Caffeine : The worlds most popular legal drug?
Caffeine
What is it?
Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid with a mildly bitter taste. It is most commonly used in food and beverage products because of its stimulant effect.
Caffeine is easily the worlds most popular and most consumed psychoactive substance.
Common dietary sources
Almost everyone should be aware that coffee and tea contain caffeine, and in recent years there has been a surge of “energy drinks” to hit store shelves. Caffeine is found in coffee beans and the leaves of tea plants, as well as in cocoa. It is also found in Yerba mate, and Guarana plants. Some foods will use the terms mateine or guaranine in place of caffeine to try and give the appearance of a more natural source of caffeine.
Geeks & Caffeine
There has been a long standing link between “Geeks” and caffeine, particularly the consumption of caffeinated drinks and snacks. While not every self styled geek consumes massive quantities of caffeine, many find caffeine to help them out in certain situations. Software developers might run long hours and seek an energy boost and gamers are always seeking an extra edge against the competition. Sometimes the small effects of caffeine just seem to hit the spot.
Where do Geeks go for Caffeine?
What are the dangers of Caffeine?
Overuse of caffeine can cause caffeine dependency, a situation like any other drug where the body becomes dependant on the existence of caffeine to operate or feel like its operating normally. Conditions including anxiety, muscle twitching, insomnia, headaches, heart palpitations and general nervousness can be arise.
In acute overdose conditions (those usually in excess of 300mg at one time) the body can enter a state of central nervous system overstimulation called caffeine intoxication(“the jitters”).
Amounts that exceed 150mg to 200mg per kilogram of body mass can lead to death. This would equal roughly 80 to 100 cups of coffee for an average adult. While this amount would be hard to achieve though the consumption of beverages, even energy drinks, caffeine pills need to be taken as recommended to be used safely, as an accidental overdose of pills would not be difficult.
What about non-caffeinated energy drinks
One energy drink that has received good reviews is e10 Energy Drink
One non-caffeinated supplement I’ve tried lately is:
http://www.supplement-it.com
It’s was created for geeks also, might be helpful to some of you.