Restriction of Energy Drinks to People Over 18 - Essay Example

Caffeine Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Abstract Caffeine is a substance that when taken in alters the normal functioning of the body. In this discussion and from the evidences, caffeine has been found to a substance that affects mainly people of 18 years and above. The adverse effects caffeine according to the research include high blood pressure, stimulation of the central nervous system, headaches, joint pains, leads to pregnancy complications like miscarriages, high urine production which affects the concentration of men and increases depression of the caffeine consumer. The paper also discussed the major ways of avoiding the effects of caffeine instead of restriction which include sensitizing the public on the effects of excess consumption of caffeine. Another way is to develop alternative sources of energy which are less rich in caffeine. Finally the paper recommended that it is better to restrict the consumption of caffeine among people of over 18. Introduction This paper intends to assess the various effects of caffeine giving drinks on the body functioning of a person of over 18 years. From the research which has been conducted there is clear evidence that caffeine causes adverse effects on the body of a person of over 18 years and that is why there is debate if it should be restricted. Caffeine is the substance found in plants like coffee, tea, chocolates and cocoa. Caffeine can also be found in some prescribed substances like drugs (Botelli & Parra 2003). Caffeine has some effects in the body which are both negative and positive. When taken, Caffeine it alters the normal functioning of the body by interfering the central nervous system especially to adults. Some of the effects of Caffeine include an increase in heartbeat, increased level of sugar in the blood and high blood pressure (Food standards agency 2001). Due to some of these side effects increased heart burns and depression of sleep, there has been a debate whether caffeine should be restricted to people of over 18 years or not. This paper will discuss the various harmful effects of caffeine and if these problems are specific to people of 18 years and above, evidence showing the effects of caffeine to people of age 18 years and above, the reliability of the evidence, effects of restricting the use of caffeine, better ways of reducing its effects and if this ban is something that is sensibly enforced. In this regard, this paper provides evidence that caffeine should be restricted to people of 18 years and over. Caffeine drinks should be restricted to people of 18 years and above because excess consumption of caffeine leads to intoxication of the substance in the body. The effects of the intoxication in adults are feeling restless, being excited and being insomniac effects (Cristalli et al 2008). According to the research which was conducted in America and reported by the American medical association shows that coffee had some adverse effects on the central nervous system of a person. According to this research, coffee had substances which affected the normal functioning of the body of human beings like irritability, depression and loss of appetite. This affects mostly people of 18 years and above because their immune system slowly starts to become weak as they are the most consumers of caffeine and not like young people who are energetic. In order to minimize these effects, caffeine substances should be restricted from consumption. Caffeine also causes some stimulation in especially in men because it accelerates the functioning of the central nervous system. It makes somebody to feel energetic and increased concentration (Leski & Womble 2004). However when it is taken in excess caffeine can lead to muscle tremors. As a result somebody may feel energetic and do some things which were not intended. For instance in sports somebody who uses drugs like the athletes, he or she may feel energetic and performs better but the side effects will affect the person when he or she is of age. This evidence clearly shows that people of 18 years and above who may have started engaging in vigorous activities should be restricted from consuming caffeine because of the side effects it has. They are also restricted because they are the highest consumers of caffeine than people of less than 18 years. Moreover caffeine has side effects on men. It increases the production of urine in men of age of over 18 years which is diluted because its volume has increased (Smith 2002). Increased urine production lead to loss of weight by an individual and may lack concentration in doing something thus there is lower productivity (Lorrist & Tops 2003). According to research which has been done by Mayoclinic.com, there are high chances of loosing weight by a man who uses caffeine in large amounts which is also associated with lack of concentration in work leading to low productivity (Brice & Smith 2002). Therefore, in order to increase concentration of individuals at work, there should be restriction of consumption of caffeine by people of 18 years and above. Furthermore caffeine causes high blood pressure especially in adults (Katan & Schouten 2005). Research has shown that when an individual takes lets say coffee or tea in two to three cups this increases blood pressure 3 to 14 mm Hg. The effects of having high blood pressure are severe and can lead to death. Therefore in order to reduce the effects caused by high blood pressure in adults caffeine should be restricted from excessive consumption to minimize the cases of high blood pressures. Evidence why caffeine should be restricted in its consumption rate by people of over 18 years is that it leads to withdrawal. Excessive consumption of Caffeine causes severe responses in the body and understanding how caffeine works is not its effect. The withdrawal effects of caffeine in the body include headaches, difficulty in sleeping stomach and joint pain. These withdraw effects lead to poor concentration in work and academics leading to poor performance in terms of production and academic performance. On the other hand, caffeine affects pregnancy in women. Women who are known to be addicts of caffeine find it difficult during pregnancy because of the withdrawal effects (Dews et al 2002). Caffeine crosses over the placenta of the pregnant woman to the fetus. The effect of caffeine in the fetus is to hinder the growth. According to the research which has been done, it was found that children who are born with mothers who are addicts weigh less than normal births by 16 grams. In addition, excessive consumption of caffeine leads to higher chances of miscarriages according to the research. Therefore to prevent the increasing incidences of miscarriages and other complications in pregnancy in women, there should be strict rules to restrict the consumption of caffeine by pregnant mothers. According to the above evidences from research, it can be said that caffeine has both positive and negative effects. The negative effects affect mostly people of 18 years and above which leads to necessity of restricting over 18 people from consuming excess caffeine. To test the reliability of the evidences above, there was research which was conducted in Brazil by the University of Santa Catarina done on the animals showed the same effects of caffeine therefore these evidences can be relied upon to support that caffeine should be restricted to people of over 18 years. However banning or restricting the consumption of caffeine violates the rights of individuals who prefer caffeine plants like coffee and tea (Goadsby 2003). Banning or restricting the consumption of caffeine may not succeed because there are many outlets where the individuals can access caffeine. Caffeine can be accessed through the black market and its consumption could continue due to its availability. Therefore the caffeine related problems will not stop until the restriction of caffeine has succeeded. On the other hand, there are better ways through which problems related to caffeine can be eliminated without interfering with the rights of individuals. One way is to educate the public on the importance of consuming caffeine in prescribed quantities to avoid the adverse effects of consuming excess caffeine. Another way to achieve the end without denying other peoples' rights is to ensure there are other alternatives of which serve the same purpose as caffeine but with less effect. In this aspect, individuals will be satisfied with minerals they get instead of caffeine. Finally, the end can be achieved by banning production products which contain high caffeine and encourage products with less contents of caffeine. By doing this, energy drinks containing high levels of caffeine will be minimized thus avoiding its side effects. Conclusion Caffeine besides having positive effects, it also has negative effects. Especially in adults caffeine has adverse effects than in people of less than 18 years. The effects of caffeine in people of over 18 include; high blood pressure, pregnancy complications, increased urine production, intoxication effects, stimulation of the central nervous system, stomach pains and headaches which lead to low concentration of individuals hence poor performances in the work places. Restricting the consumption of caffeine related drinks deprives the rights of individuals and there it should not sustain the effects associated with caffeine. A better way to achieve the end result is to sensitize the public on the effects of consuming excess caffeine and developing alternative drinks with less caffeine. References Botella, P. & Parra, A. (2003). Coffee increases state anxiety in males but not in females. Human Psychopharmacology, Vo1. 8, No. 2, pp. 141–143. Brice, C. F. & Smith, A. P. (2002). Effects of caffeine on mood and performance: a study of realistic consumption. Psychopharmacology (Berlin), Vol. 164, No. 2, pp. 188–192. Cristalli, G. Lambertucci, C. Marucci, G. Volpini, R. & DalBen, D. (2008).nPotential Therapeutic interest of adenosine A2A receptors in psychiatric disorders. Current Pharmaceutical Design, Vol. 14, No. 15, pp. 1512-24. Dews, P. B., O’Brien, C. P. & Bergman, J. (2002). Caffeine: behavioral effects of Withdrawal and related issues. Food and Chemical Toxicology, Vol. 40, No. 9, pp. 1257–1261. Food Standards Agency. (2001). Statement on the Reproductive Effects of Caffeine. 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