Central nervous system
stimulant, along with
cocaine
and
nicotine
. It is not strong as ones like
cocaine but has the same addictive properties. People can become addicted
to caffeine unknowingly and experience withdrawal symptoms such as head
ache, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, depressed mood and difficulty in concentration.

Caffeine takes 5 to 7 hours to eliminate half of it


from your body. Some one who drinks
something caffeinated 6 hours before the bed
can experience insomnia

Caffeine Consumption And Its Effects


How Caffeine Works
Caffeine is a powerful influence in our lives. Caffeine wakes you up by
fooling adenosine receptors. Adenosine slows down nerve cell activity along
neural pathways like these, but caffeine (which binds to the same
receptors) speeds activity up.
To a nerve cell, caffeine looks like adenosine: Caffeine binds to the
adenosine*
receptor. However, caffeine doesn't slow down the cell's activity
like adenosine would. As a result, the cell can no longer identify adenosine
because caffeine is taking up all the receptors that adenosine would
normally bind to. Instead of slowing down because of the adenosine's effect,
the nerve cells speed up. Caffeine also causes the brain's blood vessels to
constrict, because it blocks adenosine's ability to open them up.
.

*Adenosine is created in the brain, it binds to adenosine receptors. This


binding causes drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity. In the
brain, this also causes blood vessels to dilate, most likely to let more
oxygen into that organ during sleep.

Some commonly observed effects of caffeine are:



It stimulates the cortex of your brain heightening the intensity of
mental activity. This can result in a temporary feeling of alertness and,
in the short term, banishes drowsiness and feelings of fatigue. In
those who already have high levels of anxiety the heightened intensity
of mental activity can produce unpleasant effects.

Affects the length and quality of sleep. Heavy caffeine users suffer
from sleep-deprivation because their nervous system is too stimulated
to allow them deep, restful or prolonged sleep.

Stimulates your heart, respiratory system, and central nervous
system.

M
akes your blood more `sludgy' by raising the level of fatty acids in
the blood.

Blood flow to the stomach slows. Causes your stomach to produce


more acid

Irritates the stomach lining

Makes digestion less effective by relaxing the muscles of your
intestinal system

The liver releases sugar into the bloodstream for extra energy
Recovery -
When you stop caffeine you allow your body to catch up on its lost
rest. This takes some time. Using caffeine to force yourself into activity is
like flogging an exhausted horse.
For the first few weeks after stopping caffeine you may find that you
are sleeping deeper and for longer. For this reason it is a good idea to allow
yourself an extra hour per night for a few weeks, increasing this if you
continue to experience lethargy in the mornings.
If you feel drowsy during the day use breathing exercises preferably
out of doors, to alert yourself.
And remind yourself that the drowsiness is a sign that you are
allowing your body to get back into a more normal state and that your
natural energy levels will soon return once things have got back to normal
after the onslaught of the caffeine regime

CONCLUSION
Though the effect of coffee or caffeine on our body is debated many agree
for it being positive while many agree for it being negative. The most
accurate statement at such a debate will be using it in a controlled way can
be useful rather harmful. As is well said Conscience keeps more people
awake than coffee

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
http://pegasusnlpblog.com/caffeine-induced-panics
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/caffeine/a/symptoms.htm
https://www.garmaonhealth.com/coffee-bad-good-for-you/

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