Everyone has seen news reports or articles on Facebook about someone dying from drinking too many energy drinks. Seeing this information all the time obviously leads people to believe that an energy drink, or just caffeine in general, is very damaging to their health. Some even believe that caffeine should be banned, or they believe that there should be an age limit. Ninety percent of people all over the world consume caffeine in some form everyday (Gatlin). Why can some people drink caffeine everyday and not be harmed, but some people die from it? This question has led scientists to study the risks of using caffeine. Most of them found surprising results that did not agree with the hypothesis that caffeine is harmful. Even though caffeine has traditionally been accepted as unhealthy, it actually has many health benefits. The first and most obvious benefit of caffeine is that is improves memory, reaction time, and basic mental functioning. Michael Yassa, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, did a study on caffeine and memory. He gave half of his patients 200 milligrams of caffeine and the other half a placebo and tested their ability to recall images. He proved that caffeine improves memory for up to 24 hours after it is consumed (Gatlin). There is not much information on the long-term memory effects of caffeine, but scientists are learning more everyday.
Additionally, many studies have been conducted on the effects of caffeine and reaction time. Scientists have found
Caffeine’s mental appeal is just as trendy as its physical purpose. Caffeine has been proven to stimulate the central nervous system. Caffeine stimulates the Central Nervous System at high levels, like the medulla and cortex, and even has the ability to reach the spinal cord in larger doses. The effect of caffeine in the cortex is a clearer thought process and also can rid the body of fatigue. This gives people a greater ability of concentration for 1-3 hours. For athletes competing in sports where quick thinking and rapid reactions are necessary, caffeine can provide a huge edge. However, these results are much more inconsistent than the experiments done on caffeine in endurance sports. (http://www.garynull.com/Documents/CaffeineEffects.htm)
Caffeine has many negative effects on humans, such as increased heart rate (Lane, J.D., 2002), depression (Goldstein, 2008), and addiction to this “drug.” You may be asking yourself, “What is caffeine?” Well, caffeine is actually a stimulant (Barone, Roberts, 2008) that is found in beverages such as tea, coffee, and soft drinks. In fact, caffeine is the highest grossing and most used stimulant in the United States (Barone, Roberts, 2008). It is estimated that 85% of adults living in the United States consume caffeine on a daily basis (Barone, Roberts, 2008). That means for every 100 adults, 85 of them have had a drink that contained caffeine on any given day. One reason caffeine is so widely available compared to other stimulants is
Besides the obvious and immediate effects of drinks containing high amounts of caffeine there are a few long-term benefits worth mentioning. Depression is a horrible condition that slowly eats away at a person until there is nothing left of them. Coffee has been shown to fight depression ("Does Caffeine Reduce the Risk of Depression?). By drinking a few cups of coffee or one can of an energy drink chances of depression
3. Mental performance, low doses of caffeine 20-200mg has positive mood effects, such as increased happiness and well-being.
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.
Research by Smith 2001, shows that he found that cognitive performance over the course of a working day was improved more in people who consumed above average amounts of caffeine than those who consumed less than average.
The consumption of caffeine can increase alertness, reaction speed, vigilance, the ability to concentrate and problem-solving ability; all the things Red Bull Energy Drink also claims to do (Red Bull 2013).
Not only does this paper discuss the affect caffeine has on BP and heart rate, but it also goes into great depth on the other affects caffeine can have on the human body. While this source provides one with a lot of information, we would mainly be using the information on the cardiovascular effects and possibly behavior. This source can also be used in order to find additional sources because it discusses many results from previous studies and trials.
Caffeine is demarcated as a drug because it arouses the central nervous system, causing increased alertness. Caffeine gives most people a temporary energy boost and elevates mood. That’s why everyone generally uses it for plenty of reasons mostly dealing with work or school. Some people use caffeinated energy drinks to improve their endurance while playing sports or to dance for long periods. That’s just the beginning, these are the things that caffeine does to the brain, heart, fetus, and body.
Thesis: Caffeine can have many different effects on the body depending on the amount of consumption.
According to Smith (2001), he found that cognitive performance over the course of a working day was improved more in people who consumed above average amounts of caffeine than those who consumed less than average (Smith 2001).
Thesis Statement: Caffeine is something that almost everyone has consumed and some people are even addicted to, it has negative and positive effects on one’s health.
According to energyfiend.com a study in Japan showed that caffeine increases memory and has been shown to decrease the rate of Alzheimer’s. This study also showed that caffeine can decrease depression by increasing Dopamine (A mood altering hormone) in the brain. With the increase in production of Dopamine, daily intake of caffeine has also been shown to decrease the rate of Parkinson’s disease.
Sylvia Nena (2011) also stated that “Manufactures of these products claim to increase energy, endurance, burn fat and improve athletic performance. According to experts, many of them state that it is untrue that energy drink helps to increase energy. This is due to drugs that can be found in the drinks such as caffeine. Caffeine with high levels of consuming can cause some problems to the human body like palpitations, hypertension, vomiting, convulsions and even worst heart failure which can lead to death. Roland Griffiths (2012) a caffeine specialist said that high caffeine in use by young people can cause a cycle of rushes and crashes that can add “a degree of variance to their moods and psychological well-being that they don’t really need. Joao Breda(2014) from WHO’s Europe wrote that caffeine has a proven negative effect on
Caffeine is one of the most consumed psychoactive substances around the world. Caffeine is not bad for health, some researchers even show positive effects. Caffeine appears to reduce fatigue. And in this way also has an indirect effect on decision. Regarding cognitive function, caffeine has an effect on reaction time. Some studies also show a positive effect on long-term memory.