Caffeine

More Than Just a Cup of Coffee

Which sleep chemical in the brain does caffeine block from binding to nerve cells.

• A. Dopamine• B. Oxytocin• C. Adenosine

Which neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, does caffeine stimulate in the brain?

• A. Dopamine• B. Epinephrine• C. Serotonin

Purpose: To increase mental alertness. Caffeine occurs naturally in many plants,

including coffee beans, tea leaves and cocoa beans. Colas and Energy drinks are made with artificial flavors, and caffeine is often added during the production process. As adenosine is created in the brain, it binds to adenosine receptors.

This binding causes drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity. In the brain, this also causes blood vessels to dilate, most likely to let more oxygen into that organ during sleep. To a nerve cell, caffeine looks like adenosine:

Caffeine binds to the adenosine receptor. However, caffeine doesn't slow down the cell's activity like adenosine would. As a result, the cell can no longer

identify adenosine because caffeine is taking up all the receptors that adenosine would normally bind to. Instead of slowing down because of the

adenosine's effect, the nerve cells speed up and the blood vessels to constrict. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates pleasure centers in certain parts

of the brain that we associate with positive experiences.

What happens when caffeine enters the body?

• A. Caffeine is a stimulant which increases the heart rate and mental alertness

• B. Caffeine is a stimulant which decreases the heart rate and can cause drowsiness.

• C. Caffeine is a depressant which dilates blood vessels and relaxes muscles.

How it affects the body: Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system (CNS), heart,

muscles, and the centers that control blood pressure. Caffeine can raise blood pressure, but might not have this effect in people who use it all the time.

Caffeine can also act like a “water pill” that increases urine flow. But again, it may not have this effect in people who use caffeine regularly.

Caffeine causes your blood vessels to constrict, which is why your hands get cold, your muscles tense up, you feel excited and you can feel your heart beat

increasing after consuming a big cup of coffee.

Caffeine can positively help the body if consuming less than 400 mg per day.

• A. True• B. False

Positive Effects for Caffeine:

• Preventing Parkinson’s disease. There is some evidence that suggests people who drink caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and cola have a decreased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

• Asthma. Caffeine appears to improve airway function somewhat in people with asthma for up to four hours.

• Preventing type 2 diabetes, when caffeine is acquired from drinking coffee or tea. Drinking coffee or tea is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

• Headache, including migraine and headache following surgery. Caffeine is an FDA-approved product for use with painkilling medications for improving pain relief.

• Regular coffee drinkers were 80 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.

• Two cups a day reduced subjects' risk for colon cancer by 20 percent.• Two cups a day caused an 80 percent drop in the odds of developing

cirrhosis.• Two cups a day cut the risk of developing gallstones in half.• Caffeine is LIKELY SAFE for most adults when used appropriately.

What percentage of Americans consume caffeine every day?

A. 50% B. 75% C. 90%

What is the maximum recommended amount of caffeine for adults? For Teenagers? (mg)A. 500 mg/400mgB. 150 mg/50mgC. 400mg/200 mg

How much caffeine can a person have?

• For most healthy adults, moderate doses of caffeine 300 to 400 milligrams (mg), or about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day is not harmful. (This may vary depending on the “strength” of the brewing process.) Other factors may your body mass, your age, if you are using specific medications and health conditions such as anxiety disorders.

• Teens should try to limit caffeine consumption to no more than 100 to 200 mg of caffeine daily, and kids should get even less.

Possible Negative Effects of Caffeine (Large Doses= 400-600 +mg)• Caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness and restlessness,

stomach irritation, nausea and vomiting, increased heart rate and respiration, and other side effects.

• Larger doses might cause headache, anxiety, agitation, chest pain, and ringing in the ears.

• Large doses may be UNSAFE and can cause irregular heartbeats and even death.

• Diarrhea: Caffeine, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea.

• Weak bones (osteoporosis): Caffeine can increase the amount of calcium that is flushed out in the urine. It’s also a good idea to get extra calcium to make up for the amount that may be lost in the urine.

• Various Medications can interact with caffeine in a harmful way to the body. Check with your doctor and with the pharmacists for any known interactions.

You can not get addicted to caffeine?True Or False

How long does it take the body to rid itself of HALF the caffeine it consumes.A. 1 hourB. 6 hoursC. 12 hours

Can Caffeine be addictive?• Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates pleasure centers in

certain parts of the brain. • Caffeine blocks adenosine reception so you feel alert. It injects

adrenaline into the system to give you a boost. And it manipulates dopamine production to make you feel good.

• But caffeine can cause a vicious cycle of problems in the long term. For example, once caffeine-induced adrenaline wears off, you face fatigue and depression. Another cup of coffee or energy drink can get the adrenaline flowing again, but having your body in a state of emergency, jumpy and irritable all day long, isn't very healthy.

• The most important long-term problem with caffeine is its effect on your sleep. The half-life of caffeine in your body is about six hours. That means that drinking a big cup of coffee containing 200 milligrams of caffeine at 3:00 p.m. will leave about 100 milligrams of that caffeine in your system at 9:00 p.m. Adenosine reception, which is affected by caffeine, is important to sleep, and especially to deep sleep. You may be able to fall asleep hours after that big cup of coffee, but your body will probably miss out on the benefits of deep sleep.

Which has more?

Coffee• Starbucks Cafe Mocha- 16

oz.• McDonald’s Coffee-16 oz.• Maxwell House

International Coffee-16 oz.

Energy Drinks• Full Throttle 16 oz.• Rockstar/Monster 16 oz.• Red Bull 16 oz.

• Soda Pop• Pepsi Max 12 oz.• Mt. Dew 12 oz.• Sprite 12 oz.

Which has more?Coffee

• Starbucks Cafe Mocha- 16 oz. 175 mg

• McDonald’s Coffee-16 oz. 133 mg

• Maxwell House International Coffee-16 oz. 130 mg

Energy Drinks

• Full Throttle 16 oz. 200 mg• Rockstar/Monster 16 oz. 160

mg• Red Bull 16 oz. 80 mg

• Soda Pop• Pepsi Max 12 oz. 69 mg• Mt. Dew 12 oz. 54 mg• Sprite 12 oz. 0 mg

How many milligrams:

• One cup (8 ounces)of brewed coffee provides from 95-150 mg of caffeine.

• An 8-ounce serving of black tea provides from 40-120 mg of caffeine.

• An 8-ounce serving of green tea provides 15-60 mg of caffeine.

• Soft drinks such as cola provide from 20-80 mg of caffeine per 12 ounce serving.

• Sports or energy drinks typically provide from 48-300 mg of caffeine per serving.

Specific Drinks and Foods with Caffeine

• Coffee-flavored frozen yogurt and ice cream is also suspect, with anywhere from 45 to 85 milligrams of caffeine per cup, depending on the brand.

• Other products that have more caffeine than you might expect:• Product (serving) Caffeine (milligrams)• Jolt Caffeine Energy Gum (2 pieces) 26• Propel Invigorating Water (20 oz.) 50• Naked Juice Energy 100% Juice Smoothie (15.2 oz.) 82• Enviga Sparkling Green Tea (12 oz.) 100• Crystal Light Energy (16 oz.) 120

Ice Cream and Yogurt

Cold Stone Creamery Mocha Ice Cream Gotta Have It, 12 oz. 52

Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream 4 oz. 45

TCBY Coffee Frozen Yogurt large, 13.4 fl. oz. 42

Dannon All Natural Coffee Lowfat Yogurt 6 oz. 30

Häagen-Dazs Coffee Ice Cream 4 fl. oz. 29

Stonyfield Gotta Have Java Nonfat Frozen Yogurt 4 oz. 28

Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Ice Cream 4 oz. 25

Baskin Robbins Jamoca Ice Cream 4 oz. 20

Dreyer's or Edy's Grand Ice Cream—Coffee or Espresso Chip 4 oz. 17

Breyers Coffee Ice Cream 4 oz. 1

Häagen-Dazs Coffee Almond Crunch Snack Size Bar 1.8 oz. 10

Dreyer's, Edy's, or Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Ice Cream 4 oz. less than 1

Chocolate Candy and Chocolate Drinks

Starbucks Hot Chocolate grande, 16 fl. oz. 25

Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar 1.5 oz. 20

Hershey's—Milk Chocolate Bar 1.6 oz. 9

Hershey's Kisses 9 pieces, 1.4 oz. 9

Hershey's Cocoa 1 Tbs. 8

Dove Dark Chocolate Silky Smooth Promises 5 pieces, 1.4 oz. 4

Silk Chocolate Soymilk 8 fl. oz. 4

Hershey's Chocolate Lowfat Milk, bottle 12 fl. oz. 2

Sodas with Caffeine:

• Jolt Cola 100• Diet Pepsi Max 69• Dr. Pepper 41• Mountain Dew

54• Pepsi 38• Diet Coke

34• Coke 58

Energy Drinks

Questions to Answer1. Which sleep chemical in the brain does caffeine block from binding to nerve

cells.2. What is the maximum recommended amount of caffeine for adults? For

Teenagers? (mg)3. What happens when caffeine enters the body?4. Caffeine can positively help the body if consuming less than 400 mg per day.5. List three Possible Negative Effects of Caffeine

(Large Doses= 400-600 +mg).6. You can not get addicted to caffeine?7. How long does it take the body to rid itself of HALF the caffeine it consumes.8. Chocolate has caffeine in it.