Caffiene and the American way of life
...ine is a white crystalline powder that is odorless and quite bitter to the taste c. Like most other drugs, caffeine can and is found naturally i. Primarily in coffee beans, tea leaves, and cocoa nuts d. In fact, the chief source for obtaining caffeine is through the decaffeination of tea and coffee e. Coffee is added to many substances we use on a daily basis i. Drip brewed coffee has 100mg per 6oz 1. a typical starbucks grande has approximately 350mg 2. Iced tea contains 70mg / 6 ounces 3. Typical sodas have about 50mg 4. Used in over 1000 over the counter drugs f. Half of all Americans have more than 300mg of caffeine/day (Transition: Now we are going to move onto what caffeine does and how it accomplishes this feat) II. Ultimately, caffeine ingestion provides a rush of energy to its user a. Due to a release of epinephrine (adrenaline) from your pituitary gland. b. In order to achieve this release, caffeine must first cause an increase of nerve cell activity in the brain. i. For some of us that is more difficult than others… ii. [picture of yokel] c. To increase the activity, caffeine takes the place of adenosine i. Adenosine is the chemical that slows down nerve cell activity ii. Caffeine binds to the Adenosine receptors so the brain doesn’t detect adenosine’s presence 1. thus it doesn’t slow down, it speeds up iii. This sudden increase of brain activity/proportional to the amount of caffeine ingested comes as a shock to the pituitary gland 1. It thinks some kind of emergency is taking place 2. The pituitary gland sends the message to the adrenal glands 3. The adrenal glands secrete epinephrine (adrenaline) 4. Adrenaline effects: a. Breathing tubes open up b. Heart beats faster c. Liver releases extra sugar into blood for energy d. Muscles tighten preparing for action d. Caffeine also stimulates dopamine production i. On the same level and amphetamines like cocaine and heroine do, but on a significantly smaller scale ii. Dopamine is one of the ways the brain activates the pleasure center of the brain iii. Scientists concur that this dopamine production contributes to caffeine addiction e. In short: i. Caffeine block adenosine to make you feel alert, boost your energy with a shot of adrenaline, and produces dopamine to make you feel good. ii. [drink and smile] (Transition: From the description I just gave, it may seem that caffeine is all good, but there are side effects you should keep in mind) III. Caffeine has many short-term benefits, but it encourages long-term addition a. Once the adrenaline wears off, the user faces fatigue a depression i. Inspires you to drink another cup of coffee b. [B...