15 Things You Should Know About Caffeine

[Guest ajaX]

First isolated in coffee in 1820, caffeine is the tacit drug of choice for millions as it can be found in numerous popular drinks and medications. Not alot of people stop to appreciate what it is, and what it does however...

• The chemical name for caffeine is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
  
• Caffeine occurs naturally in 60 plants like coffee beans, tea leaves, guarana, yerba mate and kola nuts
  
• Caffeine is extracted by pressure cooking beans and leaves with CO2 to produce the drug in powder form
  
• 90% of Americans consume caffeine in some way during a day
  
• Caffeine works by increasing your dopamine levels, which makes you feel happier. It also blocks adenosine receptors, which stops you from getting drowsy
  
• Caffeine is shown to temporarily increase ones ability to learn. It also increases comprehension, memory, reflexes and clarity of thought
  
• Caffeine works the same parts of the brain as cocaine, amphetamines and heroin. It just has milder effects
  
• On the other hand, caffeine can also cause adverse effects, such as insomnia, excessive urination and diarrhea. Caffeine accelerates digestion, which causes the diarrhea
  
• 5mg per kg of body weight of caffeine improves endurance by reducing glucose burning and increasing fat burning
  
• The International Olympic Committee banned caffeine in competitions
  
• It's estimated that 12,000 tons of caffeine is consumed every year. The breakdown? 54% in coffee, 43% in tea and 3% in everything else. The average American consumes 280mg of caffeine every day, which is about 2-3 cups of coffee.
  
• Caffeine overdose can be lethal. The lethal dose of caffeine in a human is 150-200mg per kilogram of body weight. That's 100 cups of coffee in 4 hours. In 2007 a man died from overdosing on 30 No-Doz pills.
  
• Caffeine causes physical dependance. Withdrawals begin within 12-24 hours and can last 2-9 days. Symptoms include headaches, tiredness, depression, irritability and decreased energy.
  
• Decaffeinated products still have caffeine in them. In the US, to be decaffeinated means less than 2.5% of the product is caffeine.
  
• Hitler received injections of glucose and caffeine to sustain his energy during his final days in WWII