Author: Stephen Braun
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0195092899
Category : Alcohol
Languages : en
Pages : 225
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Book Description
Alcohol and caffeine are deeply woven into the fabric of life for most of the world's population. Laced with anecdotes and lore, this book explains the effect of caffeine and alcohol, debunking old myths and misconceptions.
Author: Stephen Braun
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199792593
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 230
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Book Description
Alcohol and caffeine are deeply woven into the fabric of life for most of the world's population, as close and as comfortable as a cup of coffee or a can of beer. Yet for most people they remain as mysterious and unpredictable as the spirits they were once thought to be. Now, in Buzz, Stephen Braun takes us on a myth-shattering tour of these two popular substances, one that blends fascinating science with colorful lore, and that includes cameo appearances by Shakespeare and Balzac, Buddhist monks and Arabian goat herders, even Mikhail Gorbachev and David Letterman (who once quipped, "If it weren't for the coffee, I'd have no identifiable personality whatsoever"). Much of what Braun reveals directly contradicts conventional wisdom about alcohol and caffeine. Braun shows, for instance, that alcohol is not simply a depressant as popularly believed, but is instead "a pharmacy in a bottle"--mimicking the action of drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine, valium, and opium. At low doses, it increases electrical activity in the same brain systems affected by stimulants, influences the same circuits targeted by valium, and causes the release of morphine-like compounds known as endorphins--all at the same time. This explains why alcohol can produce a range of reactions, from boisterous euphoria to dark, brooding hopelessness. Braun also shatters the myth that alcohol kills brain cells, reveals why wood alcohol or methanol causes blindness, and explains the biological reason behind the one-drink-per-hour sobriety rule (that's how long it takes the liver, working full tilt, to disable the 200 quintillion ethanol molecules found in a typical drink). The author then turns to caffeine and shows it to be no less remarkable. We discover that more than 100 plant species produce caffeine molecules in their seeds, leaves, or bark, a truly amazing distribution throughout nature (nicotine, in comparison, is found only in tobacco; opium only in the poppy). It's not surprising then that caffeine is far and away the most widely used mind altering substance on the planet, found in tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, soft drinks, and more than 2,000 non-prescription drugs. (Tea is the most popular drink on earth, with coffee a close second.) Braun also explores the role of caffeine in creativity: Johann Sebastian Bach, for one, loved coffee so much he wrote a Coffee Cantata (as Braun notes, no music captures the caffeinated experience better than one of Bachs frenetic fugues), Balzac would work for 12 hours non-stop, drinking coffee all the while, and Kant, Rousseau, and Voltaire all loved coffee. And throughout the book, Braun takes us on many engaging factual sidetrips--we learn, for instance, that Theodore Roosevelt coined the phrase "Good to the last drop" used by Maxwell House ever since; that distances between Tibetan villages are sometimes reckoned by the number of cups of tea needed to sustain a person (three cups being roughly 8 kilometers); and that John Pemberton's original recipe for Coca-Cola included not only kola extract, but also cocaine. Whether you are a sophisticated consumer of cabernet sauvignon and Kenya AA or just someone who needs a cup of joe in the morning and a cold one after work, you will find Buzz to be an eye-opening, informative, and often amusing look at two substances at once utterly familiar and deeply mysterious.
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309082587
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 172
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Book Description
This report from the Committee on Military Nutrition Research reviews the history of caffeine usage, the metabolism of caffeine, and its physiological effects. The effects of caffeine on physical performance, cognitive function and alertness, and alleviation of sleep deprivation impairments are discussed in light of recent scientific literature. The impact of caffeine consumption on various aspects of health, including cardiovascular disease, reproduction, bone mineral density, and fluid homeostasis are reviewed. The behavioral effects of caffeine are also discussed, including the effect of caffeine on reaction to stress, withdrawal effects, and detrimental effects of high intakes. The amounts of caffeine found to enhance vigilance and reaction time consistently are reviewed and recommendations are made with respect to amounts of caffeine appropriate for maintaining alertness of military personnel during field operations. Recommendations are also provided on the need for appropriate labeling of caffeine-containing supplements, and education of military personnel on the use of these supplements. A brief review of some alternatives to caffeine is also provided.
Author: Alan Horsfield
Publisher: Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP
ISBN: 1433949326
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 34
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Book Description
It’s a fact: smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol can cause many health problems and can even shorten our lifespan. Even drinking too much caffeine can have negative effects on the human body. This book provides an intriguing look into the problems that are related to these legal drugs. Topics include pollution and damage caused by discarded cigarettes, diseases related to legal drugs, and the way advertising tries to influence our choices.
Author: Harvey Nash
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Alcohol
Languages : en
Pages : 190
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Book Description
Author: Leslie A. Pray
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780309297493
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Caffeine in Food and Dietary Supplements is the summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine in August 2013 to review the available science on safe levels of caffeine consumption in foods, beverages, and dietary supplements and to identify data gaps. Scientists with expertise in food safety, nutrition, pharmacology, psychology, toxicology, and related disciplines; medical professionals with pediatric and adult patient experience in cardiology, neurology, and psychiatry; public health professionals; food industry representatives; regulatory experts; and consumer advocates discussed the safety of caffeine in food and dietary supplements, including, but not limited to, caffeinated beverage products, and identified data gaps. Caffeine, a central nervous stimulant, is arguably the most frequently ingested pharmacologically active substance in the world. Occurring naturally in more than 60 plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, cola nuts and cocoa pods, caffeine has been part of innumerable cultures for centuries. But the caffeine-in-food landscape is changing. There are an array of new caffeine-containing energy products, from waffles to sunflower seeds, jelly beans to syrup, even bottled water, entering the marketplace. Years of scientific research have shown that moderate consumption by healthy adults of products containing naturally-occurring caffeine is not associated with adverse health effects. The changing caffeine landscape raises concerns about safety and whether any of these new products might be targeting populations not normally associated with caffeine consumption, namely children and adolescents, and whether caffeine poses a greater health risk to those populations than it does for healthy adults. This report delineates vulnerable populations who may be at risk from caffeine exposure; describes caffeine exposure and risk of cardiovascular and other health effects on vulnerable populations, including additive effects with other ingredients and effects related to pre-existing conditions; explores safe caffeine exposure levels for general and vulnerable populations; and identifies data gaps on caffeine stimulant effects.
Author: William Halse Rivers Rivers
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 162
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Book Description
Author: Monicque Lorist
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134409389
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 486
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Book Description
Often, people use nicotine, caffeine, and some level of alcohol in varying combinations at different times of the day in order to optimize their functioning and feelings of well-being, whether at work, in leisure time, or in a social context. However, until now, studies on the effects of this everyday practice have been diverse, widespread, and insufficiently summarized. Recently developed methods to study the effects in more detail have received little attention, especially among a nonscientific readership. Nicotine, Caffeine and Social Drinking focuses readers' attention on the effects of normal, socially accepted psychoactive substances on cognitive performance and on the brain. Divided into three sections, this book studies each substance individually before examining the effects of their combined usage.
Author: Christine Petersen
Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 1627123806
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 66
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Book Description
This book provides information on the dangers of caffeine and energy drinks, both stimulant drugs that affect the central nervous system. Middle-school students will learn the lowdown on the consequences of drug-use, describing the symptoms of addiction, including the physical, emotional, and social damage that can arise from substance abuse. Alarming facts and statistics share how prevalent drug abuse can be among teens. Personal stories of teens who used drugs and the realities they faced unfold along with advice on how to deal with peer pressure when choosing to say no.
Author: DRUG AND ALCOHOL SERVICES COUNCIL (S. Aust.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Caffeine
Languages : en
Pages : 1
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Book Description
