Blackburn 1

Beth Blackburn Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 November 27, 2013 The Science of Coffee
Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:29 PM Deleted: 6

Every morning, my day has to start off with a cup of joe and it has been this way for about eight years. Since the sixth grade, I would always drink a cup with my mama on our front porch swing before I headed off to school in the morning. When I reflect on why I actually started to drink coffee every morning, I would initially contribute it to the emotional bonding it provided to my mama and me, allowing us to form such a great relationship and friendship together. Also, I genuinely love the variety of flavors available and I am always changing the one I drink based on the season of the year. As I continually drank coffee, it has become a necessity in my life. I found in high school that if I was running late and missed my cup, I could not focus in my classes because of unbearable headaches and drowsiness. The fact that I missed my dose of caffeine that morning affected me mentally, socially, emotionally, physically. The reality of it all is, I have an addiction. Coffee in America Coffee plays an enormous role in American society both present day and in numerous years of the past, maintaining a high steady consumption rate year to year. The National Coffee Association reports that 83 percent of Americans say they drink coffee daily, an increase by five percent from the year of 2012. Likewise, Catherine Griffin, a researcher from the Science World Report, says in her article, Caffeine Slows Down Development in Teenage Brains: Coffee
Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:29 PM Formatted: Font:Italic

Blackburn 2

Impacts Maturation, that coffee consumption has increased 70 percent over the past thirty years (Griffin). With 314 million people just in the United States, I would consider America to have an addiction problem. 31 percent of coffee drinkers brew a cup of coffee before any other morning behavior, 65 percent of coffee consumption takes place at morning hours and 58 percent of coffee drinkers brew their coffee the same way every morning according to the article Americas Coffee Obsession: Fun Facts to Prove Were Hooked, presented by the Huffington Post(Americas Coffee Obsession). This evidence shows the importance of coffee in most citizens everyday life, as it is one of the first tasks performed in his or her day. People drink coffee everyday for so many reasons and there is no evidence that the trend will decrease anytime soon. The number one reason for such a high amount of coffee consumption is that people are addicted to caffeine he or she receives from their morning brew. Because of so many people taking part in coffee drinking, it is important for coffee drinkers to understand how coffee affects his or her well-being and be able to make an educated decision if it is beneficial or harmful to them. Addiction Numerous doctors and scientists worldwide say that caffeine is the most abused drug, and caffeine is the stimulant present is caffeinated coffee. The way that caffeine affects the brain classifies it as a drug. According to the FDA in Medicines in My Home: Caffeine and Your Body, a caffeine molecule is structurally almost identical to adenosine (FDA). When a normal adenosine molecules binds at the enzymatic site on the brain, feelings of tiredness from the body are alerted in the brain, letting you know that your body is fatigued or that you need rest. Because of such similarity, these caffeine molecules can attach to the adenosine receptors in the brain, acting as inhibitors at the binding sites. Basically, caffeine molecules just promotes happy
Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:34 PM Deleted: A

Blackburn 3

feelings and keeps you alert. The FDA says, Caffeine.. it changes the way your brain and body works and changes the way you behave and feel, (FDA). Caffeine blocks the adenosine from telling you that you are tired and therefore provides a sense of alertness, giving you a few more hours of energy. Basically, by taking in caffeine we are just corrupting our brains into thinking that we are more invincible that we actually are. It is sad to say that every morning I am tricking myself into thinking that I have a keener mind than I actually do. I am lying to my body, not allowing it to be tired as often, thinking that this is helping me perform better at my everyday tasks. What if I did not allow caffeine to trick my mind, allowed myself to feel tired and rest more when I needed to? Would I actually perform at such a prime level that I did not even know I was capable of? Negative Effects There are both negative and positive perspectives about coffee/caffeine consumption from creditable doctors, associations, and scientists. In the negative perspective, according to the FDA in, Medicines in My Home: Caffeine and Your Body, caffeine consumption is reported to cause people to feel jittery/shaky, create problems falling and staying asleep, cause an increase in heart beat, cause an uneven rhythm in heartbeat, raise blood pressure, create headaches, dizziness, and nervousness, dehydration, and addiction (FDA). Because caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, too high of a dosage results in increasing his or her heartbeat, therefore, could uncontrollably result in a heart attack. It is amazing to think that we would risk our lives because we think caffeine is making us perform better day-to-day. According to Stefan Anitiei in his article, Top 15 Effects That Coffee Has on Your Health, over 400mg, which is about four to five cups of coffee, can result in caffeine intoxication and result in the uncontrollable, increased heartbeat (Anitiei). When I observe my coffee maker, it does not just
Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:40 PM Deleted: performing its job Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:41 PM Deleted: from signaling the adrenal glands to secrete small amounts of adrenaline

Blackburn 4

hold one or two cups, the healthier amounts. I know I fill up my mug with whatever amount it will hold, never measuring out the acceptable amounts. When caffeine reaches its peak level in the bloodstream, it is present for about four to six hours. Also, caffeine consumption tends to increase the release of stomach acid resulting in heartburn and an upset stomach. The FDA states that caffeine is a diuretic meaning that it causes caffeine-consumers bodies to lose more water than it would the non-caffeine consumer (FDA). This would be a concern to athletes and the physically active person resulting in having to increase his or her water intake daily. For me, being an athlete I do notice feeling quite dehydrated. I have been told that I do not drink enough water, but my coffee consumption be playing a part of it also? Large doses of caffeine is said to potentially be harmful to pregnant women as well. Why would future mothers do anything to that could be potentially harmful to their babies? When people consume caffeine daily, his or her body slowly develops a tolerance to it and the effects that coffee is consumed for eventually diminish. The FDA reports that withdrawal symptoms include severe headaches, muscle aches, temporary states of depression and irritability, which makes quitting coffee/caffeine intake extremely difficult to do. I experience the majority of these symptoms just missing my coffee for one day. Positive influences In a different light, there are said to be many beneficial effects of coffee/caffeine consumption. The most well believed positive effect of consumption deals with memory. In older women, caffeine seems to help prevent memory loss. In the article, Top 15 Effects That Coffee Has on Your Health, Anitiei states, Women 65 and older who consumed three cups of coffee, or the same amount of caffeine in other products, scored better on a memory test compared to women who drank one to no cups of coffee meaning that coffee drinkers are thirty
Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:44 PM Deleted: W

Blackburn 5

percent less exposed to memory impairment at age 65 to 70, (Anitiei). Scientists credit the inhibiting effect on adenosine receptors for protection on memory and diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease. So wait, are these adenosine inhibitors good for you after all? Dopamine is the hormone that is responsible for the positive, happy feelings people experience, also the hormone that people lack when experiencing depression. Caffeine is said to induce dopamine production in the brain, resulting in depression prevention. Anitiei also reports that the disease of Blepharospam, an involuntary eye spasm disease that causes people to blink uncontrollably, can be prevented by caffeine intake (Anitiei). This disease can ultimately lead to severe vision impairment or even blindness. It appears that caffeine helps fight many diseases and one would think tablets of caffeine could be prescribed as medication for them; after all, it is a drug. Another benefit of caffeine intake, according to Anitiei, is the laxative effect which, helps the body absorb vital nutrients that fight constipation and high cholesterol from the soluble cellulose fibers found in caffeine (Anitiei). New research also suggests that caffeine intake could play a role in skin cancer prevention. Essentially, caffeine is said to prevent cells in cancerous tumors from dividing and works in such a way as an antioxidant. Anitiei reports, Six cups of coffee daily lowered chances of skin cancer by 35 percent and two to three cups lowered chances by 12 percent (Anitiei). Six cups of coffee leads to coffee intoxication, so would it be beneficial to be intoxicated all the time just to try to prevent a disease that you might not ever get regardless? While caffeine is said to cause dehydration, more so in physically active people, it is said to have positive effects on fitness. When I drink my cup of coffee before my workout, I do feel like I have a better stamina versus the dizziness and fatigued when I attempt to go without. Anitiei, about the issue of caffeine consumption in the physically active, comments that, Two cups of coffee significantly reduces post-gym muscle pain, and caffeine consumed one hour

Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:44 PM Deleted: .

Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:45 PM Deleted: It is also reported

Blackburn 6

before going to the gym induces a 48 percent decrease in pain, and drops 26 percent in soreness. (Anitiei). Apparently, caffeine boosts a persons endurance and is a more effective pain reliever for after a workout than drugs such as Naproxen. What Your Coffee Says About You Coffee drinkers are said to portray certain stereotypes and personality traits. Heather Saul reports in her article What Does Your Coffee Say About You? New Study Reveals Personality Traits of Coffee Drinkers, that, Dr. Ramani Durvasula conducted a study that analyzed 1,000 coffee drinkers and examined common personality traits, looking for signs of introversion, extroversion, patience, perfectionism, warmth, vigilance, sensitivity and social boldness (Saul). Who knew that coffee could be controlling our entire emotional and mental outlook in our lives? In her findings, Dr. Ramani reported that black coffee drinkers prefer the simple life and are no-nonsense individualists although they can have impatient traits and do not accept change easily. Maybe the bitter makes us bitter. On the other hand, latte drinkers tend to like pleasing others more than themselves and are somewhat laid back. Perfectionist are classified as cappuccino drinkers, says Dr. Durvasula. Her reasoning behind this is cappuccino drinkers have high demanding personalities, tend to be obsessive, controlling, and sensitive, and are health conscious. Cappucino appears to be such a complex coffee; if you have ever watched someone make it, there is more to it than cream and sugar. More laid back characteristics are possessed by the instant coffee drinker. This makes me think that the instants are purely consuming to get their caffeine dose for the day. Dr. Durvsula says that these people tend to procrastinate more often and put things off that need to be done. The last category set by Dr. Durvsula is the, cold/sweet coffee needers. She said that this group tends to be sweet and socially bold. Also, the sweet ones seem to like being trend-setters and reckless on occasion.

Blackburn 7

From this study, people should compare themselves to Dr. Durvsulas findings and ask themselves if his or her personality seems to match and if so, does he or she like that about himself or herself or wish to change it? What does your coffee say about you? Easy Access Since coffee is a product of such high demand, manufacturers have made access to producing coffee in the home a quick and easy way. Single-serving coffee makers, such as Keriug, are growing increasing popular as they provide a brew within a moment, perfect for the on-the-go workday. According to Karen Fernall, a reporter for the Arizona Public, in her article, Coffee Grinds Fuel for the Nation, Mintel, a Chicago based market-research firm, reports that a single-cup coffee market has exploded from $103 million in sales to $11.8 billion in 2013. (Fernall). As people become more educated about different types of coffee, they develop preferences, and the coffee industry recognizes that. Other products besides the original coffee pot have been developed such as the Krupps espresso maker, and instant cappuccino available in packets ready in an instant with the addition of warmed milked. Since availability to coffee products have increased, consumption is guaranteed to do the same in return. With coffee so accessible, why would we want to stop when hardly any work goes in retrieving it? The Ultimate Decision The demand for coffee and other coffee based products are very high in the US and there is no signs that the trend will decrease anytime soon with such a high consumption rate. Research shows that there appears to have both positive and negative affects on the body from coffee/caffeine intake and some types of drinks are more concentrated in caffeine. Research also shows that coffee/caffeine has effects on personality traits in people as well. It is something to consider if coffee is controlling how we interact with others and the outlook we have on life. It

Blackburn 8

would be a good choice for coffee drinkers to compare these findings to his or her personal life and see if it relates. Many could care less how it applies to him or her because addiction is present, others may find a concern with the amount of intake of caffeine. With any addiction, no one is willing to give it up nor would want to, but what if you knew that you are increasing your chance of a heart attack every sip you take? What if Alzheimers runs in your family and you are terrified of getting the disease, would you increase your consumption even more? Coffee consumption seems to be a dependence in the majority of Americans lives and it is important for us all to know the results of long-term consumption and face the fact that we are all addicts.

Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:50 PM Formatted: Indent: First line: 0"

Blackburn 9

Works Cited "America's Coffee Obsession: Fun Facts to Prove We're Hooked." Huffington Post. n. pag., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Anitiei, Stefan. "Top 15 Effects That Coffee Has on Your Health." n. pag., 10 Nov. 2013. Web. Dryer, Juliette. "KRCG News Report." The Risk and Benefits of Coffee Consumption. KRCG. Jefferson City, Missouri, 16 Aug. 2013. Television. FDA. Medicines in My Home: Caffeine and Your Body. (2007): n. pag. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Fernali, Karen. "Coffee Grinds Fuel for the Nation." USA Today. Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Griffin, Catherine. Caffeine Slows Down Development in Teenage Brains: Coffee Impacts Maturation. Science World Report. n. pag., 23 Sept. 2013. Web. Mayo Clinic. "Caffeine Content for Coffee, Tea, Soda, and More." Journal of Food Science (2011): n. pag. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Saul, Heather. "What Does Your Coffee Say about You? New Study Reveals Personality Traits of Caffeine Lovers." n. pag., 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.

Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:50 PM Formatted: Centered, Indent: First line: 0"

Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 7:02 PM Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", Hanging: 0.5" Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 7:02 PM Formatted: Font:Not Italic

Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:56 PM Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", Hanging: 0.5"

Beth Blackburn! 11/24/13 6:51 PM Formatted: Indent: First line: 0"