Caffeine

Look at the effect of different drugs on the performance of spiders spinning their webs, according to research reported in New Scientist, 27 April 1995.

Spiders on marijuana are too laid back to finish the job, while those dosed with the sedative chloral hydrate drop off before they can lay down more than a few silky filaments. On an "upper", such as benzedrine, the spider demonstrates great gusto but not much planning, leaving large holes in the structure. But caffeine seems to have had by far the worst effect and the web is a very chaotic affair. Ask yourself: do you really want to drink this stuff?

Many reported allergies to tea and coffee are not allergies in the true sense of the word but simply caffeine poisoning. Doses above 250 mg a day are potentially harmful. Children are more prone to caffeine’s negative effects, yet cola drinks may legally contain up to 60 mg of caffeine per portion.

People have been drinking caffinaceous drinks since the dawn of time. Maté, still drunk by 20 million South Americans, was known to Paleolithic man. Tea from the bush Camellia chinensis has been drunk in China for 2,000 years. Coffee – taken from the Coffela arabica plant – was established more recently, because without the fermentation, extraction and roasting processes, which must have taken some ingenuity to discover, its taste is unpleasant.

The distinctive aroma of coffee comes from over 500 compounds that arise during roasting. Almost none of these compounds have been properly evaluated for toxicity; they include thiopenes, thiazoles, oxazoles, furans, pyrroles (see brain allergy), pyridines, quinolines, quinoxalines and indoles. There are others.

We drink caffeine beverages for their energizing effect and to enable more rapid, ‘positive’ thought. Unfortunately the effects soon wear off and the subsequent fatigue necessitates that we drink yet another cup to clear our head. Symptoms generated by excess caffeine include irritability, restlessness, nausea and headache. Withdrawal produces the reverse, with drowsiness, lethargy and low mood. Research shown caffeine can aggravate cystic mastitis; women with this condition should avoid it.

A typical cup of coffee contains 90 to 100 mg of caffeine. So-called de-caffeinated coffee has about 2 mg. A 5-oz cup of tea contains about 50 mg caffeine and 1 mg theophylline. Cocoa and most chocolates have significant amounts of caffeine, a fact that is often overlooked.

De-caffeinated drinks may be preferred but take care: some have the caffeine removed by chemical treatments using formaldehyde or dry-cleaning fluid! Vacuum extraction is best.

Theophylline is a similar chemical and has extra properties as a broncho-dilator (helps asthmatics breathe more easily, as it dilates the bronchi). It is found in tea and coffee. Aminophylline, a relative, is frequently used as an emergency asthma drug. Once again children are more sensitive to theophylline. Anti-asthma drugs may be a potent cause of hyperactive behaviour because of this theophylline connection.

A number of pain-relief drugs such as Anadin, Hypon, Pardale and Solpadeine contain caffeine as well as analgesics - usually around 10 to 30 mg. Migraine-specific drugs such as Cafergot and Migril contain much more: usually 100 mg of caffeine. Over-the-counter cold remedies and proprietary slimming preparations may also contain significant amounts of caffeine (around 30 mg and 200 mg respectively).

Stimulant drugs such as Pro Plus, designed to combat fatigue, are essentially caffeine.