Caffeine. We crave it in the morning, drinking five or six cups of coffee before we hit the door. It's with us in our car, in our class, at our computer desk, when we open a chocolate bar. Caffeine is everywhere.
For some, coffee just doesn't do the job anymore, which leaves them searching for more and more ways to give them that extra step they need in their day. So what has the world turned to? Supplements: one pill to give people the kick they need. They are fast and convenient, and you don't have to worry about spilling hot coffee all over yourself when you're driving.
Most supplements' main ingredient is caffeine.
NoDoz, Vivarin and one new product, controversially named Cocaine, all offer megadoses of caffeine. They are just a few of the supplements college students are turning to in order to fuel them through the day and through long nights of studying.
Education major P.J. Jackson of West Texas A&M University said he has relied on the caffeine supplement NoDoz a time or two to energize him to write papers late at night.
How exactly do supplements work?
"Caffeine exaggerates the stress response," said Professor James Lane of Duke University Medical Center on the Web site, WebMD.
"At the cellular level, caffeine locks the receptor normally used by adenosine, a brain modulator that provides feedback to avoid overstimulation of nerve cells.
"If adenosine is locked up, nothing keeps the nervous system from getting too excited at a cellular level."
What are the benefits of caffeine supplements? Medical studies show that caffeine can improve memory, energize you and improve your mental functioning. Other studies have shown that caffeine may help prevent Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and liver disease, including liver cancer.
A downside to caffeine supplements is that they can raise a person's blood pressure. The debate whether caffeine is addictive still is undecided, but we do know that caffeine abuse can cause insomnia, tremors, nausea, vomiting, chest pains and palpitations.
The energy drink Cocaine is becoming controversial not only because of its name but because it is considered unhealthy.
The Cocaine drink has more caffeine and energy supplements than any of its competitors.
Though supplements have been proven to work and are convenient, they can be dangerous if taken abusively.
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