What is caffeine?
Caffeine is a type of substance. (2)
Caffeine is a type of neurostimulant. (3)
Caffeine belongs to a class of compounds called xanthines. (6)
What does caffeine do?
caffeine may constrict the blood vessels (vasoconstriction) and increase the sensation of pressure in the head (1)
affects alertness (2)
affects mental focus (2)
caffeine quickly passes into the brain once ingested (2)
caffeine stays in the human body for many hours, which means its effects can last for hours. (2)
increased heart rate (2)
anxiety (2)
difficulty sleeping (2)
nausea (2)
restlessness (2)
frequent urination (2)
Caffeine use reduses cerebral blood flow by an average of 27%. (2)
improves mental energy (2)
reduces the total amount of blood in the brain, which could potentially result in reduced cognitive function (2)
People who consumed high levels of caffeine had less cerebral blood flow, when compared to low and moderate caffeine users. (2)
Caffeine works by affixing to the receptors for adenosine the brain. (3)
can stimulate the central nervous system (5)
Caffeine has been show to block the adenosine receptors, especially the A2A receptor, which are involved in dopamine regulation in the brain. (6) The blockade of these receptors may enhance dopaminergic neurotransmission and thus potentially slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. (6)
What contains caffeine?
12 oz of Zevia Cola contains 45 mg
12 fl oz of Dr. Pepper contains 41 mg
1 oz of dark chocolate contains 12 mg (4)
1.55 oz of milk chocolate contains 9 mg (4)
coffee (2)
tea (2)
chocolate
kola nuts (2)
cocoa beans (2)
white chocolate contains 0 mg
What is considered low caffeine usage?
45 milligrams per day is considered low caffeine usage. (2)
What is considered moderate caffeine usage?
405 milligrams per day is considered moderate usage. (2)
What is considered high caffeine usage?
950 milligrams per day is considered high usage. (2)
What happens with chronic caffeine use?
Chronice caffeine use leads to an adjustment of the vascular adenosine receptor system presumably to compensate for the vasoconstriction impacts of caffeine. (3)
Regular caffeine intake causes physical dependence on caffine. (3)
What happens if a person stop ingesting caffeine?
Suddenly stopping caffeine use can cause withdrawal symptoms, including drowsiness, headaches, and irritability. (2)
Resources
1. https://inhs1.com/blog/best-diet-cluster-headaches-2/
2. https://www.livestrong.com/article/395736-does-caffeine-constrict-blood-vessels/
3. https://iytmed.com/caffeine-dilate-blood-vessels/
4. https://www.healthline.com/health/does-chocolate-have-caffeine
5. https://www.healthline.com/health/does-chocolate-have-caffeine
6. ChatGPT 4, 6/11/2023
