CAFFEINE
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Caffeine is a drug that is found in tea, coffee,
cocoa, many soft drinks such as colas and some chocolates.
It is also used in a wide variety of medicines especially
cold remedies.Caffeine can be manufactured in a laboratory
but it mainly comes from the Arabian coffee shrub, commercial
tea plants, cocoa beans and kola nuts. Coffee is grown in
many areas of the world including Africa, Arabia, Central
and South America, Java and Sumatra and the West Indies. Tea
is mainly grown in eastern Asia and South America especially
India, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Japan. Most of the
world's cocoa is grown in West Africa.
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LATEST UK NEWS On average in the UK, we drink
nearly 123 million cups of tea per day, each cup containing
about 40mg of caffeine, but more if the tea is left to brew
longer. Coffee is almost as popular with 90 million cups of
coffee consumed a day. About 70 per cent of this is instant
coffee containing around 60mg of caffeine per cup. HISTORY
Tea and cocoa have been drunk for thousands of years. Earliest
use of tea was probably in China before the 10th century BC.
Coffee use is much more recent and the first record of its
cultivation was in Arabia about 675 AD. Tea was first imported
to Europe in about 1600 by the Dutch East India Company and
first came to the UK in about 1660. Coffee was first introduced
to the UK as a medicine but became very fashionable to drink
in the 1670s. Coffee houses sprang up in London. They attracted
literary figures such as Hogarth and Swift, political revolutionaries
and financial entrepreneurs - some of the first banks and
the Stock Exchange were started in coffee houses. Coffee houses
caused much controversy. The authorities saw them as recruiting
places for political radicals and women's groups protested
that they damaged family life. The authorities moved to close
down all the coffee houses in London. A compromise was reached
where coffee houses could remain open so long as they did
not allow the sale of political books and pamphlets or political
speeches. Coffee houses became less popular and changes in
commerce saw coffee consumption fall. England turned to tea
drinking and remains the only country in Europe that consumes
more tea than coffee. In recent years concerns about the effects
of caffeine have led to the manufacture of decaffeinated coffees
and teas.
Roasted coffee beans
THE LAW There are no legal restrictions on the sale or use
of coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks and chocolate confectionery.
Certain medicines which contain caffeine may only be available
on a doctor's prescription. EFFECTS/ RISKS Caffeine is an
'upper' and helps stimulate the body, increasing heart rate
and blood pressure. It combats tiredness and drowsiness and
makes people feel more alert and able to concentrate. Many
people have a cup of tea or coffee every morning to 'get going'.
However, people also drink tea and coffee to help them relax.
Caffeine also makes people urinate more. High doses can result
in people having headaches and feeling very irritable. People
who drink more than 6 to 8 cups of normal strength tea or
coffee a day usually become dependent. They may find it difficult
to stop using and experience withdrawal symptoms if they try.
This can include feeling tired and anxious and suffering headaches.
"I don't know if I could do without coffee. That first
cup in the morning gets me up. Off to work and the first thing
is coffee. Basically I drink at least 8 cups a day and the
stronger the better. If you said to me don't drink coffee
tomorrow I would get very anxious about trying to do it. I
don't think I would last very long without it." Research
into the health effects of long term use of caffeine is inconclusive.
However, some reports have suggested that it can lead to a
higher incidence of asthma, peptic ulcers, kidney, bladder
and heart disease and blood pressure problems. "We have
seen several well-marked cases of coffee excess.... The sufferer
is tremulous, and looses his self-command; he is subject to
fits of agitation and depression; he looses colour and has
a haggard appearance. The appetite falls off, and symptoms
of gastric catarrh may be manifested. The heart also suffers;
it palpitates, or it intermits. As with other such agents,
a renewed dose of the poison gives temporary relief, but at
the cost of future misery'. Sir T.C. Allbutt and H.D. Rolleston
A system of medicine 1909. There have also been concerns about
the amount of caffeine consumed by young children particularly
in soft drinks and chocolate. Some commentators have suggested
that children who consume a lot of caffeine may become hyperactive.
A child drinking one can of cola will be taking the equivalent
caffeine intake as an adult drinking four cups of coffee.
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