Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 1 of 111 Student Sample #1: Topic: Caffeine Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 2 of 111 May 1, 2015 English 101 Section 44 Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 3 of 111 Table of Contents Summary 3 Text book section 6 Advice column 9 Diagram 11 Medical record 13 Annotated bibliography 17 Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 4 of 111 The Effects of Caffeine on the Body Dear Reader, Caffeine is a popular drug that is used by people all around the world. In fact, according to the Food and Drug Administration (2007), “ninety percent of people in the world use caffeine in one form or another” and “in the U.S., 80 percent of adults consume caffeine every day” (para. 01). Pietrangelo (2014) explains how “Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in many plants, including coffee beans and tea leaves” and how “Caffeine can also be man- made, and it is added to many of our foods and drinks” (para. 01). Most of these caffeinated beverages include pop, energy drinks, tea, and of course coffee. People most often drink beverages with caffeine because of the effects caffeine gives. The main effect people are after when they drink a caffeinated beverage is the feeling of energy. While this is one big effect that caffeine gives, there are many others as well. In fact, Caffeine has many different effects on many different parts of the human body. Many of the effects caffeine gives affect the brain. Dr. Chawla (2013) even describes how “caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance and has sometimes been considered a drug of abuse” (para. 01). Caffeine is a psychoactive substance because of how it replaces adenosine in the brain. As Reilly (2014) puts it, “caffeine, however, is a stealthy impersonator. It’s the same size and shape as adenosine, and when you sip your morning joe, your adenosine receptors can’t tell the difference” (para. 3). As caffeine is consumed and replaces the adenosine, Stromberg (2013) states that “the most notable change is that brain cells grow more adenosine receptors, which is the brain’s attempt to maintain equilibrium in Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 5 of 111 the face of a constant onslaught of caffeine” (para. 10). This ultimately leads to caffeine becoming addicting. Since caffeine is addictive, many other of the effects it gives come from withdrawal from caffeine. While caffeine can be addicting to the brain, it affects more than just the central nervous system. Hanes (2015) even states that “while caffeine’s effects are regulated by the brain, it also affects many other organ systems throughout the body” (para. 01). It has many more effects on the whole body than people would expect. These effects are usually safe when caffeine is taken in moderation. However, when caffeine is taken in high amounts over a long period of time, the effects it gives can be harmful as well. Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 6 of 111 References Chawla, J. (2013, August 12). Neurologic Effects of Caffeine. Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1182710-overview#a1 FDA. (2007). Medicines in my Home: Caffeine and Your Body. Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.fda.gov/downloads/UCM200805.pdf Hanes, T. (2015, January 28). Does Caffeine Affect Other Organ Systems Besides the Nervous System? Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/535576- does-caffeine-affect-other-organ-systems-besides-the-nervous-system/ Pietrangelo, A. (2014, October 22). 17 Effects of Caffeine on the Body. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.healthline.com/health/caffeine-effects-on-body Reilly, L. (2014, February 4). How Does Caffeine Work? Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://mentalfloss.com/article/54536/how-does-caffeine-work Stromberg, J. (2013, August 9). This Is How Your Brain Becomes Addicted to Caffeine. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/sciencenature/this- is-how-your-brain-becomes-addicted-to-caffeine-26861037/?no-list Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 7 of 111 Caffeine Caffeine is a stimulant that will make people feel more energetic, but does not actually provide them with any energy or nutritional value. Caffeine works by mimicking the chemical adenosine. Adenosine accumulates in the brain as a by-product of neuron activity. Therefore, when the brain is awake and consciously active, more adenosine appears throughout the day. As this chemical appears, it attaches to brain receptors and slows down brain Adenosine- activity. This slowing down of the brain receptors gives off the A neurotransmitter in the brain that serves a role in sleep sensation of drowsiness and needing sleep. Therefore, people feel initiation. (Peters, 2013) more tired as more adenosine collects in the brain the longer they’ve been awake. This process, however, can be interrupted with the consumption of caffeine. Caffeine and adenosine appear so similar to the human body that it can’t tell the difference between the two. Therefore, caffeine replaces the adenosine by attaching to the brain receptors instead. Since the caffeine doesn’t Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 8 of 111 give off the feeling of tiredness to the receptors that the adenosine does, this allows the person who consumes the caffeine to feel more awake and full of energy than they really should. However, if one were to consistently consume high amounts of caffeine on a daily basis, the body would change and adapt to this by growing more adenosine receptors to be available. Since the brain would grow more adenosine receptors, more receptors would be available for adenosine to attach to. This would require someone to consume more caffeine in order to get the same effects of feeling more awake and energetic. Therefore, this same concept would also mean that the person would feel more tired than usual if they didn’t consume any caffeine. This is one of the ways how people can become dependent on the effects that caffeine gives. Fig. 20-19: Caffeine and Adenosine molecules. (Courtesy of udel.edu) Student Sample MGRP Projects: Page 9 of 111 Bibliography Chawla, J. (2013, August 12). Neurologic Effects of Caffeine. Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1182710-overview#a1 Miller, B., O'Connor, H., Orr, R., Ruell, P., Cheng, H., & Chow, C. (2014). Combined caffeine and carbohydrate ingestion: effects on nocturnal sleep and exercise performance in athletes. European Journal Of Applied Physiology, 114(12), 2529-2537. doi:10.1007/s00421-014-2973-z Peters, B. (2013, September 3). Definition of Adenosine. Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/sleepglossaryae/g/Definition-Of-Adenosine.htm Reilly, L. (2014, February 4). How Does Caffeine Work? Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://mentalfloss.com/article/54536/how-does-caffeine-work Stromberg, J. (2013, August 9). This Is How Your Brain Becomes Addicted to Caffeine. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/sciencenature/this- is-how-your-brain-becomes-addicted-to-caffeine-26861037/?no-list University of Delaware. (n.d.). Effects of Caffeine. Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://udel.edu/~danikoll/metabolism.html Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 10 of 111 Ask Dr. Richard Q: I am an avid coffee drinker and lately I have been trying to quit. I usually have about three to five cups of coffee a day because I work a lot and it helps keep me feeling energetic during the day. I want to quit, but every time I stop drinking coffee I get massive headaches and become extremely irritable. I become so irritable with everyone that even my coworkers notice. Also the headaches I get are so unbearable that I can only last about two days before I start drinking coffee again. Feeling sleepy throughout the day hasn’t been much of a problem as I thought it would be. It’s just the headaches and irritability that gets me. I don’t understand why. Is there anything I can do to get rid of or even ease these withdrawal symptoms I’ve been feeling? A: First of all, I would like to say that these symptoms you are having are completely normal and actually very common with people who try and quit drinking coffee. The reason why you are having these symptoms is because coffee is very high in caffeine and your body has adapted to your daily high intake of caffeine. There is nothing you can do to get rid of these symptoms. You will have them for the first few days after you quit drinking coffee. Fortunately, they will get better after a few day and should altogether disappear within a few weeks. There are, however, a few ways you could ease these symptoms. I would recommend gradually giving up drinking coffee rather than doing it all in one day. You could drink two cups a day for a couple days and work your way down. I would also recommend drinking lots of water. This would especially help with the headaches you are experiencing. Other than that I would recommend getting plenty of rest and the symptoms eventually will go away. Good luck! Photo courtesy of wisegeek.org Student Samples Final MGRPs: Page 11 of 111 Bibliography Caffeine Informer Staff. (2015). Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms: Top Ten. Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-withdrawal-symptoms-top-ten Maisto, S., Galizio, M., & Connors, G. (2010). Caffeine. In Drug Use and Abuse (6th ed.). Cengage Learning. Rakow, B. (2012, January 21). How to Write an Advice Column. Retrieved April 24, 2015, from http://drbj.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Write-Advice-Column WiseGEEK.