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Caffeine Research Paper

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Caffeine, a miracle drug, has been around globally for thousands of years. It is extracted from cocoa seeds in one of three easy and safe methods. Society is continuously talking about how addicted to caffeine the American population is, but how does it affect the human body?
Caffeine is the most widely used legal drug in the world. In fact, “80% to 90% of Americans consume caffeine through coffee or soda” (Goldberg, 2003). We all know what caffeine is, but if asked to define it could we accurately do so? The definition of caffeine is quite simple, and that’s why I don’t think that many would get it correct when asked to define it. “Caffeine, known chemically as trimethylxanthine, is a substance found naturally in coffee beans, cocoa beans, …show more content…
The central nervous system is, “the part of the nervous system which in vertebrates consists of the brain and spinal cord, to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out, and which coordinates the activity of the entire nervous system” (“Central Nervous System”). To briefly summarize the definition of the CNS, it controls the body. While the central nervous system sounds somewhat simple, it is actually quite complex. The CNS is composed of nerve cells called neurons which allow the brain and spinal cord to spread information to other neurons within the human body. For the sake of this paper we are assuming that the neurons are transmitting the neurotransmitter adenosine, a neurotransmitter that blocks all other neurotransmitters from exciting the brain. Caffeine is what is called an adenosine antagonist, which blocks the effects of adenosine and several other neurotransmitters. [Transition …show more content…
Among other disorders, the caffeine related disorders are as follows: caffeine intoxication, caffeine withdrawal, other caffeine-induced disorders, and unspecified caffeine-related disorder. Only two of these are described in depth in the DSM-5. With Substance Use Disorders some symptoms can be less silent than others, or even nonexistent. These disorders can range from very mild to very severe. They’re labeled mild or severe based on the number and severity of the present symptoms. Mild being two or three symptoms, moderate having four or five symptoms, and severe would be six or more presentable symptoms. “In the United States, approximately 7% of individuals in the population may experience five or more symptoms along with functional impairment consistent with a diagnosis of caffeine intoxication” (DSM-5, 2013). The estimated population at the beginning of 2016 was 322,762,018 and 7% of that predicted value would be roughly 22,593,341 individuals would diagnosable with caffeine

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