Transcript Caffeine Experiment

 Caffeine
is the most
popular drug in the world,
 We’ve all been known to
try it at least once: in
coffee, tea, cocoa, some
soft drinks, some
drugs…..and in the popular
treat, chocolate!
 The actual source of
caffeine is the coffee
bean, tealeaf, kola nut and
cacao pod.
 Pure
caffeine is odorless and has a bitter
taste.
 Caffeine is a central nervous system
stimulant. In moderate doses, caffeine can:
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increase alertness and speed of reactions
reduce memory
reduce fine motor coordination (giving you shaky
hands!)
cause insomnia (sleepless nights!)
cause headaches, nervousness and dizziness
Caffeine enters the bloodstream through the
stomach and small intestine and starts to have
its effects within fifteen minutes of ingestion.
Once in the body, it takes about six hours for one
half of the caffeine to be eliminated.
 Why is caffeine said to be addictive? One way to
tell if someone "can’t live without “that mocha
latte or two shots of espresso is to take it away
from them and see what happens.
 Typical withdrawal symptoms associated with
caffeine include throbbing headaches and aching
muscles. These symptoms can occur within 24
hours after your last “dose” of coffee.
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 One
study has said that the minimum
consumption of caffeine for you to be
labeled a coffee-addict is four cups of coffee
per day. But it really depends on you! Some
people, if they don’t get that one cup in the
morning, just can’t function at all!
 In massive doses, caffeine is lethal. A fatal
dose of caffeine has been calculated to be
more than 10g. To get this dose, you’d need
to drink 80-100 cups of coffee in one sitting good news for coffee houses everywhere, but
extremely difficult to do!
 The
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effects of drinking caffeine include:
An increased pulse/heart rate
faster reaction times
improved alertness
Reduced memory
shakier hands!
 We
will be testing the effects of caffeine on
you pulse and on your memory.
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“The easiest place to take a pulse is at the wrist, whether
it is your own or someone else’s.
The fingers – not the thumb because the ball of the thumb
has too strong a pulse of its own – should be lightly but
firmly pressed over the radial artery.
You’ll find it about 1 cm in from the thumb side of the
wrist. Move your fingers around a little if you can’t find it
right away; you will soon feel the gentle throbbing.
Count the number of beats in 30 seconds, using a watch
with a second hand to make sure you time it exactly, then
multiply by two. A healthy pulse can be very variable.
The average resting adult’s rate is 70 per minute but can
range from 60-80; children have a higher rate and a baby’s
may be 140. If active or excited, the pulse rate will
increase.”
Pulse Rate Before Caffeine
Pulse Rate 15 Minutes After
Caffeine
Take your starting pulse.
When I tell you to, Drink
the soda.
 Answer
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this question under the chart:
How many of the students’ results are needed to
increase to be sure that caffeine has an effect?
 See
if you can remember all the objects after
memorizing the objects for one minute.
 Do not write them down in your notebook
until I tell you to. I will time you.
 Write
down everything you can remember
from the past slide.
Pulse Rate Before Caffeine
Pulse Rate 15 Minutes After
Caffeine
Record the final pulse rate, and answer the
questions below.
Did your pulse rise as a result of the
caffeine?
Did you feel any different from the
caffeine?
Only
half the class had
caffeine. The rest had
caffeine free cola.
Can you guess which
students had caffeine
based on their results?
 The
tendency of any medication or
treatment, even an inert or
ineffective one, exhibit results
simply because the recipient
believes that it will work.