Nicole Billman Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 April 24, 2014 The Culprits of Caffeine Intoxication: Energy

Drinks vs. Coffee I think everymost college students can agree with me when I say caffeine is my best friend. In the eighth grade I had my first 8.4 ounce Red Bull. That night I accidentally stayed up until 4 oclock in the morning for no reason. Then, later down the road, my dad brewed a pot of coffee like he does every morning and before running off to school I poured my first cup of Folgers Gourmet coffee. The taste was repulsive but it made me feel like I could actually stay awake in history class. It wasnt until college that I finally realized w hy every recycling can on campus was overflowing with Red Bull cans and the smell of coffee beans filled every library study room. Our workloads increase to triple the amount of reading, papers, and math than we were given in high school. Caffeine seems like the only solution to get everything done. Every morning I wake up ten minutes early so that I can stop by the bookstore to buy a Red Bull. It is part of my weekly routine to get myself going in the morning with a daily dose of caffeine and on days when the morning air suffocates you with heat and the ground feels like the surface of the sun, I cannot wait to get my hands on a perfectly chilled can of Red Bull. But energy drinks arent the only beverage that is pumped with our best friend. Caffeine is popular with the coffee crowd as well. When the wind whips your hair around and blows the rain sideways the promise of a steaming cup of coffee grasped tightly between all ten fingers is your lifeline for the day. The question is are we aware of all the health risks that come with
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consuming so much caffeine from energy drinks and coffee? First lets look at what caffeine is and the ingredients our best friend hangs out with in energy drinks. Any search engine will provide a simple definition of caffeine generally as a stimulant drug with a bitter taste and white in color that affects the central nervous system to ward off sleepiness and heighten awareness. Caffeine also increases an individuals focus, creates clearer flow of thoughts, and improves general body coordination. In other words, caffeine helps college kids stay awake to finish assignments they procrastinated on all week. These stimulant effects vary from person to person depending on body size and tolerance towards caffeine can build up over time based on how much someone who drinks caffeinated beverages consumes daily. Caffeine is a weak base that requires a strong acid to activate its effects which is why in energy drinks you can find the organic acid taurine. In their online article How Caffeine Works, Marshall Brain, Charles W. Bryant, and Matt Cunningham describe the chemical process of how caffeine affects the brain. Caffeine plays a huge role in counteracting a substance called adenosine that can be found circulating at high levels through the body of any human being. Adenosine suppresses activity of major neurotransmitters that are responsible for regulating excitement through the nervous system and cause drowsiness. Caffeine molecules latch onto adenosine receptors without triggering them and make their way to the brain to produce adrenaline and excite your neurons. (Brian, Byrant, Cunningham, 5) This explains why caffeine increases anxiety, insomnia, and causes rapid, irregular heartbeats and palpitations rate. Caffeine disrupts our nerves ability to control hypertonia of the muscles in our body. In other words, every muscle in our body spazes out and lacks the motivation to go to sleep.This explains why it is so difficult to fall asleep after drinking caffeinated beverages.

There is a known condition called caffeinism that is associated with consumption of 1000-1500 milligrams of caffeine per day. It is also known as caffeine intoxication. Caffeine meets all the requirements for being an addictive substance says Holly Pohler, a nurse practitioner in Tampa Bay, Florida. Chronic consumption of caffeine results in dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal and is seen in ages that range anywhere from 10 year old adolescents to older adults. Withdrawal symptoms include trembles, muscles spasms or twitching, irritability, mood swings, headaches, fatigue, and the list goes on. Pohler explains that because many do not view caffeine as addictive, patients may not think of being diagnosed with caffeine dependency. Doctors are also ignorant to assessing caffeine related issues in their patients because many times the symptoms from caffeine ingestion overlap with other diagnoses such as anxiety, panic disorders, or toxicity from different medicines. Failure to assess the caffeine intake of patients can lead to more severe effects. In her article Caffeine Overdose medically reviewed by George Krucik, one of Healthlines Medical Review Board, Autumn Rivers explains that Eexcessive caffeine consumption can interact negatively with prescription medications and has been associated with seizures, mania, strokes, and sudden death. Pregnant women who ingest large amounts of caffeine not only put themselves at risk but Rivers says that babies can suffer from a caffeine overdose due to breast milk containing caffeine consumed by the mother. Symptoms of a caffeine overdose in infants are more severe to include vomiting, fast breathing, and uncontrollable muscle movements. Now that we understand just exactly what caffeine does and how it effects everyone differently in our body lets look at how it reacts with other ingredients it shares space with in an 8.4 ounce can of Red Bull. As mentioned above, the amino acid taurine is also found in Red Bull products. Taurine occurs naturally in the human body and is important for cardiovascular functions, development

of skeletal muscles, eyes, and central nervous system. Taurine supplementation has been shown to help people diagnosed with congestive heart failure by forcing heart-muscle contractions to maintain blood flow. Research done by Gayle Nicholas Scott, a Pharmaceutical Doctor and assistant professor atnd Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, on taurine in energy drinks states that because the heart already contains high concentrations of taurine consumption of taurine could be more dangerous than beneficial for individuals who suffer from congestive heart failure after drinking multiple energy drinks. Furthermore, increased consumption of taurine and caffeine, i.e. Red Bull, can increase hemodynamic effects says Scott. This means there is a serious increase of blood flow to the heart because of high taurine levels (1000-2000 mg) in the body which is problematic for individuals with heart problems, basically essentially causing an unnecessary heart attack. Red Bull also contains 27 grams of the most common type of sugars, sucrose and glucose produced from sugar beet as well as B-group vitamins that are essential for maintaining normal body functions of the brain and nervous system. The key word here is normal. The official website for Red Bull allows its fans to look at how it works, when to drink it and whats inside an 8.4 ounce can of Red Bull. Although it gives a detailed description of each ingredient inside, the website only looks at each entity separately and not what happens when the ingredients react to each other. Most available research that I have found on taurine is in combination with caffeine because taurine alone is mostly beneficial to the human body. We can then assume that the risks do not lie within one ingredient used in energy drinks but rather the combined effect of caffeine and taurine mixed with the added sugars listed on the official Red Bull website. In 2001 a study was done by Matthew Baum and Michael Weiss who examined the effects of caffeine and taurine on the heart. These men gathered a group of athletes were

givenand gave them a regular flavored the original Red Bull energy drink, containing both caffeine and taurine, then another group was given a placebo drink containing just caffeine, another with just taurine and last, a drink containing neither substance. Cardiac measurements were taken before consuming the drinks, after consuming the drinks and after exercising. Baum and Weiss found that stroke volumes were significantly increased and ventricular functions were enhanced in the group of athletes who were given the Red Bull as opposed to those who were given only caffeine drinks or only taurine drinks. This is one of the few studies I found that observes the effects of taurine and caffeine combined but it is evident there are major risks to consider when drinking energy drinks. So does that mean coffee is an all-around better choice to get a jump start in the morning since it does not contain taurine? 624 million cups of coffee are consumed in a day says Candy Sagon of the American Association of Real Possibilities. Sagon proposes in her article, Caffeine for Your Health Too Good to Be True? for AARP magazine that maybe three cups of coffee a day cant be entirely bad for our health. Sagons research on the health benefits of coffee shows that it may prevent a number of diseases and can lower the risk of getting Parkinsons and Alzheimers. This is because coffee beans are seeds and like all seeds, theyre loaded with protective compounds says Walter Willet, a doctor of medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health. While it may be true that coffees potent collection of biologically active compounds could help pro tect you from certain cancers, coffee does have its negative qualities. Coffee is highly acidic. It relaxes the muscles in your body that prevent stomach acid from bubbling up your throat so if you have acid reflux, avoid coffee at all costs. Coffee adds to already existing problems with high cholesterol. A compound in coffee called cafestol makes it harder for proteins to carry cholesterol where they need to go. The caffeine in coffee can also interact badly with

medications and like energy drinks, coffee also has the same side effects from consumption. These include increased anxiety and blood sugar levels as well as disruption of sleep patterns that Scott says leads to a vicious cycle of restless sleep, relying on caffeine to help with daytime fatigue, followed by more insomnia. While researching the benefits and risks of coffee I found a YouTube channel called TYT University hosted by John Iadarola and Lisa Ferguson that provides its viewers with the biggest college news and lifestyle stories with new videos every single day of the week. One of their most viewed videos is about the health benefits and risks of coffee that college students may not know. Ferguson states that she used to be addicted to coffee in college because she was always had her face in a computer screen at her job and for school work. In college it is hard to avoid staring at a computer screen. Eight hours out of the day students are hard at work finishing papers and studying for exams. Ferguson admits that coffee was the only thing that she felt would keep her focused when finishing homework and studying for exams. This is what created her addiction. I am sure most college students can relate to Fergusons problem which is why coffee is claimed to be the top source of antioxidants for Americans. While Iadarola tells us that antioxidants are good for you, Ferguson makes it a point to counteract his statement by saying the reason its the top source of antioxidants is because you people are not eating enough fruits and vegetables and downing a cup of coffee instead. Antioxidants come from plants like fruits and vegetable or the coffee bean, so while antioxidants may be good for you, getting them from coffee is not the right way to get your daily dose of antioxidants. Its like saying potato chips are the biggest source of minerals in Americas diet. (Idarola) Idarola goes on to say all the ways coffee benefits the human body but Ferguson reminds us that caffeine from coffee can be lethal in large doses and is linked to all the symptoms already mentioned. Coffee may be a
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healthier choice for a boost of energy than a Red Bull or a soda pop but Ferguson and Idarola make sure their viewers know it certainly has its negative qualities. Now that we have knowledge about caffeine in both energy drinks and coffee, we can look at one of the major risks to society caffeine poses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires nutritional facts on food labels and a list of the ingredients contained in drinks and food. Luckily for some companies, there is no FDA regulation for caffeine. According to the official U.S Food and Drug Administration website, because caffeine is not a nutrient, placing it in the Nutritional Facts Panel is not required since it is, instead, a natural chemical. . In their article Caffeinated Energy Drinks-A Growing Problem, Chad J. Reissig, Eric C. Strain, and Roland R. Griffiths, all who are part of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences department at The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, explain the controversy and complexity that caffeine regulations has caused the FDA and its consumers. In 1980, the FDA wanted to get rid of caffeine as an ingredient in soft drinks but the manufacturers explained that is was a key factor in enhancing the flavor. The FDA accepted it as a flavor enhancer and approved caffeine, limiting the maximum amount of caffeine soft drinks could contain, being 71mg/12 fluid ounces. (Reissig, Strain, and Griffiths) As energy drinks have made their way into society, the economy in the marketplace has drastically changed. Reissig, Strain, and Griffiths continue this caffeine controversy by clarifying the fact that now, many energy drink companies have exceeded the limit of caffeine content contained in cans of their product claiming that under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, their product is classified as being derived from herbs and natural sources. Since this ruling, the FDA has been found negligent in enforcing the previous caffeine limit in energy drinks. Requirements of warning labels advising proper use and amount of caffeine in over-the-counter

drugs does not apply to energy drinks. The article Caffeinated Energy Drinks -A Growing Problem says It is a striking inconsistency that, in the U.S. an OTC stimulant medication containing 100 mg of caffeine per tablet must include the above warnings, whereas a 500 mg energy drink can be marketed with no such warnings and no information on caffeine dose amount in the product. (Reissig, Strain, and Griffiths) If the FDA made it mandatory for companies to include warning labels and the amount of caffeine used in their products, it would heighten awareness on the risks that caffeine poses to our health. Maybe you enjoy coffee because of its delightfully bitter taste and the twist of flavor Starbucks incorporates into their drinks or maybe we are drawn to coffee because of the warm feeling we get when we pour a fresh cup of joe in our favorite mug in the morning. Maybe you enjoy the refreshing taste of a perfectly chilled energy drink or maybe the sweet, fruity tastes are more appealing to your taste buds. No matter the preference, both beverages provide us with a boost of energy we immediately feel after downing the caffeinated refreshments. Despite the apparent differences between energy drinks and coffee, both beverages contain about 80-100 milligrams of caffeine and that is said to haves a long lasting effect on the human body of five hours for the average person. It is important to use moderation when it comes to stocking up on caffeine during finals week. It is our job to Todays society needs to be aware of the misconstrued information energy drink companies forget to tell their customers and be properly educated themselves on the risks of consuming highly caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull and coffee.energy drinks use moderation at the grocery store when college students stock up on snacks and caffeine during finals week.