- Water - About 98.75% of every cup is water, so you get plenty of fluids in from coffee (which partly explains why you need the toilet more when you drink it)
- Caffeine - This is the stimulant that makes coffee what it is, without it coffee wouldn't be anywhere near as popular as it is, but we'll discuss this more later.
- 2-Ethylphenol - Contributes to the strong odour
- Quinic Acid - This chemical gives coffee a slightly sour flavour
- 3,5-Deicaffeoylquinic acid - This is a powerful antioxidant and can seriously reduce the risk of cancer in cells
- Acetylmethylcarbinol - adds a buttery taste to the drink, its also used in microwave popcorn!
- Trigonelline - adds a sweet flavour to the drink and also helps fight tooth decay. It decomposes to make Niacin
- Niacin - also known as Nicotinic acid or Vitamin B3, it is a dietary requirement for the body and is used as a neurotransmitter
 |
| The coffee I'm drinking as I write this! |
Caffeine
As mentioned before Caffeine is the reason why we all drink coffee, its found in lots of other products regularly consumed by the general public, this such as tea, fizzy drinks, medicines and chocolate. Ever wonder why after taking some cold cure tablets you suddenly feel more alert and able to cope with the world? Well that's the caffeine hitting your system!
 |
| The Chemical structure of caffeine |
While high doses can have toxic effects on the body, normal use doesn't have any lasting harmful effects on the body (except addiction after heavy prolonged use). When looking at any drug though, the most important aspects are how they effect the body. Below are both the positive and negative effects:
Positive effects:
- Can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabettes
- It is suggested that it minimises the cognitive decline that is associated with ageing
- Increases neurotransmitters
- Increase the metabolism
- reduces the risk of cancers
- Linked with reducing the risk of Parkinson's Disease when consumed regularly in large doses
- Increases alertness and reduces fatigue
- Increases strength of muscles contractions by stimulating Calcium release
Negative effects:
- In non regular users it can cause an increase in blood pressure
- Can cause shaky hands
- Stimulates urination as it is a diuretic
- It's addictive
- Can cause anxiety and sleep problems
- Withdrawal can cause headaches and sleeping problems
In my personal opinion I think that the positives of taking caffeine largely out way the negative aspects, with most of them being minor or temporary. From the perspective of an athlete its a useful drug as if it is taken an hour before a workout studies have shown that there is an increase in productivity leading to a better performance / workout this is due to increased focus and also due to the increase in muscle strength / endurance.
So how does it work?
The neurotransmitter Adenosine is used to suppress the central nervous system, which leads to less activity and makes you feel drowsy or tired. Structurally Caffeine is similar to Adenosine, which allows it to interact with the Adenosine receptors in the body. Instead of activating them like Adenosine does, it acts as an antagonist (blocker) and prevents Adenosine attaching and causing a responce, this prevents you feeling sleepy. As well as this, it also stimulates adrenaline which causes you to feel alert and full of energy. Eventually the caffeine will dissociate and get broken down allowing the receptors to be used again, this is why the effect wears off an we 'crash'.
Caffeine is both water soluble, lipid soluble and non polar, this allows it to cross the blood brain barrier and reach the brain, this is why it is able to have such a potent effect on all of the body!
So there you go, that's my tribute to coffee and more specifically Caffeine, whether you use it to just get you through the day or if you use it to help you get the extra edge in a sporting event I'd recommend it to anyone just maybe cut down on the milk and sugar to keep it healthy!
Cheers,
Rich
No comments:
Post a Comment