ANSHRUTA SHETTY

CLASS 12
BIOLOGY
INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT

SCHOOL: HBK CHHATRAL

 TOPIC:
COFFEE/CAFFEINE
ADDICTION, ITS
CAUSES, AND EFFECT
OF
COFFEE WITHDRAWAL
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 This project would

not have been possible without
the support and guidance of my
Biology teacher,
to whom I m deeply indebted,
’

the facilities provided by the

Biology Lab and the patience and
cooperation of many. I would like
to express my sincere gratitude
to all who helped me with this
project.
 INDEX
SR. NO.
1. CERTIFICATE
2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
3 ABSTRACT
4 GENERAL INTRO ON CAFFEINE
5 CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION AND EFFECTS

6 SOURCES OF CAFFEUNE
7 OVERUSE
8 CAFFEINE INOXICATION
9 CASE STUDY- CAFFEINE WITHDRAWAL
10 EXPERT SUGGESTIONS
11 CONCLUSIONS
12 BIBILOGRAPHY
ABSTRACT
 The goal of the project is to study coffee
addiction its causes and effects of coffee
withdrawal in 3 persons.
 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.
A GENERAL
INTROODUCTION 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.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
 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.
 Commonly observed effects
of caffeine are:

 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
but…
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.
 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
 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. 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 INTOXICATION

 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".
The symptoms of caffeine intoxication are not
unlike overdoses of other stimulants. 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.
 Extreme overdose can result in death.
The median lethal dose (LD50) given orally,
is 192 milligrams per kilogram in rats. The
LD50 of caffeine in humans is dependent on
weight and individual sensitivity and
estimated to be about 150 to 200 milligrams
per kilogram of body mass, roughly 80 to 100
cups of coffee for an average adult taken
within a limited time frame that is
dependent onhalf-life. Though
achieving lethal dose with caffeine would be
exceptionally difficult with regular coffee,
there have been reported deaths from
overdosing on caffeine pills, with serious
symptoms of overdose requiring
hospitalization occurring from as little as 2
grams of caffeine.
CAFFEINE WITHDRAWAL-
A CASE STUDY
 The following symptoms were observed in common
on the 4 members of my society, I conducted the
study on. I choose them as they drink coffee twice a
day i.e. in morning and in the evening
 The symptoms observed were
 The symptoms were observed roughly 12-18 hrs
after withdrawal. They get worst after 24-48 hrs
and could last for a week.
o • Irritable
o • Restless
o • Muscles stiffness
o • Difficulty in concentrating
o • Headache moderate to severe
o • Chills &/or hot spells
o • Causes more blood to gather in head causing
migraine like headache due to our body
becoming over sensitive to adenosine.
o • Excessive sleepiness
 WHAT EXPERTS
SUGGESTS:
 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
CONCLUSION
 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

BIBILOGRAPHY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
http://pegasusnlpblog.com/caffeine-induced-
panics
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/caffeine/a/sym
ptoms.htm