BIOLOGY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

STUDY OF COFFEE ADDICTION

Central Board of Secondary Education

Under the guidance of:

Mr. Dinesh. P
Department of Biology
Project done by:
C.JAGADEEP

Senthil Public School

Affiliated of CBSE, New Delhi, Affiliation No. 1930752
Adhiyamankottai, Dharmapuri - 636807
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I undertook this project work, as the part of my class XII BIOLOGY
course. I had tried to apply my best of knowledge and experience,
gained during the study and class work experience.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to my biology
teacher Mr.Dinesh.P M.Sc., B.Ed and Mrs.Suganya M.Sc., B.Ed. and
my lab teacher Mrs.Sumathra B.Ed, for their incessant help in all
possible way from beginning and their positive approach towards the
completion of project.
I am very much thankful to our Senior Principal Shri. C
Srininvasan, M.Sc., M.Ed., and our Principal Mr. P Senthil Murugan,
M.Sc., B.Ed., GNIIT for giving valuable time and moral support to
develop this project. I extend my gratitude to our Vice Principal Mr.
S.Rajkumar, M.Sc., B.Ed., M.Phil. and Academic Coordinator Mrs.
Gnanakavita M, M.Sc., B.Ed. for their guidance and support
throughout my project completion.
I would like to take the opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and
gratitude to my parents for being a source of inspiration and providing
time and freedom to do this project. I also feel indebted to my friends
for the valuable suggestions during the project work

C.JAGADEEP
 INDEX
S.NO TOPIC PG.NO

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5

3. GENERAL INFO -CAFFEINE 6

4. CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION 7

5. COMMONLY OBSERVED EFFECTS 8

6. SOURCES OF CAFFEINE 10

7. OVERUSE OF CAFFEINE 11

8. CAFFEINE INTOXIFICATION 12

9. CAFFEINE WITHDRAWL 13

10. RECENT STUDY CONCLUSIONS 14

11. DISCUSSION 15

12. BIBILIOGRAPHY 16
 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.
 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The common-sense use of the term addiction is that regular
consumption is irresistible and that it creates problems. Caffeine use
does not fit this profile. Its intake does no harm to the individual or to
society and its users are not compelled to consume it. Though cessation
of regular use may result in symptoms such as headache and lethargy,
these are easily and reliably reversed by ingestion of caffeine. Some
have argued that continued caffeine use is an attempt to suppress low
grade withdrawal symptoms such as sleepiness and lethargy. In some
moderate users, this is possible; however, in experimental contexts, the
phenomenon is too inconsistent to constitute a reliably valid syndrome.

Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world.

In Western society, at least 80 per cent of the adult population
consumes caffeine in amounts large enough to have an effect on the
brain.
 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

People can develop a dependence on coffee and other

Caffeinated beverages quite quickly. This is due to the
chemical changes that sustained consumption produces in the
brain. If someone drinks Caffeine on a daily basis, they will
develop a tolerance just as they would to other drugs or
alcohol.
 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
CAFFINE

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
 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 OF CAFFEINE

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, respiratory 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 INTOXIFICATION

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".. 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 heart beat,
and psychomotor agitation. In cases of much larger overdoses, mania,
depression, lapses in judgment, disorientation, disinhibition, delusions,
hallucinations, andpsychosis may occur, and rhabdomyolysis
(breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue) can be provoked
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 WITHDRAWL

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
 RECENT STUDY CONCLUSIONS

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

DISCUSSION

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

While there are no definitive symptoms for diagnosis, vomiting or

severe recurrent vomiting is often seen. The symptoms of hypokalemia
and/or severe recurrent vomiting in individuals who have been known
to have ingested psychoactive substances has in fact been
recommended by some authors as a means of differential diagnosis for
the determination of caffeine ingestion versus other sympathomimetic
agents [34]. Certainly a patient presenting with symptoms of CNS
stimulation (e.g., excitation, agitation, anxiety) and severe recurrent
vomiting with or without hypokalemia and reported psychoactive
substance ingestion might be suspected of having acute caffeine
intoxication [

BIBILIOGRAPHY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
http://pegasusnlpblog.com/caffeine-induced-panics
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/caffeine/a/symptoms
NCERT TEXTBOOK CLASS 12