Negative Effects of Caffeine in Energy Drinks on the Human Body - Research Paper Example

Negative effects of caffeine in energy Drinks on the human Body Introduction Over the past few years, there has been an increase in consumption of caffeine; this is because of the increase in consumption of energy drinks which contain caffeine. This has caused some serious concerns from parents and scholars about the possible negative effects of the substance on the human body. Caffeine is drug naturally produced in leaves and seeds of many plants but it can be manufactured artificially as a food additive. The reason why caffeine is identified as a drug is that it is a central nervous system stimulant causing increased alertness and awareness as a result; people tend to use the energy drinks that contain caffeine to obtain an impermanent energy boost as well as elevate their mood. Energy drinks contains caffeine which provides stamina and increases the physical performance to the consumers. In natural form, caffeine is a bitter tasting drug but most of the energy drinks are processed to cover the bitter taste. Caffeine is contained in drinks like chocolate, coffee, tea and many other soft drinks, it also found in many over the counter medications especially the painkillers. Caffeine is usually eliminated from the body very rapidly though its effects may last for about six hours. There are a lot of debate on hypothesis that “caffeine consumption has negative effects on the normal body functioning”. While some people argue that it’s healthy. Body’s Reaction to Energy Drinks Caffeine and other ingredients of energy drinks stimulate the central nervous system thereby improving the metabolic reactions of the body, hence they are used recreationally and medically to restore mental awareness. When the central nervous system is stimulated, the brain tends to function faster due to improved flow of thought, increased alertness and better coordination of the body and in excess the effects flow to the spinal cord (Han et al 2007, 499). The energy drinks has several other ingredients that include taurine and glucuronolactone apart from caffeine. Taurine is a type of an amino acid that is found naturally in the human body and is a very important building block for proteins. Many people rely on energy drinks to replace the lost taurine, as in taurine is lost in times of stress in small amounts leading to some sort of deficiency (Craig & Stitzel 2008, 219). The taurine amino acids are believed to be antitoxic substances that cleanse the body of harmful substances. Glucuronolactone is carbohydrate metabolite that also occurs naturally in the body though it can be synthesized artificially, it provides instant energy boost since it’s a carbohydrate formed from glucose catabolism and its also believed to cleanse the body of harmful substances. The body’s homeostasis system is designed to maintain constancy in the body, upon consumption of caffeine; the body reacts to it to try and neutralize the effects of the caffeine through the process termed metabolism or catabolism to be precise. Caffeine is totally absorbed in the stomach and the small intestines within the first thirty minutes after ingestion. Following absorption, caffeine is metabolized into three compounds; theobromine, paraxanthine and theophyline with the latter constituting the smaller percentage while paraxanthine comprising the largest percentage about 84% (Craig & Stitzel 2008, 223). Metabolism takes place in the liver with the use of enzyme system called cytochrome P450 oxidase; paraxathine breaks down lipids into fatty acids and glycerol in a process called lipolysis, theobromine is alkaloid that is also a vasodilator and therefore dilates blood vessels and hence increases urine formation, and thoephylline is a smooth muscle relaxant and a diuretic (Craig & Stitzel 2008, 226). The three compounds are further metabolized before excretion. For the body to get rid of the foreign particles in the body, caffeine and its by-products have to be eliminated and are usually excreted following the first order kinetics meaning that the higher the concentration, the faster the rate of elimination. Caffeine can also be absorbed rectally and there are drugs designed to utilize this fact (ergotamine and chlorobutanol). The half life of caffeine is about 3 to 4 hours but may vary depending on the health status of the individual; the factors that affect this include age, pregnancy, liver function and other medications a person might be taking. Since caffeine is metabolized in the liver, liver disease can result in accumulation of caffeine hence elevating the half life to up to 96 hours(Craig & Stitzel 2008, 229). Caffeine’s Mechanism of Action Caffeine is among the few compounds that can cross the blood-brain barrier in to the brain. The mode of action once in the brain is inhibition of the functions of adenosine; hence it’s referred to as an adenosine antagonist (Latini & Pedata 2001, 466). Its structure is similar to that of adenosine and therefore it binds to same receptors as adenosine and as a result blocks adenosine from occupying the receptors, consequently adenosine is not able to act, it is therefore called a competitive inhibitor for this reason. Adenosine is found in all the body part due to its function in energy generation in the ATP cycle (Adenosine Tri-phosphate cycle) but in the brain it has a special function to suppress neural activity and increase blood flow, Caffeine does not activate these receptors and therefore inhibits these functions (Craig & Stitzel 2008, 212). The neural activity increases and therefore central nervous stimulation is achieved by these means. There are however some secondary effects of the caffeine that are not related directly to adenosine, caffeine is also a competitive inhibitor to the enzyme cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate - Phosphodiesterase (cAMP-PDE) which is responsible for breaking down cyclic AMP to a non cyclic form. Cyclic AMP activates phosphorylation of enzymes that participate in glucose synthesis a process catalyzed by protein Kinase A (Latini & Pedata 2001, 466). The Negative Effects of Caffeine An experiment to check out the negative effects of caffeine should include those people who have been consuming coffee and those who did not and studies done prospectively or patients with presumed effects of coffee should be selected and a retrospective study done to ascertain consumption of coffee and the disease occurrence. The samples should be done randomly to avoid biasness; samples should include African Americans, Mexican Americans, Latino Americans and Hispanics that consume energy drinks. Sampling fraction will be carried out to compensate any missing information about the sample group for example use of other drugs and so forth. Physiologic Effects Caffeine is a pharmacologically active substance that stimulates the central nervous system in moderate amounts however in large quantities, caffeine has been found to affect sleep, cause irregular palpitations and nervousness (Han et al 2007, 496)This was done through a double blind experiment; Caffeine has also been used to manage asthmatic patients as it causes dilation of bronchi (Weinberg & Bealer 2001, 274); caffeine also acts as a diuretic since it causes vasodilatation and consequently increase blood flow to the kidneys resulting in increase in the glomerular filtrate and reduced re-absorption of sodium. The diuretic effect increases with the amount of caffeine consumed and statistics affirm that unless the amount of caffeine contained in tea taken is above 300mg, the diuretic effect would not be attained. This is close to 5 or 6 cups of tea. Due to the amount of fluid that is gained while one is enjoying a cup of tea, British Dietetic Association and the Food Standard Agency affirm that tea taking can meet daily fluid requirements of the body (Weinberg & Bealer 2001, 273). Caffeine consumption in moderation does not cause cardiac arrhythmias. Abrupt stop to caffeine consumption or irregular consumption may result in fatigue, irritability and headaches, however these effects are usually short lived and disappear in about one or two days, the effects can be avoided if caffeine cessation is done gradually. Caffeine and Health The development and protection from some diseases has been associated with caffeine consumption hence extensive research is being carried out to find out the relationship. Several studies that have investigated the association between caffeine and cancer development have not been able to provide tangible evidence, however some energy drinks like tea has been found to contain a lot of flavanoids which are in themselves powerful antioxidants (Conn & Freeman 1999, 319). Antioxidants play a very important role in the prevention of free radical damage. For this reason it’s said that tea maybe anti-carcinogenic substance. Heart disease development and caffeine consumption research has also failed to yield enough evidence of the relationship, however the current statistics indicate that consumption of 400mg of caffeine or less a day does not harmfully influence cardiovascular health, In fact the benefits of the flavanoids can offset possible adverse effects. Observational studies indicate that caffeine has played a significant role in protecting against Parkinson’s disease (Conn & Freeman 1999, 323). Caffeine is an effective painkiller for relieving headaches in combination with other drugs like ibuprofen compared to either drug alone. However, chronic headache sufferers are advised to avoid caffeine because it may exacerbate the symptoms. A caffeine pill was used for trials. Caffeine crosses both the blood brain barrier and the placenta, for these reason pregnant mothers are advised to regulate the amount of caffeine they take since it may adversely affect the fetus. Caffeine consumption can lead to osteoporosis and an increased vulnerability to fractures (Avioli & Krane 1997, 245). This is because research has found that caffeine adversely influences bone metabolism (calcium homeostasis). Conclusion In spite of the recent debate about the effects of caffeine, the fact that consumption of caffeine in moderate amounts of 300mg a day has no undesirable effects on the majority of people. Average consumption of caffeine is very safe. Since caffeine is a stimulant, it only affects the symptoms of lack of sleep (insomnia) and anxiety hence should be avoided by those with anxiety disorders. Those that are affected by high blood pressure should also avoid caffeine since it may elevate the symptoms. References Avioli L.V & Krane M.S (1997) Metabolism Bone Disease and Clinically Related Disorders.University of Michigan pp 245 Conn P. M. & Freeman M.E (1999) Neuroendocrinology in Physiology and Medicine.Human Press pp 319 Craig C.R. & Stitzel R.E (2008) Modern Pharmacology.Little Brown.pp 212-231 Han M.E Park et al (2007). Inhibitory Effects of Caffeine on Hipocampal Neurogenesis and Fucntion. Biochem.Biophys.Res.Commun 356 (4). 976-80 Latini S. & Pedata F. (2001) Adenosine in the Central Nervous System.Release Mechanism and Extracellular Cntcentrations. J Neurochem 79 463-84 retrieved from http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/special articles/jnc607. on 19th November 2008 Weinberg B. A & Bealer B.K (2001). The World of Caffeine.The Science and Culture of the World’s Most Popular Drug.Routledge pp273 Read More