Caffeine : Is It Helpful For Athletes?

This article discusses the affects caffeine has on several aspects of human health. These included toxicity, cardiovascular effects (arrhythmia, heart rate, cholesterol and BP), bone/calcium balance, behavior, and reproductive and developmental effects. It also discussing the affect caffeine intake has on children and reproductive-aged women.

Caffeine is a wildly use drug in today’s society. Caffeine is a methylated xanthine which acts as a mild central nervous system stimulant (MS & RL, 2001). It is a stimulant which acts upon the central nervous system and increases alertness, wakefulness and restlessness and it increases the release of catecholamine from renal medullar (Fernandez, 2016; Collines, 2007). It is present in many beverages. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, products containing chocolate (cocoa) and some medication (Collines, 2007). It is used as a cardiac and respiratory stimulant (Collines, 2007).Caffeine is the most frequently ingested pharmacologically active substance in the world (Collines, 2007).

Pure caffeine is a white powder, like what is found in caffeine pills, and is “a plant-based alkaloid which

Caffeine is a mild stimulant that occurs naturally in at least 63 plant species. Caffeine can be found in the leaves, stems, seeds, and roots of these various plants. Caffeine is part of the methylxanthine family. It consists of a xanthine molecule with three methyl groups attached to it. Caffeine can be found in many products like sodas, tea, and coffee, but it also occurs in several other products such as prescription medications, diuretics, and pain relievers. Caffeine’s widespread use and popularity have caused many people to view the substance as an addictive drug. Thus making caffeine the most inexpensive and readily available drug known to man. Then on the other hand there are

Caffeine is a natural central nervous system stimulant. It is considered a drug that if is overly consumed can be dangerous for one’s body. Caffeine is a temporary energy booster that improves mood and alertness for most people, mainly athletes. It can be an eye-opener in the morning, could be drunk or eaten on practice brakes, and for some, it just became a habit that they cannot go through a day without a cup of coffee before exiting their doorways. Furthermore, it requires good health and stamina for athletes to perform throughout the game, particularly the one in teams,

Various countries consumed caffeine containing plants as a source of energy in the past, while still being unaware that the compound within the plants was causing the stimulating effects. In 1819, Friedlieb Runge discovered and isolated caffeine, which gave rise to the production of new caffeine containing products. Most individuals today consume caffeine in the form of coffee because of its’ ability to decrease fatigue and drowsiness. Although caffeine is soluble in water at room temperature, the molecules will not completely dissolve; therefore, coffee is made with hot water to dissolve a greater quantity of the caffeine molecules. Caffeine produces its’ stimulating effect by interfering with adenosine, a chemical in the nervous system that releases signals to notify the body when sleep is needed. Adenosine is a by-product of brain function and it will accumulate in the body throughout the day. Eventually adenosine levels will reach a maximum, causing adenosine to start binding to receptor sites to notify the brain to slow down cellular activity. Caffeine and adenosine are both alkaloids (organic compounds composed of many nitrogen atoms) with similar shapes, ring structures and covalent bonds, which allows caffeine to bind to adenosine receptors. Caffeine will occupy all adenosine receptor sites, causing the brain to maintain cellular activity and not induce

Caffeine is a psychoactive drug and potentially deadly in large amounts, especially for adolescents (Hershorin, Lipschulz, Schaechter & Seifert, 2011). Caffeine is one the most common energy drink ingredients and one of the most widely consumed substances in the world. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), caffeine is a chemical stimulant compound found in various plants that acts as a central nervous system stimulant. Caffeine is produced naturally and artificially. Caffeine is found mainly in coffee, tea, soda, chocolate, energy drinks and some over-the-counter medications. Due to the increasing demands placed on teenagers today, caffeine is becoming more prevalent in adolescents. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children have no more than 100 mg of caffeine a day due to unknown medical conditions, the fact a teenager’s brain is still in a developmental stage, and the importance sleep plays in the developing brain. Table 1, shows the amount of caffeine for the energy drinks in this report. (Note-this does not include the caffeine from blend ingredients)

Caffeine is an alkaloid discovered in 1819 by Friedlieb Runge and a German baron known as

The world’s most popular drug is legal, inexpensive, and believed to amplify workouts. It supposedly motivates athletes and helps them stay alert and focused while also boosting physical endurance by twenty to fifty percent. This stimulant is found naturally in sixty-three plants and is consumed by eighty percent of Americans. This white, bitter, crystalline substance is known as caffeine, and is commonly consumed in efforts to enhance athletic ability (http://gopher1.bu.edu/COHIS/substance/caffeine/about.htm).

Athletes partaking in performance enhancing drugs is another sport specific risk behaviour to achieve victory. Taking performance enhancing drugs gives an extra edge and is a short cut to good performance. It allows one to perform under any circumstances. In fact, stimulants are the most common types of drugs that are misused. Stimulants reduce tiredness and pain. Further, it increases endurance and explosive power due to the reduction of pain. The earliest reasons for the use of stimulants is because of the restricting barriers to pain. Nevertheless, this causes more injuries as they are pushing their bodies past what they are physically capable of. However, they are not aware of this because at the time the athlete is no responsive to pain.

Isolation of a Natural product, in the experiment caffeine [C8H10N4O2], is based on a series of procedures. Firstly, it is important to examine the structure of caffeine which is an alkaloid. Typically alkaloids are nitrogen based and found in plants, caffeine itself is composed of a purine ring with functional groups of a amide, amine and alkene respectively. Furthermore, Caffeine includeds a lone pair on the nitrogen atom asserting several functional properties(Zhao et al. 206). Under examination of the caffeine structure several intermolecular forces are present including hyrdogen bonding, dipole dipole forces and Van der Waals forces. What this indicates is that caffeine is a polar molecule and reacts moderatley hydrophobically in the

This research paper is about athletes and their use of drugs. The drug that is most

Finding the answer to the adamant question presented for the research of Drug Use Among Athletes and Its Everlasting Consequences, was all too simple. Statistics “suggest that 60 percent of athletes take drugs”, approximately 45 of this 60 percent do not get treatment or consequences, and the athletes who do get caught have little to no consequences on their first offense. The world turns their blind-eye to most athletes, without thinking of the future to come. The most significant way to fix this problem is by enforcing the rules to the present and future players and teaching them the pros and cons of using drugs while in the mist of their athletic career. Good things about using drugs includes muscle building, increased physical appearance,

It has in fact been found that intake of caffeine may enhances the physical performance however there is no linear relation between the amount of caffeine consumed and the performance. It is evidenced that caffeine is able to enhance different types of performance when consumed in low or moderate doses (3-6 mg/kg), whereas higher doses provides no further benefits. It is evident that caffeine enhances the performance during high-intense exercises for a longer period of time, the impact of caffeine is however not identical in all individuals and the effect on the performance depends on the athletes. There are reported no significantly difference of the impact of caffeine on individuals habitually caffeine consumers and non-habitual caffeine

Ever stay up late studying for a test or exam and wake up exhausted? Or just experienced a long day and need an extra boost? Many people believe caffeine is the answer to anyone’s drained state of being. Healthline.com explains that, “Caffeine reaches your brain quickly and acts as a central nervous system stimulant.” Caffeine is commonly referred to the most widely used drug on the planet, so the next question is which caffeine-filled product is the most efficient? It is widely debated whether energy drinks or coffee can provide the best balance of caffeine, flavor, and other ingredients, but after researching, I have come to conclude coffee is superlative in all aspects.