Caffeine
By Charlene Friesen
and Tiffany Kirk
What Is Caffeine?
• Occurs naturally in some substances, like
coffee beans, teas leaves, cocoa beans,
guarana and mate.
• Its pure form is a white, bitter, crystal
powder that is isolated from decaffeinating
coffee and tea.
• Classified as both a psychoactive drug
and a food.
• Chemical name: 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
Typical Amounts of Caffeine
• Brewed Coffee:100-160mg/200ml
• Instant Coffee: 64mg/200ml
• Espresso/cappuccino/latte:
30-50mg/2tbsp or about 300-500 mg/ mug
• Tea: 40-70mg/200ml
• Colas: 50mg/can
• Jolt: 70mg/can
* Barq’s root beer: 25.4 mg/can
• Chocolate milk: 50mg/250ml
• Chocolate bar: 30mg/bar
• Tylenol #3: 45mg/tablet
• Excedrin: 65mg/tablet
• Pep Pill: 100-200mg/pill
How much caffeine is consumed?
• 80 to 90% of North Americans consume caffeine
everyday
• The average North American consumes 3001000mg per day
• A safe dose is 300mg/day (3 cups coffee)
• Over 600mg per day is considered excessive
(more than 4 cups of coffee or 15 cups of tea)
• A lethal dose is 7,500-10,000mg (50-200 cups of
coffee)
Looks Like Everybody is Drinking
Caffeine!
How Does Caffeine Work in the
Body?
• It interferes with the calming effects of the
neurotransmitter adenosine. It causes a release
of epinephrine, dopamine, serotonin which are
the excitatory neurotransmitters. This makes
your body think this is an emergency, and your
body responds by:
• Pupils dialate
• Airways dialate to increase oxygen capacity
• Heart rate increases
• Extremities get cold as surface blood vessels
contract to carry blood to muscle and brain
• Blood pressure rises
• Blood to the stomach, bladder and intestines
slows
• Liver releases glycogen for extra energy
• Muscles contract for action
• When the effects of caffeine wear off, adrenaline
wears off, and you feel tired or depressed
• It stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain,
causing addiction using the same channels as
amphetamines, cocaine and heroin, but with less
effect
• Caffeine’s half life is six hours, so that a
coffee containing 200mg of caffeine
consumed at 3pm will still have 100mg
caffeine in your bloodstream at 9pm and
be fully excreted at 3 am
• Caffeine reaches its peak concentrations
in your body within 30 to 60 minutes after
consumption
What are the side effects of
Caffeine?
THE GOOD…
• May protect against diabetes
• Enhances alertness
• Enhances physical performance and
endurance
• Increases efficacy of certain pain killers
• May reduce colon cancer
• Increases metabolism
• Fewer suicides noted in those addicted to
caffeine
THE BAD….
• Mild diuretic causing dehydration
• Cardiac and nervous stimulant
• Causes addiction
• Prevents deep sleep and causes insomnia
• Headache
• Anxiety
• Increase risk of miscarriage, birth defects and low
birth weight
• It crosses into breast milk and effects babies
negatively
• Causes calcium depletion from the bones
• Increases sensitivity to pain
AND THE UGLY….
Addiction and Withdrawal
• You are considered addicted to caffeine
if you feel that cannot function
without it, and must consume it
everyday
• Withdrawal symptoms include
headache, irritability, nervousness,
restlessness and exhaustion. In
extreme cases, nausea and vomiting
• Symptoms begin within 12-24 hours
after discontinuing caffeine usage, and
peaks after 20-48 hours
How Can I Quit?
• Caffeine Fading: reducing the amount of coffee
by about ½ cup per day. Make sure you have
other beverages available, like herbal tea, but do
not drink decaff coffee, as it is also addictive.
• Cold Turkey: The withdrawal symptoms can be
painful this way, but can be counter-acted by lots
of sleep and exercise. Or, drink a coke if you
just can’t take it.
Caffeine Survey
• How much caffeine do you typically
consume a day?
Typical Amounts of Caffeine
• Brewed Coffee:100-160mg/200ml
• Instant Coffee: 64mg/200ml
• Espresso/cappuccino/latte:
30-50mg/2tbsp or about 300-500 mg/ mug
• Tea: 40-70mg/200ml
• Colas: 50mg/can
• Jolt: 70mg/can
* Barq’s root beer: 25.4 mg/can
• Chocolate milk: 50mg/250ml
• Chocolate bar: 30mg/bar
• Tylenol #3: 45mg/tablet
• Excedrin: 65mg/tablet
• Pep Pill: 100-200mg/pill
The End!