Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant found naturally in coffee, tea, chocolate, and some medications. It works by stimulating the brain and increasing mental alertness. While moderate caffeine consumption is generally safe, too much can cause jitteriness, insomnia, increased heart rate, and dependence. The document provides information on caffeine sources, how it affects the body, recommended daily intake amounts, overdose risks, and withdrawal symptoms. It aims to educate on caffeine use and warn about potential dangers of overconsumption.

1. CAFFEINE
By: Alyssa Martucci
HE-285-OL

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

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