 Caffeine interrupts our daily sleeping
patterns by altering the chemical reactions in our brain.
An addictive drug that 90% of Americans consume every day,
caffeine prevents us from getting our ZZZZs by increasing nerve
activity in our bodies-keeping us alert and hyperactive.
After drinking a hot cup of caffeinated coffee, the caffeine
causes three different chemical reactions that boost our energy
levels:
It energizes us by pumping the hormone
adrenaline into our systems.
It increases dopamine levels within our bodies. Dopamine
is a neurotransmitter that stimulates
our "pleasure areas" in our brain making us feel good.
It
blocks the connection of adenosine to
nerve cells. Adenosine is the chemical that attaches to receptors in the brain and causes drowsiness
by slowing down nerve cells activity.
The addictive and mood
altering effects caused by caffeine consumption has had an
increasing impact on the soft drink industry. Over the past 25
years, the amount of soda consumed by Americans has doubled. For
instance, Americans spent billion on 15 billion gallons of soda in
1998.
Today, 70% of all sodas in the United States contain caffeine.
Teenagers especially have become dependent on caffeinated sodas or
what many refer to as "liquid candy." Teenage boys and girls drink
about twice as much "liquid candy" as milk, whereas twenty years ago
they drank twice as much milk as soda.
While many soda companies argue that caffeine is necessary to a
soft drink's flavor, many researchers have shown that most people
are hooked to a soda's caffeine
content-NOT its taste. Most people can't tell the difference between
caffeinated and uncaffeinated soft drinks. Soda guzzlers prefer the soft drink brands that
contain caffeine because the caffeine stimulates alertness and
boosts of energy.
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