Professor William Berry Chapter 11 Caffeine Professor William Berry

Professor William Berry Caffeine Caffeine is the most used psychoactive drug. Xanthine is the class of drug which caffeine belongs to. Xanthines include caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. Professor William Berry

Professor William Berry Coffee Originally discovered in Arabia. Originally appeared in an Arabian medical book in AD 900. Coffee growing spread around the world, and currently Latin America is the largest exporter of coffee to the United States. The average cup of drip coffee has @ 115mg of caffeine. Professor William Berry

Professor William Berry Tea First appeared in a Chinese manuscript in AD 350, but was largely medicinal. First non-medicinal mention was in AD 780 and what confirms common use is a tax levied that same year. In 1610 the Dutch introduced tea to the continent of Europe. Although people often say tea has more caffeine than coffee, that is true per pound, not per cup. Professor William Berry

Professor William Berry Chocolate Although chocolate was introduced to Europe almost a century before coffee and tea, its use spread slowly. By the 1650’s it was sold alongside coffee. In 1847 the first chocolate bar was sold. The unique xanthine in chocolate is theobromine. Theobromine acts similarly to caffeine, but is much less potent. Professor William Berry

Professor William Berry Soft Drinks Coca-Cola, the first soft drink, began as a green nerve tonic in 1886. Originally had small amounts of cocaine, removed by 1906. Cola has about 34mgs of caffeine. Soft drinks are limited to a little less than 6mg per ounce. Professor William Berry

Professor William Berry Energy Drinks Jolt cola has the maximum amount of caffeine allowed for soft drinks at almost 72mg per 12 ounces. Red Bull’s main active ingredient, although touting itself an energy drink, is caffeine, at 80mg per 8.3 ounces. There is no evidence any of its other ingredients (besides sugar) have any particular effect. Professor William Berry

Caffeine & Over the Counter Drugs No-Doz has 100mg’s caffeine and Vivarin 200mgs. Most aspirin and other OTC analgesics have @ 32mgs, with the exception of Excedrin, which has double that. This is important as pain relievers in combination with coffee can result in large doses of caffeine. Professor William Berry

Caffeine Pharmacology Caffeine is absorbed quickly and reaches peak amounts in the blood at @ 30 minutes. Maximal CNS effects are reached in about 2 hours, but affects can be experienced in 30 minutes. Regular caffeine use can result in dependence, most noted by tolerance and withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms include headache, fatigue, and decreased vigor. Professor William Berry

Caffeine Pharmacology The mechanism of action blocks adenosine, which is a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator. Adenosine usually causes behavioral sedation by inhibiting the release of other neurotransmitters. 200 mgs of caffeine (two 4-5 ounce cups of coffee taken close together) activate the cortex and results in arousal, decreasing fatigue and drowsiness. Professor William Berry

Caffeine Pharmacology 500 mgs affect the autonomic centers of the brain, increasing heart rate and respiration. Although caffeine use is associated with better concentration, in studies those who regularly use caffeine do more poorly on study oriented tasks then those who use minimal amounts of caffeine. Professor William Berry

Professor William Berry Effects / Concerns Stimulation Headache relief Cancer According to the American Cancer Society there is no reason for concern in regard to caffeine. Reproductive effects Caffeine use in women decreases fertility, and in pregnant women increases the risk of spontaneous abortion and slowed fetus growth resulting in lower birth weight. Heart Disease Those who consume five or more cups of coffee daily are about 2.5 times more likely to experience coronary heart disease than non-drinkers. Professor William Berry