lifestyles

5,000 years ago, a Chinese farmer broke the little green leaves off a shrub and tossed them into a pot of water over the fire to make a broth. In Mexico, an ancestor of the Aztecs split open a pod of beans from a small tree to prepare a tasty drink. Deep in Africa, a native opened a pod of beans, ground the them finely and sprinkled the particles into boiling water to make a pungent brew.

All these peoples had learned, in their age-old trial-and -error search for edible food, that these plants had a strange and wonderful ability to lift their spirits, and even to cause a mild state of euphoria. Today we know that these plants create certain kinds of chemicals which interact with our own cells. Known generically as alkaloids, and more specifically as the related molecules caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline, they bind to cell receptors in our brain. Now we call the Chinese broth tea, the American drink cocoa, and the African brew coffee.

Our bodies are remarkable creations which have developed around a number of mechanisms designed to maintain physiological stability. Physicians and biologists have named the great centering force of our being "homeostasis". Homeostasis is our ability to use internal coordinated organ responses to keep our health on an even keel. Caffeine affects our homeostasis. A model commonly used to demonstrate homeostasis is blood sugar, which is maintained within a narrow range by the hormones insulin and glucagon. Rising blood sugar levels after eating automatically trigger the release of insulin into the bloodstream in order to reduce it back to the optimum blood sugar level. Low blood sugar resulting from not having eaten automatically causes glucagon to increase blood sugar so that equilibrium can be again achieved. Caffeine acts to move our bodies to the upper limit of the range of homeostasis. Moderate amounts will give a feeling of well-being, while large quantities push our bodies out of the homeostasis range. As insulin and glucagon act to counter each other to maintain blood sugar equilibrium, so do caffeine and the body's natural product, adenosine, counterbalance each other.

Caffeine intoxication, which occurs when too much caffeine is ingested relative to body weight, will result in some of the following symptoms:
1) acute restlessness
2) hyperactivity
3) flushed skin
4) excessive urination
5) gastrointestinal disturbance
6) muscle twitches
7) incoherent speech
8) rapid or irregular heartbeat

Most caffeine intoxication is relieved over time as our body's natural homeostasis mechanism works, but serious intoxication may result in delirium, seizures, irregular heart rhythm, and high blood sugar. In some cases, caffeine poisoning can be fatal. Caffeine has been indicted, although not convicted due to insufficient evidence, for causing some birth defects. Also, reduced fertility in men may be attributed to high rates of caffeine ingestion.

A 7 oz. cup of brewed coffee contains, on the average, about 100 milligrams of caffeine, brewed tea contains 60 mg., and decaffeinated coffee has only 3 mg. Mountain Dew, both diet and regular have 55 milligrams per 12 oz., with Coca Cola at 45.6 mg., Dr. Pepper at 39.6 mg, and 7-UP at zero. Most soft drinks fall in the 40 to 50 mg. range. The average toxic dose of caffeine may range from 8 grams (0.28 oz.) to 12 grams (0.42 oz.) depending upon bodyweight and susceptibility.