Caffeine Caffeine, most known for its appearance in coffee is known to be a stimulant drug. It is one of the most common and used drug all over the world.
Caffeine is a substance found in the leaves, seeds or fruits of approximately 63 plants worldwide. Caffeine has been known to date back from the Stone Age. It was first extracted in 1821. It was originated from Ethiopia and was slowly brought to Arabia and the rest of the east. The most common appearances of caffeine are in coffee, tea, various soft drinks and chocolate.
In 2001, the first caffeine survey was conducted on kids. The survey results suggests constantly increasing caffeine consumption as age increases. Children aged 2-3 consumed 3.4mg of caffeine a day, whereas 4-8 year old children consumed 8.1mg. From the age of 9-13, the caffeine intake had increased to 19.2, drastically changing to a large 41.7mg at the age of 14-16. Another fact learned from the survey was that men consumed a slight bit more than women.

Caffeine has both good and bad, short and long term effects on the body, both mentally and physically.
Caffeine takes from 5-30 minutes to circulate in the body after consumption. It only has an effect as long as it is still in the blood, which is normally around 12 hours. The short term effects are:
• feeling more alert and active
• need to urinate more frequently
• rise in body temperature
• increased heart rate
• stimulation of the brain and nervous system.
• anxiety
• irritability