Did you know that throughout the world, 120,000 tons of caffeine is consumed each year? This is the equivalent of a caffeinated beverage per day for each of the five million people in the planet Earth.

Welcome to the most consumed psychoactive substance in the world.

People were using this drug since the Stone Age. Our early ancestors elevated mood, stimulate awareness and relaxation of fatigue by chewing the bark, leaves or seeds of some plants.

Today we have great apes may have refined our taste, but not much else. We consume caffeine in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, some soft drinks and some medications. But how much do we really know about the substance, the consumption only compete for water?

Caffeine is found in varying amounts in the fruit, leaves and grains of more than 60 plants. In the plant world, caffeine acts as a natural pesticide, paralyzes and kills certain insects, and try to eat these plants.

But the word itself comes from the French term for coffee, coffee. Your typical morning latte can contain more than 200 grams of caffeine. A cup of tea averages around 70mg, refreshments throughout the world from 1910 to 1950 mg per drink and an average serving contains 28g of milk chocolate as much caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated coffee.

Studies have shown that complete tolerance to see the subjective effects of caffeine, about caffeine 300mg three times daily for 18 days to develop, and sometimes even earlier.

Caffeine is completely through the stomach and small intestine in 45 minutes, but their impact can be felt after about 15 minutes. And what are these effects? Well, caffeine is a central nervous system and metabolic stimulant.

Since the release of norepinephrine in the brain after ingestion, caffeine increases respiration, increases heart rate increases, blood pressure, stimulates the kidneys temporarily relieves fatigue, stimulates the brain, improve mental function.

Caffeine and theobromine its relationship with the substance (tea and cocoa) is like sugar in its effects on the body. It stimulates the adrenal glands to substances such as adrenaline makes the liver release sugar into the blood stream.

This is what gives the lift you feel drinking caffeinated beverages.

Like alcohol and nicotine, caffeine readily crosses the blood brain barrier. In the brain, also narrowing of the cerebral blood vessels. If you’re used to drinking several cups of coffee a day, but decided to give him a break, they expand the blood vessels, leaving you with one hell of a headache, one of the best-known withdrawal symptoms.

Additional symptoms may include irritability, inability to concentrate, and even abdominal pain.

These feelings can appear within 12-24 hours if there is caffeine in the lips, with a high near 48 hours and duration of between one and five days has passed.

There, the body takes on average 7-9 hours to the caffeine in a cup of coffee proceedings. Women, however, metabolize caffeine about 25% faster than men, if they are taking oral contraceptives or ovulation, which increases the time to 10-20 hours?

Therefore, not in my opinion, 1-2 cups a day to run too much damage, but the benefits of caffeine only when needed is far beyond his mental daily dependence of these cups of coffee away.