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| Who know what this is? Image from Wikipedia |
I admit, I'm addicted to DNews, if I don't watch it for a day, I'm lost, I can't concentrate. Does that make DNews a drug?
Well, of course not. I'm just addicted to the knowledge, but hey, there is something maybe both you and me are kind of addicted to already, and that thing is in tea, coffee, soft drinks, energy drinks and even chewing gums!
It's CAFFEINE!
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| Drinking coffee while writing this post Image from Locky's English Playground |
What? Caffeine is a drug? If it is, why are they so common? If it is, Starbucks is practically a pharmacy!
Well, denial is the longest river in the world. (The Nile ~ Denial? The Nile ~ Denial? The Nile ~ Denial?) Why don't you watch the following video first?
Here's a summary, caffeine can cause caffeine intoxication which can cause restlessness, nervousness, excitement, red faces, gastrointestinal distress, muscle twitching, rambling speech, sleeplessness, rapid and irregular heartbeat.
After the caffeine wears off, caffeine withdrawal kicks in which can cause headaches, fatigue, difficulties concentrating and a depressed mood. Doctors say 500-600mg of caffeine can cause serious side effects.
Here's a list of common caffeine sources sorted in ascending amount of caffeine,
- 35mg of caffeine = a can of coke
- 75mg of caffeine = a shot of espresso
- 80mg of caffeine = a Red Bull
- 250mg of caffeine = a 12oz tall Starbucks coffee
Yeah, and I heard people say that after drinking Red Bull, they get that serious "Red Bull hangover", seems like Starbucks coffee is 3 times worse!!! (But how come I don't get these hangovers often?)
Caffeine is not all that bad considering it might lower the risk of prostate cancer, diabetes, liver diseases, Alzheimer's, stroke and Parkinson's disease. But, all these, might need further research to confirm. Should you not want to take any risk of being affected by the caffeine, yet still want to enjoy the taste and aroma of coffee, why not try decaf coffee?
So how is caffeine removed from from decaf coffee?
In short, there are the methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, carbon dioxide and water processing methods. None of these methods completely removes caffeine from the material but a decaf coffee in the United States should have less than 2.5% of the original caffeine content. Other places, no idea.
Whatever your choice is, take my advice, don't overdo anything, and you'll be okay.
Vocabulary:
caffeine intoxication -- (n)[U] A syndrome typically occurs only after ingestion of large amounts of caffeine, well over the amounts found in typical caffeinated beverages and caffeine tablets (e.g. more than 400–500 mg per at a time)
gastrointestinal distress -- (n)[U] including diarrhea, dyspepsia, and/or gastroenteritis
twitching -- (n)[U] a sudden small movement with a part of the body, usually without intending to:
rambling -- (adj) too long and confused:
wear off -- (phrasal vb) If a feeling or the effect of something wears off, it gradually disappears:
kick in -- informal (phrasal vb) to start to have an effect or to happen:
fatigue -- (n)[U] formal extreme tiredness:
Red Bull hangover -- (n)[U] When you wake up really early the next morning and your heart is pounding because you drank so much Red Bull the night before.
Resources:
Caffeine @ Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
EDITORIAL: Now, a war on caffeine @ The Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/8/now-a-war-on-caffeine/
DR. BETSY: How much caffeine is too much? @ Evansville Courier & Press
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/may/09/dr-betsy-how-much-caffeine-is-too-much/
Is Caffeine Making Us Crazy? @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/xngUYiht-hE
Medical & Drinks: Coffee seems to lower the risk of lethal prostate cancer @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2011/05/medical-drinks-coffee-seems-to-lower.html
Health and Fitness: Healthy Coffee?? @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2010/01/health-and-fitness-healthy-coffee.html
How Do You Decaffeinate Coffee and Tea? @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhAJ-zL5-QU&feature=share&list=UUiefLm_nIz_gOH7XHbgpdCQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine_intoxication#Caffeine_toxicity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRAT_diet
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/twitch_1?q=twitching+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/rambling_1?q=rambling+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/wear-off?q=wear+off+-
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/kick-in?q=kick+in
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Red%20Bull%20hangover