Coffee is undisputedly the most used psychoactive drug in the world. In addition, it is also the second most traded commodity in the world, after oil. It is possible that everyone reading these lines have had coffee at least once in their life (I know, I’m typing these over a cup of coffee). So, what made it popular in the first place? How does it make us more focused and active? Can it be lethal at some point? Well, here are your answers;
You might be familiar with a compound known as adenosine triphosphate (just kidding, if you’re not into science, it is hardly possible that you have ever heard of it). Adenosine triphosphate breaks down into adenosine when we are awake and active. There are certain receptors in our brain that promote sleepiness and fatigue (adenosine receptors). When adenosine binds with these receptors, we feel sleepy. And when we do actually sleep, the quantity of adenosine slowly declines, promoting wakefulness.
Caffeine is very much similar to adenosine in structure. So, the adenosine receptors bind with these caffeine molecules instead. However, the caffeine molecules aren’t capable of activating the receptors as adenosine does. So it simply adheres to the receptor blocking the binding of adenosine and in result, tricking our brain into feeling that it isn’t tired yet. In fact, caffeine doesn’t provide any energy at all, instead, it just fools our brain to think that it doesn’t need any more energy. This is how a cup of coffee helps you to stay awake and concentrate.
There are also some other side-business’ that caffeine is engaged with that makes it a crowd favourite. Caffeine increases the secretion of the hormone, nor-adrenaline (fight or flight hormone), which in turn, increases our heart rate and urine production. If you have ever felt that irresistible urge to pee after a heavy dose of caffeine, you now know why. Caffeine also blocks the reuptake of the neurotransmitter ‘dopamine’, which makes us happy (how it makes us happy is a topic for another discussion). This is exactly how cocaine also works (it is obviously much more potent than caffeine and certainly more expensive). However, this dopamine accumulation is also the reason why caffeine can be quite addictive. If you are a regular user, after every 12 waking hours or so, you will reach for that stimulating cup of coffee. If not, you will start feeling mild withdrawal symptoms like headaches, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, etc.
Now, can caffeine overdose kill you? Well, theoretically speaking, Yes, it can. Approximately, taking about 10 grams of caffeine (100 cups of coffee) can be lethal. But, in practical sense, it isn’t possible. So, ‘coffee can kill you’ is an over-exaggeration.
Coffee was first introduced more than 1000 years ago in Arabia. Since then, coffee has been popularized to such an extent that the majority of the world population has tasted caffeine at some point in their lives. Recent studies suggest that caffeine might even have some medicinal properties. A study found that caffeine helps prevent certain neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. Let us hope that scientists find more positive effects of drinking coffee. Because there is no way we are stopping it any time soon.
