How Caffeine is Processed by the Body

1
How Caffeine is Processed by the Body

• Where Found
• Caffeine occurs naturally in the leaves, seeds
  and fruits of many plant species.
• Caffeine is common in foods such as coffee, soft
  drinks, teas, chocolate, and in over-the-counter.
  It is also an ingredient in pain reliving
  medications.

2
Typical Doses of Caffeine

• Typical drip coffee contains 100 mg per 6-ounce
  cup.
• Tea contains 70 mg per 6-ounce cup.
• Colas (coke, Pepsi, mountain dew, etc.) Contain
  50 mg per 12-ounce can.
• Chocolate contains 6 mg per ounce.
• Pain reliving medications
• Anacin 32mg
• Excedrin 65mg

• Peoples Physiology are different.
• A safe level of caffeine consumption for a health
  adult is around 300 milligrams per day.

3
Caffeine Transmission

• Caffeine is almost always taken by mouth so it is
  absorbed quickly and completely into the blood
  stream.
• Within minutes after consumption the blood stream
  carries caffeine to all of the bodies organs and
  to almost to every cell in the body.
• Peak blood plasma levels of caffeine are reached
  within about 30 minutes after ingesting coffee
  and an hour after ingesting soft drinks

4
Half-Life

• Half-Life is the amount of time it takes for
  one-half of an drug to be processed through the
  Body.
• Caffeines Half-Life is About 6 hours.
• That means that if you consume a cup of coffee
  with 200 mg of caffeine in it at 300 PM, by 900
  PM about 100 mg of that caffeine is still in your
  system.

5
Physiological Adaptations

• Dilates systemic blood vessels, but constricts
  blood vessels inside the brain.
• Caffeine is a Cardiac Muscle Stimulate
• a Smooth Muscle Relaxant

6
Adenosine in the Brain

• in the brain neurons are transmitting electrical
  energy.
• when activity is too high adenosine molecules
  stop the neuron cells from firing.

• Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors with its own
  molecule preventing the adenosine molecule from
  binding.
• brain activity remains at its excited state and
  can even increase in activity because adenosine
  is unable to slow it down.

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8
Caffeine and Adrenaline

• The pituitary gland recognizes all of the neural
  activity and thinks some sort of emergency must
  be occurring, so it releases hormones that tell
  the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline
  (epinephrine).

9
Effects of Increased Adrenaline

• Pupils dilate
• Breathing tubes to open up
• Heart to beat faster
• Blood flow to the stomach slows
• The liver releases sugar into the bloodstream for
  extra energy

10
Withdrawal Symptoms

• Vomiting
• Headache
• An Increase in Heart Rate
• Anxiety
• Difficulty Sleeping

11
The Caffeine Withdrawal Headache

• Consumption of caffeine causes the blood vessels
  in the head to constrict
• Once caffeine is processed these same blood
  vessels hyper-dilate.
• The hyper-dilation in the brain causes a
  withdrawal headache

12
Caffeine is a Diuretic

• adenosine receptors function in the kidneys to
  control blood flow and to control the amount of
  urine excreted into the bladder.
• When caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, the
  blood vessels in the kidney dilate, and more
  urine is produced.

13
Caffeine is a Laxative

• The colon like the kidneys have adenosine
  receptors that control the relaxation and
  contraction of smooth muscle.
• Caffeine blocks the message that tells the
  muscles to relax
• Smooth muscles in the colon contract more easily
  allowing material to be pushed down the digestive
  tract freely.

14
Caffeine Addiction

• Many people enjoy the effects such as the feeling
  of alertness and euphoria caffeine produce.
• Which can lead to Dependence or Addiction.
• The feelings are caused by caffeines ability to
  manipulate the dopamine levels in the brain.

15
Caffeine and Dopamine
Cocaine Effect Dopamine the Same Way As Caffeine

• When caffeine or any stimulant, is present in the
  synapse of the brain. It binds to the uptake
  pumps and prevents them from removing dopamine.
• This results in a increased level of dopamine in
  the synapses.

16
Conclusions

• Whatever function the binding of adenosine had,
  caffeine inhibits that function!
• Blocks Adenosine Receptor Sites
• Increases Adrenaline Levels
• Manipulates the Levels of Dopamine