Biology

project
Coffee addiction

SUBMITTED BY:
SUBMITTED TO:
VARUN SAROHA
TOMAR

H.S

12th-A
9609707

Index
CONTENTS-

PAGE NO.

Acknowledgement

..................

Aim

.....................

Introduction

.....................

Materials and Equipment

........................

Experimental Procedure

.................

Observation

......

Conclusion

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Bibliography

..

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our principal

MR. R.K ROHILLA for providing me such a wonderful
opportunity for presenting my investigatory project. I would
like to thank our Biology teachers Mr. H.S TOMAR their
painstaking efforts and support without which this project
would have remained a dream. Further I would like to
thank the library staff for providing the necessary books
regarding the project. Last but not the least; I would like to
thank my parents for their constant support and guidance.

I sincerely hope and wish that this investigatory project

would provide a better foundation for further cases and
investigations

Aim of the Project.

The goal of the project is to study coffee addiction its causes and
effects of coffee withdrawal in 3 persons.

Introduction__________
Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from
roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of
the coffee plant. They are seeds of coffee cherries
that grow on trees in over 70 countries, cultivated
primarily in Latin America, Southeast Asia,
and Africa. Green unroasted coffee is one of the
most traded agricultural commodities in the
world. Due to its caffeine content, coffee often has a
stimulating effect on humans. Today, coffee is the
third most popular drink in the world, behind water
and tea.
Some controversy is associated with coffee
cultivation and its impact on the environment. Many
studies have examined the relationship between
coffee consumption and certain medical conditions;
whether the overall effects of coffee are ultimately
positive or negative has been widely disputed. The
method of brewing coffee has been found to be
important to its health effects.

A general introduction on
Caffeine__
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that is a
psychoactive stimulant drug. Caffeine was isolated in 1820 by a German
chemist, Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge.
Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the beans, leaves, and fruit of
some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills
certain insects feeding on the plants.[6] It is most commonly consumed by
humans in infusions extracted from the bean of the coffee plant and the
leaves of the tea bush, as well as from various foods and drinks containing
products derived from the kola nut.
In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant,
temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Caffeine is the
world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance, but, unlike many
other psychoactive substances, is legal and unregulated in nearly all
jurisdictions.

Anhydrous caffeine

Caffeine
consumption and its effects.______

Caffeine is a potent and quick-acting drug which produces an effect similar to the stress response in our
bodies. Caffeine affects each person differently, depending on individual circumstances such as weight,
build, etc. It has an almost instant effect on your mind-body which will continue to influence your state for
6-8 hours afterwards.
Every time we drink tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, or cola we are giving our body a 'hit' of caffeine. Along
with nicotine and alcohol, caffeine is one of the three most widely used mood -affecting drugs in the world.
If you have more than two or three caffeine drinks per day your 'habit' may be affecting you emotionally
and physically much more powerfully than you might expect.

Some commonly observed effects of caffeine are:

1. Stimulates your heart, respiratory system, and central nervous system.
2. Makes your blood more `sludgy' by raising the level of fatty acids in the blood.
3. Causes messages to be passed along your nervous system more quickly
4. Stimulates blood circulation
5. Raises blood pressure
6. Causes your stomach to produce more acid
7. Irritates the stomach lining
8. Makes digestion less effective by relaxing the muscles of your intestinal system

9. Its diuretic effect caused increased urination - although you would have to drink about 8 coups of coffee
in one sitting for this to occur
10. Stimulates the cortex of your brain heightening the intensity of mental activity. This can result in a
temporary feeling of alertness and, in the short term, banishes drowsiness and feelings of fatigue. In
those who already have high levels of anxiety the heightened intensity of mental activity can produce
unpleasant effects. But check out below which contradicts this.
11. Affects the length and quality of sleep. Heavy caffeine users suffer from sleep-deprivation because
their nervous system is too stimulated to allow them deep, restful or prolonged sleep.
12. The American Medical Journal has reported a correlation between caffeine and decreased bone
density or osteoporosis in women.
In addition to the above effects prolonged or very heavy caffeine use can produce the following:
13. `Caffeine nerves' a jittery feeling with shaking hands, palpitations, and wobbliness in the legs.
14. Caffeine addiction which involves nervousness, irritability, agitation, headaches or ringing in the ears.
15. Causes your adrenal glands to release their hormones into your bloodstream
16. Causes blood sugar, or blood glucose, to be released from storage through the effects of the adrenal
hormones. This gives you a temporary lift but
17. requires your pancreas to over-work. This is because your pancreas now has to produce extra
insulin to reduce this extra blood sugar. Once the extra insulin has 'mopped up' the extra blood sugar your
temporary lift from the caffeine ends. Your vitality level is back to normal. However in heavy caffeine users
the pancreas, in time, becomes over-sensitive and over-zealous. Now it begins producing too much
insulin it 'mops up' not just the excess blood sugar but the blood sugar you need to feel alert and
energetic. The initial effect of this is a let-down effect and a craving for more caffeine to give you a further
boost. A later effect can be excessive and chronic tiredness, even on waking in the morning. Some people
find that many of the psychological complaints common to reactive hypoglycaemia (the emotional yo-yo
effect, shakiness, palpitations, weakness, tiredness, etc.) disappear within a few days of stopping
caffeine.

On the other hand...

... some research indicates that caffeine in coffee (though not cola) can be beneficial in preventing heart
disease (1) - or, at least, that coffee drinkers had a lowered incidence of heart disease. Nevertheless they
were unable to confirm that one caused the other nor why this apparent relationship might be appearing.

Sources of caffeine

As little as 20 mgs of caffeine can produce noticeable

body and mood changes. As a very rough guide to how
much caffeine you may be taking on a daily basis...
An average cup of tea contains around 50 mgs of caffeine.
An average cup of instant coffee contains around 70-100 mgs.
Instant decaffeinated coffee contains about 3 mgs.
A 6 oz cup of espresso coffee (much larger than the normal
cafe cup, incidentally) contains about 80-90 mgs. A single-hit
cappuccino will contain the same amount.
Filter coffee (called 'drip' in the US) can contain 25-50% more

caffeine than instant.

A 340 ml or 12 oz can of regular or diet cola contains between
35 and 45 mgs. of caffeine depending on the brand
Some so-called 'energy drinks' contain very high doses of
caffeine - equivalent to to 4 or more cups of strong coffee in
one dose!
One ounce or 28 grams of chocolate contains about 10-15 mgs.

Overuse
In large amounts, and especially over extended periods
of time, caffeine can lead to a condition known
as caffeinism. Caffeinism usually combines
caffeine dependency with a wide range of unpleasant
physical and mental conditions
including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness,
muscle
twitching (hyperreflexia), insomnia, headaches, respirator
y alkalosis, and heart palpitations.[103][104] Furthermore,
because caffeine increases the production of stomach
acid, high usage over time can lead to peptic ulcers,
erosive esophagitis, and gastroesophageal reflux
disease. Caffeine may also increase the toxicity of certain

other drugs, such as paracetamol.

There are four caffeine-induced psychiatric disorders
recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition: caffeine intoxication,
caffeine-induced anxiety disorder, caffeine-induced sleep
disorder, and caffeine-related disorder not otherwise
specified

Caffeine intoxication:
An acute overdose of caffeine usually in excess of about
300 milligrams, dependent on body weight and level of
caffeine tolerance, can result in a state of central nervous
system over-stimulation called caffeine
intoxication (DSM-IV 305.90), or colloquially the "caffeine

jitters". The symptoms of caffeine intoxication are not

unlike overdoses of other stimulants. It may include
restlessness, fidgetiness, nervousness,
excitement, euphoria, insomnia, flushing of the
face, increased urination, gastrointestinal disturbance,
muscle twitching, a rambling flow of thought and speech,
irritability, irregular or rapid heartbeat, and psychomotor
agitation. In cases of much larger
overdoses, mania, depression, lapses in
judgment, disorientation, disinhibition, delusions, hallucin
ations, andpsychosis may occur,
and rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of skeletal muscle
tissue) can be provoked.
Extreme overdose can result in death.[110] The median
lethal dose (LD50) given orally, is 192 milligrams per
kilogram in rats. The LD50 of caffeine in humans is
dependent on weight and individual sensitivity and
estimated to be about 150 to 200 milligrams per kilogram
of body mass, roughly 80 to 100 cups of coffee for an
average adult taken within a limited time frame that is
dependent onhalf-life. Though achieving lethal dose with
caffeine would be exceptionally difficult with regular
coffee, there have been reported deaths from overdosing
on caffeine pills, with serious symptoms of overdose
requiring hospitalization occurring from as little as
2 grams of caffeine. An exception to this would be taking

a drug such as fluvoxamine or levofloxacin, which block

the liver enzyme responsible for the metabolism of
caffeine, thus increasing the central effects and blood
concentrations of caffeine dramatically at 5-fold. It is not
contraindicated, but highly advisable to minimize the
intake of caffeinated beverages, as drinking one cup of
coffee will have the same effect as drinking five under
normal conditions. Death typically occurs due
to ventricular fibrillation brought about by effects of
caffeine on the cardiovascular system

Caffeine withdrawal a case

study

The following symptoms were observed in common on the 4

members of my society, I conducted the study on. I choose
them as they drink coffee twice a day i.e. in morning and in the
evening
The symptoms observed were
The symptoms were observed roughly 12-18 hrs after
withdrawal. They get worst after 24-48 hrs and could last for a
week.
Irritable
Restless
Muscles stiffness
Difficulty in concentrating
Headache moderate to severe
Chills &/or hot spells
Causes more blood to gather in head causing migraine like
headache due to our body becoming over sensitive to
adenosine.
Excessive sleepiness

What the experts suggest?

To avoid uncomfortable withdrawal effects it is wise to

ease off caffeine over a period of 7-14 days to reduce the
discomfort. Reduce and then stop the richest sources
(especially coffee) first. It is unwise, particularly if you are
a heavy user, to suddenly stop caffeine altogether
When you stop caffeine you allow your body to catch up
on its lost rest. This takes some time. Using caffeine to
force yourself into activity is like flogging an exhausted
horse.
For the first few weeks after stopping caffeine you may
find that you are sleeping deeper and for longer. For this
reason it is a good idea to allow yourself an extra hour
per night for a few weeks, increasing this if you continue
to experience lethargy in the mornings.
If you feel drowsy during the day use breathing
exercises preferably out of doors, to alert yourself.
And remind yourself that the drowsiness is a sign that
you are allowing your body to get back into a more
normal state and that your natural energy levels will soon
return once things have got back to normal after the
onslaught of the caffeine regime

Conclusion:________

Though the effect of coffee or caffeine on

our body is debated many agree for it being
positive while many agree for it being
negative. The most accurate statement at
such a debate will be using it in a controlled
way can be useful rather harmful. As is well
said Conscience keeps more

people awake than coffee

Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
http://pegasusnlpblog.com/caffeine-inducedpanics
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/caffeine/a/s
ymptoms.htm