What is Caffeine

How does this stuff affect your body?

What is caffeine and how does caffeine work?

You probably consume some sort of caffeine everyday.

It's always good to figure out what it does, along with the different foods containing caffeine as well as how to avoid negative effects of caffeine.

Caffeine comes from plants.

Before humans got hold of caffeine, it was being used by certain plants as a bug repellent.

It's a very strong stimulant that targets the central nervous system. Plants are protected because insects and pests become over stimulated from the effects of the caffeine and die.

Most people get their caffeine through coffee. Other foods containing caffeine are tea, soda pop, weight loss pills, candy and chocolate.

How does caffeine affect your nervous system?

Whatever you do to get caffeine into your system, it ends up in your stomach. In your stomach, the caffeine gets into your blood stream and eventually travels to your brain.

Caffeine ultimately affects your nerves. In your brain there is a molecule called adenosine. Adenosine has the opposite affect of caffeine. It links to a nerve cell and slows it down.

Your brain can't tell the difference between caffeine molecules and adenosine molecules. They look the same.

So you drink your coffee, the caffeine enters your blood stream and travels to your brain. The extra caffeine molecules replace the molecules that make you tired and sleepy. Your nerves don't slow down, and instead you get your caffeine rush.

Overtime your body can build up a tolerance to this stimulant. That's why usually one cup of coffee isn't enough. The average person in North America drinks about 3 cups of coffee, which is around 300 mg of caffeine.

Too much caffeine overtime can lead to health problems. It's unrealistic to assume that people will give up their coffee intake. Instead, try and stick to reasonable dosages.

For adults, it is recommended that you consume no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day. That's about 3 cups of normal sized coffee. Try not to get more than that.