Positive and Negative Effects of Caffeine Usage - Research Paper Example

Caffeine Caffeine is a crystalline alkaloid which is usually white in color and is derived from tea or coffee. It exists in a group of compounds known as Xanthine. Caffeine is also classified together with amphetamines and cocaine as a nervous system stimulant or an analeptic. Coffee is known worldwide as the biggest source of caffeine. Even though caffeine is also in cola beverages, cocoa, tea and in prescription medications coffee remains to be the only plant with the highest concentration of caffeine. Caffeine just like other drugs stimulates brain functions and excessive consumption can lead to overwhelming effects. This means that caffeine has both positive and negative effects, the paper will concentrate on the history of caffeine, the advantages and disadvantages and the types of caffeine. Introduction Caffeine is a crystalline alkaloid which is usually white in color and is derived from tea or coffee. It exists in a group of compounds known as Xanthine. According to Smith (2009), it is also classified together with amphetamines and cocaine as a nervous system stimulant or an analeptic. Coffee is known worldwide as the biggest source of caffeine. Even though caffeine is also in cola beverages, cocoa, tea and in prescription medications coffee remains to be the only plant with the highest concentration of caffeine. Caffeine just like other drugs stimulates brain functions and excessive consumption can lead to overwhelming effects. This means that caffeine has both positive and negative effects, the paper will concentrate on the history of caffeine, the advantages and disadvantages and the types of caffeine. The history of caffeine and coffee Caffeine has been used all around the world for countries. Each nation has its own source and story about caffeine. However, most research finding indicates that Ethiopia was the first source of coffee (Wessells, 2001). There was a folk story that was passed on from one generation to another about coffee. The story was that there was once a farmer who changed his goat’s grazing area and after moving the animals to the new grazing area he found out that the animals were now more restless.After noting the restlessness he began watching the animals every day. He realized that they were feeding on small berries these berries were coffee. Later on these berries we dried and referred to as coffee beans. The first time caffeine was ever extracted in Cocoa beans was in 1820, by Friedrich Ferdinand, a German scientist who was able to extract caffeine in its purest form. Currently, caffeine extracted has numerous purposes such as making various products that are used every day. There are many methods of extracting caffeine to produce caffeine powder and decaffeinated coffee.Some of the methods however, are currently no longer used because of their cost, environmental impact, flavor changes and health risks. Kenneth (2011) notes that some of the solvents used that are no longer in use are dichloromethane, benzene, trichloroethylene and chloroform .Some of the methods used in extracting pure caffeine are water extraction, use of organic solvents and the use of supercritical C02. Use of water In this method raw coffee beans are soaked in water for a specific period. The water containing flavor compounds and caffeine then goes through charcoal filters. The charcoal is able to extract caffeine but leaves flavor compounds in the solution. The solution is then left to dry and evaporate together with the unprocessed coffee beans. This means that after these the decaffeinated beans with retain their initial flavor. Davidson (2011) notes that manufacturers worldwide normally collect the caffeine in the charcoal filters then sell it to pharmaceuticals and soda manufacturing companies. Supercritical C02 extraction CO2unlike other insolvents used previously is relatively saferto use and is alsoa great solvent. At a about temperatures of 31.1c C02 is forced into the chamber containing green coffee beans and at a pressure of more than 73 atm. At this superficial state C02 acquires a gas like property. This ensures that it is able to penetrate into the beans while at the same time maintaining the liquid property that ensures that it is able to dissolve caffeine by levels of up to 98% in the beans (Smith, 2009). The carbon dioxide that has caffeine is sprayed with water which is usually under high pressure to separate the caffeine. Later on,this water is then filtered to isolate the pure white caffeine. Types of caffeine There are many ways in which caffeine can be consumed. Some of the caffeine’s natural sources are berries, seeds, nuts and leaves. Coffee There are many types of coffee plants but the most commonly used in the commercial sector are Canephora and Arabica. As earlier specified the first Arabica species originated from Ethiopia. According to Wessells (2001), the bean of an Arabica species is long, flat and less caffeinated when compared with a bean from a Canephora tree or commonly known as Robusta.Robusta grows in warm climates such as Brazil, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Vietnam. Coffee cherries are produced by coffee trees when they start flowering. The beans or cherries are only harvested after maturing and the process can take almost one year. These coffee beans can be blended or roasted in order for them to have different tastes. In an average cup of coffee the caffeine levels are about 100mg. And a decaffeinated coffee is never caffeine free it actually contains caffeine content that is up to 12mg. Tea There is only one tea species that has traces of caffeine and it’s known as the camellia sinensis. Farmers harvest its leaves and then processthem in order for them to produce different flavors and types. Kenneth (2011)notes that oxidation levels determine the nature of the tea.The caffeinated tea leaves are normally yellow, white, green or black in color. According to the Tea association in U.S.A American consumed more than 65billion tea servings. 80% of the tea served was black tea while the remaining 19.5 % was green tea. A cup of tea normally has caffeine measuring up to 85mg while green tea contains 60mg.White tea has 55mg and Oolong tea has the least amount, 35mg. Soft drinks In some soft drink the caffeine levels are between 24 mg to 54 mg in every 12 oz. This statistics were reported after the Mayo clinic conducted a research. The clinic also realized that the caffeine found in soft drinks was chemically similar to the caffeine found in tea and coffee (Charles, 2010). The only difference is that the caffeine in the soft drink is produced synthetically and filteredinto powder form. Energy drinks Most energy drinks have higher caffeine levels than even soft drinks. Caffeine is added in energy drinks so as to give the user a boost of energy for a short period (Davidson, 2011). Research conducted revealed that energy drinks can have caffeine levels measuring between eighty and two eighty milligramsdepending on the size of the can. Pain relievers Some pain killers also have caffeine. Caffeine assists in absorbing the analgesic parts of the medicine which are normally the main pain reliving components. This ensures the pain relievers are effective even when taken in smaller dosages (Kenneth, 2011). Consumers should be keen when buying over the counter drugs as their caffeine levels are usually indicated on their labels. Caffeine Use Disorder Coffee is considered to have both benefits and problems on the user. People who take coffee benefit form positive ingredients and antioxidants. The caffeine component in coffee is what causes controversy. Charles (2011) contends that Caffeine can assist an individual to lose weight but at the same time can cause negative consequences. Some of the negative effects associated with caffeine are; headaches, nervousness, addiction, insomnia and heart problems. People with sensitive bodies might find their bodies shaking, a disorder known as jitters. People who are also coffee addicts or those that consume large amounts of coffee also occasionally suffer severe headaches when they stop drinking coffee. Nervousness Coffee is known to trigger the flight or fight response. This means that the adrenalines released are the same as those released when someone is stressed. It would not be advisable for someone to take a cup of coffee if they are about to have a presentation and they are nervous about it (Charles, 2010). Individuals who occasionally experience panic attacks should also avoid coffee as the caffeine can trigger a nervous disposition. Insomnia Anyone who takes a cup a coffee before going to sleep will always stay awake. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty finding sleep and even maintaining sleep. The caffeine causes nervousness; this is also the reason as to why finding sleep after a cup of coffee is really hard (Smith, 2009). Also, flight or fight is triggered which increases the speed of the heart rate. People taking large amounts of coffee lack sleep for several days. Sleeping is a healthy requirement because it provides opportunities for a person to regain from lost energy. Heart problems When a person drinks coffee their hear rate increases this is healthy especially when exercising the heart but if the heart has other complications then this could be risky. For example for people who suffer from high blood pressure an increased heart rate is risky for their lives. As increasing the rate at which blood flows in the bloody might trigger a fatal heart attack. For this reason (Kenneth, 2011). To deal with the problem scientists developed the decaf coffee that eliminates caffeine there by reducing the negative side effective associated with caffeine. Benefits of Decaf Coffee Diabetes A research conducted indicated that people who used decaf had a lower possibility of contracting diabetes type 2 this is because coffee has chlorogenic acid. This is a chemical that is found inthe blood that is used to regulate the glucose levels in the body. The studies also showed that individuals who took more than 6 cups of coffee in a day had a lower risk of suffering from diabetes (Knowlton, 2015). This means that anyone taking six cups is already an addict and his or her boy has already adapted to the arousal of caffeine that is constantly on the metabolism of the body. Antioxidants This is a term that is used mostly while advertising health foods which have numerous benefits. Antioxidants have the ability to eliminate “free radicals” found in our bodies which damage cells. At times the damage can exceed and begin appearing on the surface of the cells resulting thereby making aging signs visible, for instance wrinkles. If this damage manages to break the cell walls and penetrate the nucleus into the DNA this can spell disaster. In that cancer causing cells can then manage to change the generic structures of the DNA. By taking caffeinated coffee one takes in antioxidants that clean up free radicals and thereby limiting the damage they can do to generic structures (Kenneth, 2011). This means that by taking coffee an individual can still look younger and still reduce the incidence of contracting cancer especially colon cancer Digestion Coffee is able to improve the digestion of food materials that occurs in the digestive tract. According to Knowlton (2015), this reduces the work of the gut. Studies have shown that taking decaf coffee reduces the rate at which dietary carcinogens occurs. Women’s health A research conducted by the Science Daily showed that women who took decaf coffee everyday had 25% less likely hood of developing heart diseases. The most interesting thing about this finding was that there was no effect on men (Wessells, 2001). Another research even showed that women who took decaf coffee had a lower likely hood of getting breast cancer. Weight loss Most studies have shown that for weight loss to be effective caffeinated coffee is the best as it speeds up the metabolism and therefore burns the calories at a faster rate. Decaf coffee is however effective as it is consumed while hot. The body therefore has to reduce the body temperature to ensure its optimum and while doing so it burns a lot of energy (Davidson, 2011).In Asia tea is actually served while hot despite the extremely hot temperatures .The assumption is that the body temperature will lower after ingesting hot tea. Conclusion Caffeine usage has both positive and negative effects on the user. Any individual who has problems with the caffeine component should consider using decaf coffee as human bodies are different on matters of sensitivity. For those whose suffer from caffeine disorders such as nausea, headaches and irritability they should consider lowering the caffeine consumption levels or they should change their source of caffeine from coffee to other beverages. Caffeine consumption unlike cigarettes or alcohol gives the user the advantage to choose either a decaffeinated beverage or a non-caffeinated beverage at a restaurant without raising attention. References Smith, F. (2009).The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. New York: Oxford University Press. Davidson, A. (2011). The Oxford Companion to Food.UK : Oxford University Press. Charles P. (2010). "Drug Addiction and Drug Abuse."Chapter 24 in Goodman & Gilmans The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, edited by J. G. Hardman and L. E. Limbird. 9th edition. New York and St. Louis, MO: McGraw-Hill. Kenneth, R. (2011)."Naturopathic Medicine."Chapter 7, in the Best Alternative Medicine.New York: Simon & Schuster. Caffeine Content of Food & Drugs. (2014).Center for Science in the Public Interest. Retrieved from Mar 28, 2015, from http://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm/table_ energy drinks Caffeine use disorder: A widespread health problem that needs more attention. (2014 Jan, 28). EurekAlert the Global Source for Science News. Retrieved from Mar 28, 2015 fromhttp://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-01/au-cud012814.php Knowlton, S. (2015). Benefits of decaf Coffee. Retrieved from Mar 28, 2015 from http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15841/1/Benefits-of-Decaf-Coffee.html Wessells, H. (2001). Ambrosia Arabica: books and coffee in history. Retrieved from Mar 28, 2015 fromhttp://www.avramdavidson.org/coffee.htm Read More