Wake Up and Smell the Coffee: Caffeine Has Its Benefits

Because caffeine acts like a stimulant, most people feel it has a positive impact on their lives.   Heightened alertness, improved focus, better coordination, and a faster thought process have all been reported by individuals who have ingested high quantities of caffeine.  However, self discipline and moderation must also be required if someone is to continually consume caffeine.  Keep reading for a scientific look at caffeine's benefits, as well as its drawbacks, due to its ability to inhibit phosphodiesterases within a cell.

What is Caffeine?
Caffeine is a xanthenes alkaloid compound and as such acts like a stimulant when consumed.  Caffeine, a French word for coffee or café, is also referred to as guaranine, mateine and theine.  In its purest form, caffeine is a white powder, with a bitter taste and no smell.  It is most commonly found in the beans and leaves of a coffee plant, yerba mate, guarana berries, kola nut and in smaller quantities in cocoa too.  Caffeine is found in more than sixty different plants and it can act as a type of natural pesticide that can kill or paralyze many of the insects that feed on the plant.

Caffeine’s Benefits
Caffeine is also a competitive inhibitor of cAMP-PDE (cAMP-phospodiesterase).  It changes the cAMP (cyclic AMP) to a non-cyclic form.  PDE inhibitors have been identified as potential therapeutics in conditions such as pulmonary arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, dementia, depression, and schizophrenia.

Caffeine has been shown to greatly intensify and prolong the effects of epinephrine-like drugs such as methamphetamine, amphetamine, and methylphenidate. 

Caffeine reacts somewhat like nicotine and alcohol once it is in the body.  It easily crosses the blood brain barrier.  It acts as an antagonist of certain adenosine receptors in the brain.  By doing so, it acts as if it is a competitive inhibitor.  It has also shown to cause positive mood changes by increasing the levels of serotonin in the body.

This drug is considered safe in relatively moderate amounts, but consuming too much can result in insomnia, jitteriness, and nervousness. Withdrawal symptoms are also probable, such as headache, tiredness, depression, and irritability.

However, the quantity of caffeine that is required to produce the above effects is different in each individual.  Usually it will take under an hour for the body to feel the effects of caffeine, but the size of the person and his or her caffeine tolerance will all affect how the body reacts.  A small dose of caffeine usually wears off in about an hour.  It is important to keep in mind that caffeine will not eliminate the need for rest.  It will only make someone feel as thought they are not tired.

When used in small doses, caffeine is a rather safe stimulant for the body.  However, larger quantities can have some rather severe side effects and it is not recommended for good health.

Caffeine is most often used to reduce the effect of drowsiness and can help in restoring a person’s alertness.  A central nervous system stimulant, caffeine is commonly used in tea, soft drinks, coffee, and energy drinks.  It is the number one psychoactive substance consumed today.  Unlike other psychoactive substances, it is legal and largely unregulated in almost all countries. Over 90 percent of adults in North America consume high amounts of caffeine daily.  In the United States, caffeine is listed as a “Multiple Purpose GRAS or “Generally Recognized as Safe) substance. 

Normally the quantity of caffeine ingested daily throughout the world is about 76 mg per person.  However, in the United States, the average amount is 238 mg per person.