Essay #2 Is it fair to call coffee a drug?.
I. Coffee is suspected of causing health problems among its drinkers, the research done on
this subject is controversial, there is a serious dilemma between whether to call the coffee a
‘drug’-like or not.
A. There are multiple myths and false legends around the properties of caffeine and
the diseases it may cause, moreover, due to triggering an addiction it risks being
called a ‘drug’.
B. The massive popularization of coffee led to the uncontrolled consumption of
related products, which inevitably caused health problems of different scales,
from light anxiety to cancer. Although, many people claim they can not function
without a cup of ‘espresso’, caffeine addiction should not be equaled to drug
addictions due to its natural microstructure and degree of influence on the
human body, additional factor is that for a person it is much easier to abstain
from the given beverage than from actual drugs.
II. The clear ‘drug’ definition must be settled, then it is first priority to compare the caffeine
with the definition.
A. The drugs are the chemical products that affect the brain processes and may
cause severe addiction with different consequences (lethal in the worst case).
B. According to Gwinnell, E., & Adamec, C. (2016) Caffeine is a legal stimulant
that is present in many products, which significantly influences human organism
in uncontrolled dosages.
1.
Excess of caffeine leads to different health problems.
2.
Doses of caffeine are easily manageble, and it is important to avoid
overdose.
III. In order to understand the nature of the coffee, it is important to analyze its structure and chemical
content. Apparently, it consists of caffeine and a group of antioxidants. Thus, due to the properties of
these substances, the human body responds to them strangely. Additionally, every human’s case is
individual in this regard (Merritt, 2018).
A. Generally coffee is a good stimulant and relatively safe for the consumers as far
as the doses are controlled. Even considering the presence of acrylamide in it
(Baker. 2018).
1.
Cancer is caused by acrylamide, which is present in coffee, but its
concentration is insignificant (Baker. 2018).
2.
Regular roasted food or smoking is more dangerous than coffee in this
aspect (Baker. 2018).
B. Multiple research works launched in the direction of establishing the strong
connection between caffeine and cancer led to no avail.
1.
In 2016 the WHO took coffee off a list of possible carcinogens.
2.
The previous researches on the subject were not objective, because were not
considering the smoking factor of patients.
C. In order to destruct an addiction to coffee, it is enough to limit its consumption
for a week or replace it with a beverage with less caffeine, such as tea.
IV. There are many claims and complaints about coffee addiction. In addition, some claim that health
damage is inevitable when drank in excess. That is why it should be tagged as a drug.
A. Many workers and students rely on coffee in order to maintain an effective
working mood, thus just can not abstain from it.
B. Coffee worsens the health conditions of human if he/she already suffers from an
illness.
V. An objective reason why coffee or at least caffeine will never ever be recognized as a ‘drug’ is the
capitalistic structure of the world.
A. Coffee is world-wide business with millions of dollars involved in the money
flow.
1.
Coffee corporations are international, and the US market is the largest in the
world.
2.
By 1999 Starbucks franchise was present in Europe, Japan and China.
B. A suitable comparison can be made with alcohol, which is even more of a ‘drug’
than coffee.
VI. A sustainable conclusion is to abstain from calling the Coffee a ‘drug’, due to the ability
of human to regulate its consumption. Moreover, it is merely inefficient from a financing
perspective to add caffeine to the such list.
References:
Baker, S. (2018, April 23). Fact Check: does coffee cause cancer? The Conversation.
https://theconversation.com/fact-check-does-coffee-cause-cancer-95387
Carlson, K., Eisenstat, S. & Ziporyn, T. (2004). Coffee. In K. J. Carlson, S. A. Eisenstat, &
T. D. Ziporyn, New harvard guide to women's health, the. Harvard University
Press.
Credo
Reference:
http://ezproxy.library.nu.edu.kz:2048/login?url=https://search.credoreference.c
om/content/entry/hupwh/coffee/0?institutionId=7630
Gwinnell, E., & Adamec, C. (2016). caffeine addiction. In E. Gwinnel, & C. Adamec, Facts
on File library of health and living: The encyclopedia of addictions and
addictive behaviors (2nd ed.). Facts On File. Credo Reference:
http://ezproxy.library.nu.edu.kz:2048/login?url=https://search.credoreference.c
om/content/entry/fofaaab/caffeine_addiction/0?institutionId=7630
Klos, B. (2019). The coffee bean -- not a fiend. In Harvard Health Publications
(Ed.), Harvard Medical School commentaries on health. Harvard Health
Publications. Credo Reference:
http://ezproxy.library.nu.edu.kz:2048/login?url=https://search.credoreference.c
om/content/entry/hhphoh/the_coffee_bean_not_a_fiend/0?institutionId=7630
Merritt, T. (2018). The biology of coffee, the world's most popular drink. In The Conversation
(Ed.), The conversation. The Conversation. Credo Reference:
http://ezproxy.library.nu.edu.kz:2048/login?url=https://search.credoreference.c
om/content/entry/conversqauq/the_biology_of_coffee_the_worlds_most_popu
lar_drink/0?institutionId=7630
Ronzio, R. (2017). decaffeinated beverages. In R. Ronzio, Facts on File library of health and
living: The encyclopedia of nutrition and good health (3rd ed.). Facts On File.
Credo Reference:
http://ezproxy.library.nu.edu.kz:2048/login?url=https://search.credoreference.c
om/content/entry/fofnagh/decaffeinated_beverages/0?institutionId=7630