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”
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
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