2. What is Caffeine?
• Central nervous
stimulant
• Works by stimulating
the brain
• Found naturally in food
and beverages
• Used to restore mental
alertness or wakefulness
during fatigue or
drowsiness
3. What Contains Caffeine
• Coffee
• Tea
• Cocoa (chocolate)
• Soft drinks (colas)
• Energy drinks
• Kola nuts
• Guarana
• Yerba mate
• Some medications
(prescription and
non-prescription)
4. How Caffeine is Consumed
• Taken orally in pill
form
• Consumed in food and
drinks
5. Negative Effects of Caffeine on the Body
• Reduces fine motor coordination
• Alters sleep patterns
• Can cause headaches, nervousness, and
dizziness
6. How Caffeine Works
• Stimulates the central nervous system by
increasing the metabolism inside neurons
• Increases wakefulness by blocking the
neurotransmitter, adenosine
7. Problems Caused by Too Much Caffeine
• Make you jittery and shaky
• Make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep
• Cause headaches or dizziness
• Make your heart beat faster
• Cause abnormal heart rhythms
• Cause dehydration
• Raise your blood pressure
• Make you dependent on it so you need to take more
of it
• If you stop using caffeine, you could have
withdrawal symptoms
8. Facts About Caffeine
• Most widely used stimulant in the world
• Use by adolescents has more than doubled since
1980
• Chronic caffeine use produces greater tolerance
in adolescents compared with adults
• Consumption is correlated with increased risk
for illicit drug use and substance use disorders
9. Facts About Caffeine (cont’d)
• 90% of people in the world use caffeine in one
form or another
• In the U.S., 80% of adults consume caffeine
every day – avg. of 200 mg/day (Two 5-oz cups
of coffee or 4 sodas)
• Caffeine is a diuretic – makes your body lose
water – not a good thirst-quenching drink
• Large amounts of caffeine can be harmful during
pregnancy
10. Did You Know?
• In a study of 7th, 8th, and 9th graders in Ohio,
students consumed an avg of 53 mg of caffeine
per day, and almost 1 in 5 students took more
than 100 mg of caffeine each day
• Caffeine does not make a drunk person sober or
fit to drive – it does not get rid of the effects of
alcohol
• 4-7 cups of coffee or more each day is too much
11. Caffeine is a Drug and Food Additive
• Used in prescription and OTC medicines to treat
tiredness or drowsiness and to improve the
effect of some pain relievers
• Do not use caffeine if you have heart problems
or anxiety/panic attacks
• After drinking caffeine, it peaks in your blood
within one hour and stays there for 4-6 hours
• Increases the release of acid in your stomach –
can lead to heartburn or upset stomach
12. Tolerance to Caffeine
• When people use caffeine every day, their body
gets used to it and they don’t feel the same
effects unless they use more of it
• Can cause a physical dependence or addiction –
withdrawal symptoms are a sign
• Examples of withdrawal symptoms:
▫ Severe headaches
▫ Muscle aches
▫ Temporary feelings of depression
▫ Irritability
13. How Much Caffeine is Okay?
• Moderate amounts are not harmful
▫ 100-200 mg (one to two 5-oz cups of coffee) each
day is the limit
• Every person is different
▫ Effects vary based on size, sex, and sensitivity to
caffeine’s effects
14. CAFFEINE OVERDOSE IS
DANGEROUS AND CAN KILL YOU
• FDA is aware of a 19 year old college student
who died after taking an overdose of caffeine
tablets to stay awake
• A caffeine tablet contains as much caffeine as on
to three 5-oz cups of coffee
• BE INFORMED!
• Know how much caffeine is in your food and
drinks
15.
16. Question
• How much caffeine do you consume each day?
• Do you think many college students depend on
caffeine?
• Why?
17. References
• Drugs.com. Caffeine. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.drugs.com/caffeine.html
• FDA. Medicine in my home: caffeine and your body.
(2007). Retrieved from
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesF
orYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/Un
derstandingOver-the-
CounterMedicines/UCM205286.pdf
• NIH. Adolescent caffeine use and cocaine
sensitivity. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/latest-
science/adolescent-caffeine-use-cocaine-sensitivity
