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DeSean Parsons
Life, Society and Drugs
Caffeine

Caffeine is an alkaloid found in some plants and acts as a powerful

stimulant for your central nervous system. With that being said it is easy
to realize why so many people drink coffee. If you are a regular coffee
drinker, then you have heard of the huge controversy surrounding
caffeine. Is it good or is it bad? Doctors are constantly telling us to watch
our caffeine intake, because it can lead to things like depression,
infertility and miscarriages, restlessness, high blood pressure, and
anxiety. But then, a new study on caffeine consumption saying, caffeine
helps reduce your risk of getting skin cancer, Parkinsons, Alzheimers,
Diabetes, gallstones, ovarian cancer, and can even help you lose
weight. My personal confusion and frustration about the subject has
inspired me to find out whether or not caffeine is good or bad, basically
to find the truth about caffeine and set the record straight. To find out
the answer to this age old question, Ive done some research on the
advantages, disadvantages, and including the myths associated with
drinking caffeine. I found that the health benefits of drinking caffeine
far outweigh the disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages associated

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with caffeine such as anxiety and restlessness can easily be brought

back to justice by drinking caffeine in moderation.

One of the recent advantages found on drinking caffeine is that it

can ward off skin cancer. It is said that caffeine could be considered a
useful addition to sun screens because of its ability to absorb ultraviolet
light. In a study conducted of more than 90,000 women, each additional
daily cup of coffee was linked to a 5 per cent reduction of nonmelanoma skin cancers.(Devlin 12) Decaffeinated coffee had no effect.
The latest research in mice suggests that caffeine inhibits a skin enzyme
called ATR, which is involved in regulating cell division. This would help
to eliminate cells that have undergone DNA damage due to UV exposure
before they have the chance to become cancerous. (Devlin 12). Overall
caffeine inhibits a skin enzyme that helps eliminate damaged cells,
lowering your chances of developing skin cancer.
According to scientists in Washington and Haydeh Payami for the New
York State Department of Health, there is also the advantage that
caffeine has on certain patients with Parkinsons disease. First of all
Parkinsons disease is a deadly brain disease that wreaks havoc on your
nerves, causing tremors, balance issues, and muscle stiffness. Caffeine in
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this instance interferes with a gene called, GRIN2A(Arabia2000).

There are a certain number of people that exert GRIN2A. GRIN2A is
linked to glutamate. Glutamate is a compound that is said to be killing
the brain cells that die off in people with Parkinsons disease. Glutamate
can be affected by another compound called adenosine. Caffeine
interrupts this process by protecting the nerves because; adenosine
puts a pause on your central nervous system (Griffin 102). Overall,
caffeine helps reduce Parkinsons disease by 50 to 80 percent, due to its
interference with Glutamate (DeWolf 28).

Another disadvantage we constantly are warned about by out

doctors is the issue between caffeine, infertility/ miscarriages. On the
issue linking caffeine and miscarriages I found a lot of information
including the survey I did confirming the link and very little that
dismissed it. One article I came across stated that in a recent study done
by Kraiser researchers 1,063 pregnant women were interviewed, 16
percent of the women pregnant had miscarriages. The women who
miscarried drank at least 200 mg of caffeine a day or more from coffee,
tea, or soda. These women were twice as likely to miscarry as those who
drank less than 200 mg or those who had no caffeine whatsoever. It has
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been speculated that the reason as to why women miscarry as a result

of drinking too much caffeine happens to simply be, the fact that the
way caffeine passes from the mother into the fetus. Some doctors said
that later in pregnancy caffeine becomes easier for the fetus to
metabolize, thus making it safer for a pregnant woman to consume
it. The study found that the greatest risk for women drinking caffeine to
have a miscarriage was in her second eight weeks of being pregnant.
(Allday 1). However another article I found stated that, there had been
no real link between caffeine and miscarriages. Overall, the research I
found on finding the link between caffeine and having a miscarriage was
overwhelming. I found more articles explaining the cons and very little
explaining the pros. So just stick with what your doctor tells you.
One major disadvantage you may recall hearing about is the effect
caffeine has on your sleep. Caffeine works by blocking your brains
natural sleeping potion. Researchers at the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center found that when brain cells are overworked, they release a chemical called adenosine, which reenters cells,
lulling you to sleep. They found out that Caffeine fights against the
return of adenosine, so then your brain cells keep working through their
fatigue. (McVeigh 72). Although the evidence linking caffeine to
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restlessness is true, it can all be controlled with moderation. Overall,

caffeine does indeed make you restless due to its interference with your
natural sleep cycle.

As we all know caffeine has a bad rap on its link to heart disease
and heart palpitations, but is this the overall truth? My research and my
survey has lead me to find out that caffeine can increase ones blood
pressure, leading us to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, however
caffeine has had no previous link to cardiac arrest. (Weinberg 1). Then
again the caffeine in coffee and the caffeine in soda do differ, so consult
with your doctor. In sensitive people, caffeine can cause heart
palpitations or a slight temporary increase in blood pressure. (Werman
149). Despite the connection between caffeine and heart palpitations,
caffeine alone isnt the only culprit. Heart Palpitations are also brought
on by tobacco, alcohol, cold medicines, lack of sleep, exercise and above
all stress. Less often, palpitations can be a sign of anemia or an
overactive thyroid, especially when accompanied by dizziness.(Huang
36). Overall, caffeine can cause high blood pressure and heart
palpitations in sensitive groups. The coffee in caffeine isnt the only type
of caffeine to blame since the caffeine in coffee and soda do in fact differ,
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so although the caffeine in coffee is said to be healthier; just be safe in

drinking it in moderation.
Overall, Ive found that the disadvantages of drinking caffeine can lead
to insomnia high blood pressure in some individuals, and miscarriages.
It can also have a negative effect on your mental well being and attitude,
but at the same time it can also have a positive effect on your overall
mentality; so its really a double edge sword. Although there are some
disadvantages to drinking coffee there are ways to counteract those
unwanted side effects such as, drinking portion controlled sizes.

In conclusion I did my research paper on the advantages and

disadvantages of drinking caffeine, and it shed some truth on the health
benefits of caffeine. Caffeine is an alkaloid found in some plants, and acts
as a powerful stimulant for your central nervous system; with that being
said it is easy to realize why so many people drink coffee. If you are a
regular coffee drinker, then you have heard of the huge controversy
surrounding caffeine. Is it good or is it bad? My personal confusion and
frustration about the subject had inspired me to find out whether or not
caffeine is good or bad, basically to find the truth about caffeine and set
the record straight. In my essay I found that caffeine has more pros than
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it does cons. The pros of drinking caffeine start with its ability to reduce
the risk of certain cancers and diseases such as, skin cancer, Parkinsons,
Alzheimers, Diabetes, gallstones, ovarian cancer, and can even help you
lose weight. I also found out although its not included in my essay due
to an insufficient amount of available research, that caffeine can help
reduce your risk of getting breast cancer and prostate cancer. The cons
of drinking caffeine included insomnia, high blood pressure in some
individuals, and miscarriages. It can also have a negative effect on your
mental well being and attitude, but at the same time it can also have a
positive effect on your overall mentality. Despite the fact that there are
negative side effects associated with drinking caffeine, you can always
minimize those unwanted side effects by drinking caffeine in
moderation. My research led me to my overall conclusion that caffeine is
beneficial health wise.

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Works cited
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Retrieved March 6, 2005 from Net Biochem
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Daly, J., Shi, D., Nikodijevic, O., and Jacobson, K. (1999).

The role of adenosine receptors in the central action of
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Kalat, J. (2001). Biological psychology,7th ed.. Belmont:

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Karch, S. (1993). The pathology of drug abuse. Boca Raton: CRC

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Methylation (2005). Retrieved March 6, 2005 from Wikipedia,

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the Free Encyclopedia website:
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Myers, P., Johnson, D., and McVey, D. (1999). Caffeine in the

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Nehlig, A. (2000). Caffeine effects on the brain and behavior:

a metabolic approach. In H. Parliament, C.Ho, and P.Schieberle
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Spiller, G. (1998). Basic metabolism and physiological effects

of the methylxanthines. In G. Spiller (Ed.), Caffeine (p.225231). New York: CRC Press.

Steffen, D.(2000). Chemistry and health benefits of

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Washington, D.C: American Chemical Society.

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Reid, T. (2005). Caffeine: What's the buzz? Why we love

caffeine. National Geographic, 207, 1, p.2-33.

Weinberg, B., and Bealer, B. (2001). The world of caffeine:

The science and culture of the world's most popular drug. New
York: Routledge.

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