Caffeine is a bitter, white, crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug and is a mild diuretic in human beings and other animals. Its discovery is attributed to the German chemist Friedrich Ferdinand Runge in 1819. He gave it the term ‘kaffein’, a chemical compound found in coffee which popularly came to be known as Caffeine.
Caffeine is also called guaranine when found in Guarana, Mateine when found in mate and theine when found in tea. It is found in varying quantities in the beans, leaves and fruits of more than 60 plants. It is also known to act as a natural pesticide that paralyses and kills certain insects seeding on the plants.
Human beings have consumed Caffeine ever since the Stone Age. In earlier times, it was found that chewing the seeds, bark or leaves of certain plants reduced fatigue, increased awareness and elevated the mood. Today, caffeine is consumed by human beings in various infusions extracted from the beans of the coffee plants, leaves of the tea bush and is found in a number of foods and drinks containing products derived from the Kola nut or cocoa. It is found in chocolates, beverages such as tea, coffee, soft drinks and cocoa. Other sources of caffeine include yerba mate, guarana berries and yaupon holly.
A large population of America consumes caffeine in various forms on a daily basis. According to research, 80-90% of American adults take more than 200 mg of the substance on a daily basis.
Benefits of Caffeine:
Caffeine stimulates the Central Nervous System (CNS) and plays an important role in various medical conditions.
It temporarily reduces weariness and fatigue.
It decreases drowsiness and restores alertness.
It helps induce weight loss in individuals.
It improves energy and concentration.
It helps in enhancing the mood and fights headache and anxiety.
It is used in the treatment of breathing problems in premature infants, apnea of prematurity.
It also treats the reduction in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in premature infants with caffeine citrate therapy regiments.
It is ergogenic in nature i.e. it increases the capacity for mental and physical labor.
Caffeine makes pain relievers 40% more effective in reducing headaches and helps the body to absorb these medications more quickly.
It is extensively used in the treatment of migraine and cluster headaches as well as to over come the drowsiness caused by antihistamines.
Caffeine tolerance:
The exact amount of the substance necessary to produce the desired effects varies from person to person depending upon the body size and tolerance to it. Caffeine starts affecting the body in less than an hour and a mild dose tends to wear off in 3-4 hours.
Withdrawal Symptoms:
Caffeine is known to stimulate the Central Nervous System’s receptors for the Neurotransmitter– Adenosine. Individuals taking caffeine regularly adapt to its continual presence by increasing the number of adenosine receptors in the CNS. This increases the body’s sensitivity to adenosine and results in a condition known as tolerance adaptation when the consumption of caffeine is reduced. A reduction in the consumption of the drug increases the physiological effects of adenosine, resulting in various withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, lack of concentration, stomachache, headache, depression, anxiety etc.
Withdrawal symptoms of caffeine appear within 12-14 hours after the discontinuation of the drug and heighten after 48 hours and usually last up to 5 days.
Overdose:
If used in large quantities over extended periods of time it can lead to a condition called caffeinism which is marked by a wide range of physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, depression, hyperflexia, insomnia, headache, respiratory alkalosis, peptic ulcers, erosive, esophagitis etc. Psychiatric disorders due to an overdose include caffeine intoxication, caffeine induced anxiety disorder and caffeine induced sleep disorder.
Doses:
Caffeine doses should not exceed 250 ml/g in adults. Pregnant and nursing women should limit their intake of caffeine to less than 250 mg per day. Higher intake of the drug may result in miscarriage.
Side effects:
Extremely high doses of caffeine (80 to 100 cups) may lead to mania, loss of social inhibition, hallucinations, psychosis, depression, disorientation and even death. Taking caffeine in excess over a long period of time impairs long term memory and leads to stunted growth in children.
Caffeine might be a great stimulant for warding off tiredness, drowsiness and exhaustion but on the other hand an overdose of the substance may be harmful for health. Therefore, it is recommended to take advice from a registered medical practitioner before consuming it in higher quantity.
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