Effects of coffee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Effects of coffee - Essay Example Coffee contains caffeine which is considered a Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulant (Lovett 2005). Accordingly, â€Å"caffeine is the worlds most widely consumed psychoactive substance†. Balentine, Harbowy & Graham (1998) stipulated that â€Å"many natural sources of caffeine also contain widely varying mixtures of other xanthine alkaloids, including the cardiac stimulants theophylline and theobromine and other substances such as polyphenols which can form insoluble complexes with caffeine†. In the Science of Cooking, the article on caffeine exhibited its following properties, to wit: â€Å"soluble in ethyl acetate, chloroform, pyrimidine, pyrrole, tetrahydrofuran solution; moderately soluble in alcohol, acetone; slightly soluble in petroleum ether, ether, benzene†. In another study made specifically on Caffeine, it is found that â€Å"caffeine is metabolized in the liver by the cytochrome P450 oxidase enzyme system (specifically, the 1A2 isozyme) into three metabolic dimethylxanthines, which each have their own effects on the body: Theophylline (4%) Relaxes smooth muscles of the bronchi, and is used to treat asthma. The therapeutic dose of theophylline, however, is many times greater than the levels attained from caffeine metabolism.† (The Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base) According to Bolton & Null (1981), the â€Å"precise amount of caffeine necessary to produce effects varies from person to person depending on body size and degree of tolerance to caffeine. It takes less than an hour for caffeine to begin affecting the body and a mild dose wears off in three to four hours. Consumption of caffeine does not eliminate the need for sleep: it only temporarily reduces the sensation of being tired. The International Coffee Organization presented that â€Å"of all the physiological effects of coffee, the best known is that it is a stimulant to the nervous system. One or two cups of