Steamed milk
Caffeine
decorates the top
of an espresso in what
coffee fans call “latte
art.” “I drank this
cappuccino,” says
photographer Bob Sacha,
“and it tasted even
better than it looked.”
1 It’s 1:45 a.m. and 21-year-old Thomas caffeine causes us to lose sleep, which he says
Murphy is burning the midnight oil,1 studying is unhealthy. “Without adequate sleep—the
for an important engineering exam he has typical eight hours—the human body will
at 2:00 in the afternoon later today. To stay not function at its best, physically, mentally,
5 awake and focused, he’s had two cups of 35 or emotionally.” Too often, Czeisler says, we
coffee in the last three hours and is now consume caffeine to stay awake, which later
downing a popular energy drink—one that has makes it impossible for us to get the rest
two to three times the amount of caffeine as a we need.
similar sized can of soda. Many students like
Health risks have also been tied to caffeine
10 Murphy, as well as marathon runners, airline
40 consumption. Over the years, studies have
pilots, and long-distance travelers, owe their
attributed higher rates of certain types
energy—and sometimes their efficiency—to
of cancer and bone disease to caffeine
one of mankind’s oldest stimulants: caffeine.
consumption. To date, however, there is no
Many say they couldn’t live without it.
definitive proof that caffeine actually causes
15 The power to counter physical fatigue and 45 these diseases.
increase alertness is part of the reason caffeine If someone is burning the midnight oil, they are staying up very
1
ranks as the world’s most popular mood- late in order to study or do some other work.
altering drug. It is found not only in sodas,
energy drinks, coffee, and tea, but also in diet
20 pills, pain relievers (like aspirin), and chocolate Finns drink more coffee per person
than anyone else. The average
bars. Many societies around the world have Finn drinks an estimated 145
also created entire rituals around the use of grams of caffeine a year.
caffeine: afternoon tea in the U.K., the café
culture of France, tea ceremony in Japan, and
25 the morning cup of coffee or tea that in many
cultures marks the start of the day.
Caffeine is in many of the foods or drinks
we consume, but is it really good for us?
Charles Czeisler, a scientist and sleep expert
30 at Harvard Medical School, believes that
7A The World’s Favorite Drug 95
stimulant, caffeine can also help improve one’s
70 mood. Research has also shown that some
caffeinated drinks—specifically certain teas—
have disease-fighting chemicals that can help
the body fight a number of illnesses, including
certain types of cancer.
75 In addition, as a type of mental stimulant,
caffeine increases alertness, memory, and
reaction speed. Because it fights fatigue, it
Allowed just three hours of sleep in 52 hours of exercise, a
Canadian soldier chews caffeine gum to help stay awake. facilitates performance on tasks like driving,
Chewed caffeine is absorbed directly into the mouth, and goes flying, and solving simple math problems. And
to work three times faster than caffeine in coffee or pills.
80 while it is true that caffeine can increase blood
pressure, the effect is usually temporary and
therefore not likely to cause heart trouble—
A number of scientists, including Roland
especially if caffeine is consumed
Griffiths, a professor at the Johns Hopkins
in moderation.
School of Medicine in the U.S., believe that
regular caffeine use causes physical dependence. 85 And despite its nearly universal use, caffeine
50 Heavy caffeine users, Griffiths says, exhibit has rarely been abused. “With caffeine, overuse
similar behaviors: their moods fluctuate from tends to stop itself,” says Jack Bergman,
high to low; they get mild to severe headaches; a specialist at Harvard Medical School.
or they feel tired or sad when they can’t have a If you consume too much, “you get . . .
coffee, soft drink, energy drink, or cup of tea. 90 uncomfortable, and you don’t want
55 To minimize or stop these feelings, users must to continue.”
consume caffeine—a behavior Griffiths says
Caffeine’s behavioral effects are real, but most
that is characteristic of drug addiction.2
often, mild. Getting that burst of energy,
Despite these concerns, the general opinion in of course, is why many of the most popular
the scientific community is that caffeine is not 95 drinks on Earth contain caffeine. Whether
60 dangerous when consumed moderately—for it’s a student drinking coffee before class
example, by having one or two small cups of or a businessman enjoying tea with lunch,
coffee (about 300 milligrams of caffeine) per mankind’s favorite stimulant is at work every
day. Furthermore, a lot of current research day, all over the world.
contradicts long-held negative beliefs about
An addiction to something is a very strong desire or need for it.
2
65 caffeine and suggests that it may, in fact, have 3
n inflammation is a painful redness of part of your body as a result
A
of infection, illness, or injury.
health benefits. For instance, studies have
Tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all made from the same plant;
shown that caffeine can help ease pain by the differences in taste and color come from the way in which they
reducing muscle inflammation.3 Because it is a are processed.
96 Unit 7 Global Addictions
