What is Caffeine?

A Short History of Caffeine...

People have enjoyed caffeinated beverages for thousands of years. The earliest record of caffeine consumption dates back to around 2700 B.C., when Chinese Emperor Shen Nung drank strong, hot brewed tea.

Coffee originated in Africa around 575 A.D., where beans were used as money and consumed as food. Records show that 11th century Arabs drank coffee regularly. Spanish conquistadors first exploring what is now Mexico, were served coffee by Montezuma, the mighty Aztec ruler, in 1519.

Revolutionary Americans made a nationwide switch from tea to coffee in the 18th century as the caffeinated drink of choice. This was done to spite the Tea Act, from which heavy taxes were laid on tea imported by Americans. Eventually, the Boston Tea Party was held, in which revolutionaries dumped a large quantity of tea cargo from a boat into the Boston Harbor in protest of the high tax placed on tea.

The world's first caffeinated soft drinks were created in the 1880's.

In 1958, caffeine was recognized by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as being Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).

Caffeine

In its natural form, caffeine tastes very bitter, but most caffeinated drinks have gone through enough processing to camouflage the bitter taste. Most teens get the majority of their caffeine intake through soft drinks, which can also have added sugar and artificial flavors. Of course a lot of teens enjoy cappuccino or caffe latte and a couple of those will give you enough caffeine to make several people "wired". Caffeine affects everyone in similar ways. Like all stimulants, caffeine raises blood pressure and its effects range from mild alertness to heightened anxiety and body tension. In moderate doses it can produce "coffee jitters", headaches, disorientation, and insomnia. Regular users who suddenly stop consuming caffeine may experience withdrawal symptoms including drowsiness, headaches, irritability, nausea and vomiting and depression. Although the amounts of caffeine needed to affect each person differ. People who drink caffeine regularly develop a reduced sensitivity and require higher doses of caffeine to achieve the same effects as someone who doesn't consume it regularly. This means that the more caffeine you consume, the more caffeine you need to feel the same effects.

Caffeine moves through the body within a few hours after it is consumed. It is not stored in the body, but you may feel its effects for up to 6 hours if you're sensitive to it. Caffeine has health risks for certain users. Small children are extremely sensitive to caffeine. Caffeine can aggravate heart problems or nervous disorders, and some teens may not be aware that they are at risk. Although the effects of caffeine vary from one person to the next, health care providers recommend that people should consume no more than about 100 milligrams of caffeine daily.

What products contain caffeine and how much?

Caffeine Quick Facts