BY Madison Hill Caffeine is found in teas, sodas, and most notable coffee. Coffee is an American and international staple and many claim that it is a daily necessity, but how does it truly work? Caffeine in the amount of 400 mg daily (4-5 cups of coffee) or less has little negative effect and simply acts as a very mild central nervous system stimulant. Caffeine stimulates thermogenesis (which means more heat is generated from food), increases alertness, improves endurance, and betters brain function. Caffeine is advertised as a part of hundreds of food goods, dieting supplements, and drinks for these reasons. New studies on caffeine have even shown that long-term memory is boosted by caffeine and that regular low intake of caffeine can decrease chances of type 2 diabetes, stroke, oral and throat cancers, and kidney stones. Caffeine can also have its downsides. Dopamine increase can actually cause an increase in stomach acid which can produce the common condition of heartburn. Coffee can heighten feelings of anxiety or nerves because of hormones, and it can cause mild dehydration. In many individuals with additional health conditions, any of these small things can cause much more harmful effects with large caffeine consumption. The reason why there are many “coffee addicts” or people cannot make it through a day if they don’t have a morning cup of joe is rooted in biology and chemistry. People who have regular consumption of caffeine have brains that have developed to become used to the caffeine; this causes a feeling of dependence in coffee drinkers. Blood vessels in their brains have become modified for the caffeine chemical and when there is an absence they can cause headaches and exhaustion. When in contact with caffeine, nerve cells accept it at an adenosine binding site. This blocks the reading of adenosine which is key for sleeping. This means the body is stimulated and as a response cellular activity picks up and blood vessels constrict. When this occurs daily, it can be especially startling for an individual to stop receiving their pick-me-up and cause serious feelings of fatigue if they go without caffeine. Additionally, hormonally, when the body has caffeine blood pressure mildly increases because of the release of adrenaline, dopamine, and a myriad of other hormones. This is what gives the feeling of waking up; the body is physically mirroring what would occur in a stressful situation where it would have to move. Without caffeine, this does not occur and with regular caffeine, hormones may become imbalanced as the body has become practiced at releasing them in the irregular way caffeine encourages. Caffeine dependence is something to take seriously. When the body receives the change of regular, daily caffeine to no caffeine it can cause headaches, tiredness, difficulty concentrating, nausea, muscle pain, and irritability. It can also be a serious trigger to those who are depressed, anxious, or have insomnia or other irregular sleeping patterns. Caffeine is not nearly as serious as illegal central nervous system stimulants as it causes the production of much less dopamine, but it still causes dopamine dependence. Overall, if the 400 mg limit is maintained, the withdrawal effects will be low, but the lower the daily dosage the lower the withdrawal effects will likely be. Coffee and other caffeinated drinks in low doses can be useful, but we must all be conscientious in understanding the effects on our bodies. References:
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