Effects of psychedelic drugs

Research at Imperial College London has suggested that the use of hallucinogenic drugs (psychedelic drugs) such as LSD and magic mushrooms could be decreasing brain activity by reducing blood flow to certain areas of the brain and decreasing brain connectivity. Particularly, blood flow was reduced to the thalamus, the region of the brain that relays sensory information to other areas of the brain. A decrease in connectivity between the hippocampus and the posterior and also the medial prefrontal cortex. The research used fMRI scans for the thirty volunteers who had been injected with the drug psilocybin. The results were surprising given that it is generally believed that the use of psychedelic drugs increases brain activity. It is thought that psychedelic drugs could be used to treat people who are suffering with depressing; scans have shown that these regions of the brain with overactivity have been linked with depression.

The drug that had been tested at Imperial was found to have a similar chemical structure to the neurochemical transmitter serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for moods and mood swings based on the levels of serotonin present; it is mainly found in the nervous system, blood platelets and bowels. Psilocybin binds to cell receptors for serotonin which are targeted for depression treatment.Researchers in Switzerland have suggested that it is not only the short term effects that could be useful for treating depression but also the clinical long term effects. Psilocybin could be responsible for increased gene expression and proteins that contribute to the growth of nervous tissues and also promote long-term neuroplasticity.

Effects of psychedelic drugs

Research at Imperial College London has suggested that the use of hallucinogenic drugs (psychedelic drugs) such as LSD and magic mushrooms could be decreasing brain activity by reducing blood flow to certain areas of the brain and decreasing brain connectivity. Particularly, blood flow was reduced to the thalamus, the region of the brain that relays sensory information to other areas of the brain. A decrease in connectivity between the hippocampus and the posterior and also the medial prefrontal cortex. The research used fMRI scans for the thirty volunteers who had been injected with the drug psilocybin. The results were surprising given that it is generally believed that the use of psychedelic drugs increases brain activity. It is thought that psychedelic drugs could be used to treat people who are suffering with depressing; scans have shown that these regions of the brain with overactivity have been linked with depression.

The drug that had been tested at Imperial was found to have a similar chemical structure to the neurochemical transmitter serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for moods and mood swings based on the levels of serotonin present; it is mainly found in the nervous system, blood platelets and bowels. Psilocybin binds to cell receptors for serotonin which are targeted for depression treatment.Researchers in Switzerland have suggested that it is not only the short term effects that could be useful for treating depression but also the clinical long term effects. Psilocybin could be responsible for increased gene expression and proteins that contribute to the growth of nervous tissues and also promote long-term neuroplasticity.

Image from: HebMuseum 

Image from: Wikipedia 

However, the effects of psychedelic drugs are not all beneficial because long term usage can cause increased blood pressure (hypertension) which gives an increased risk of stroke, heart disease and heart attacks. Other effects include nausea, increased body temperature and ataxia (a disorder that effects co-ordination). Hallucinogenics have been used to create sensations that appear real; sometimes these hallucinations ( drug induced psychosis) are positive and cause enlightening feelings whereas they may also be negative and bring on periods of anxiety.

References:

• NewScientist
• Medical News Today
• Psychedelics 
• NHS ataxia 

Curing acne

How acne occurs has never been truly understood until now. Latest research has found that the harmless bacteria Propionibacterium acnes turn sebum into fatty acids. Sebum is secreted by the sebaceous gland which cover the entirety of the body, with exception to the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands. Sebum is made of triglycerides, wax esters and free fatty acids making it a very oily substance which means that it is ideal for keeping the skin waterproof but also protecting the skin from bacterial and fungal infections. Sebum makes its way to the skin through the hair follicles but when these hair follicles become blocked with dead skin cells and sebum the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes begin to thrive. When follicles below the skin become blocked, white heads appear and when the follicles on the skins surface become blocked black heads appear. Propionibacterium acnes lives on the skin but is only harmful when it gets trapped in the aerobic conditions of hair follicles and it causes inflammation and spots. When the bacterium is trapped it turns sebum into fatty acids that cause cells to become inflamed. It has been found that the fatty acids deactivate histone deacetylases - the enzymes which stop inflammation. Once deactivated, the skin cells produce more chemicals which further worsens the acne that forms. The image below shows Propionibacterium acnes.

Image from:SuperNaturalAcneTreatment 

The research also shows that washing the face isn't as effective as previously thought as biofilms form, which are structures caused when the bacteria stick together and this helps to keep them attached to the skin. Researcher Gallo and his team who were in charge of the project have confidence that they can inhibit the fatty acids. However, further cures may be difficult to find because many of the bacteria the are beneficial.

The research also suggests that some people may be more likely to develop acne because their hair follicles are particularly lacking in oxygen and others may have genes that mean they're more likely to get inflamed skin from the fatty acids caused by the breakdown of sebum. Another possible reason is that they have a type of the bacterium that will produce more of the fatty acids. Teenagers are more likely to develop acne because of the hormones released during puberty which cause the production of sebum to increase meaning more of bacteria are able to survive causing more acne. 

References: 

• HowStuffWorks
• Wiki
• NewScientist

Artificial intelligence

Recently an enterprise called Kernel has been created to research and produce methods which are able to enhance human intellect. The founders believe that artificial intelligence will be one of the biggest businesses. They're currently doing research which shows how the brain works and trying to be able to copy it. It is hoped that this research could help to cure memory diseases by potentially building a synthetic implant for the hippocampus (the area of the brain which is involved long term memory, personality and planning) and this new technology has already found to be successful in animal experiments.

A Differentiable Neural Computers are able to learn and make use of data without human input and can use it's working memory. A DNC has been able to use the tube and plan journeys where it takes in to account change overs from a tube map. However memory storage has so far been an issue for DNCs.

Artificial intelligence could have a major role in medicine and could be used to diagnose conditions and suggest treatments; it could potentially be more precise than human doctors and lead to more successful treatments and increased efficiency, as a recent study in the US has found that many treatments are unsuccessful due to incorrect diagnoses. Machine learning algorithms could be used to analyse numerous statistics to find patterns and predict a patients risk of developing certain diseases based on their health report. These machines could also be used to analyse body tissues to look for cancerous cells with increased accuracy.

References:

• NewScientist
• NewScientist
• NewScientist

Infertility

There are many different treatments for infertility. However, many of these treatments have a higher chance of the child being born with disabilities.

One of the many techniques used to overcome male infertility is intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, which can be used when there are deformed sperm, these sperm may also be incapable of movement. During this method of fertilisation, a sperm cell is injected into a human egg using a needle and then the embryo is inserted into the womb. The principle difference between ICSI and IVF is that IVF uses eggs which are place with multiple sperm and are fertilised naturally by the sperm releasing enzymes on to the surface of the egg, which allow it to gain entry. It's theorised that the insertion of the needle could lead to affect the eggs internal structure. However, ICSI children are more likely to have abnormalities but the treatment has been found to have no effect on the intellect of the child nor to the child's weight or height. Children born by this method have been found o have a lower sperm count but it is still hopefully that they may be able to have children naturally.


Image from: Invitra

Recently, there have been several three parent babies born. The children were found to be completely healthy. This technique can overcome the issue of embryonic arrest (embryo development), which is problematic in IVF treatment. Pro-nuclear fusion is used; after the fertilisation of an egg, the genetic information is extracted and placed into a donor egg, meaning that the egg has the full genetic information of both parents.
Image from: Discovery

A potential new technique is using sperm binding beads which will be able to capture the healthiest sperm for the fertilisation process later on. By choosing the best sperm, the health of the child can be more assuring. Interestingly, this method could also be used a contraceptive, as the beads could absorb the sperm preventing fertilisation. This has been researched on mice and has prevented pregnancy in the mice.

Image from: Science alert

Another new technique is using synthetic ovaries, which would enable women who have undergone chemotherapy to have children. Chemotherapy can lead to infertility as. However, the synthetic ovaries would be able to keep the human egg-prodding follicles alive in a laboratory. It could also allow women with endometriosis to have children, this is a condition where the lining of the womb isn't in the correct place. This method may also be able to delay or even prevent menopause which is thought to be linked with the development of osteoporosis. 

References:

• New Scientist
• New Scientist
• NHS
• BabyCentre
• Science alert

The chemistry of the crime

At a crime scene there are many different methods for gaining information about the crime and the perpetrator. Most commonly, finger prints are used as a method for identifying the offender, this process is known as dactyloscopy. There are three main types of finger prints: latent, patent and plastic finger prints. Latent finger prints are those that have been created by the oils of the body and sweat. Latent finger prints cannot be seen with the naked human eye and will require chemical techniques (later discussed) to help reveal them. Patent finger prints are those that have been left on hard surfaces and do not require any chemical enhancement as they can be seen by the human eye and are therefore simply photographed. The third type of finger prints are plastic prints which are 3D and have the ridges of the true finger, whey can be made using wax, clay or paint, although perpetrators try to generally avoid these.

Image from: Forensicsciencelaw12

To this day, crime scene investigators still use a well known technique known as dusting for finger prints. It has been in use since 1891. A very fine powder is gently spread across the area where the finger prints may be present. The fine particles adhere to the oils in the finger print impression and revealing it, this can then be removed with tape or photographed. The fine particles usually have a pigment which visualises the print and gives greater contrast. There is also a binder present that helps the powder stick to the impression, iron powder is broadly used binder. Well known pigments are carbon particles and flakes of metal can even be used, such as aluminium and copper. Sometimes fluorescent powders are used but this can transfer DNA and change the impression.  

Image from: Emaze

A more recent method for revealing finger prints was discovered in 1982 by mistake by Japanese scientists. This technique is known as cyanoacrylate fuming, cyanoacrylate is a molecule which is found in superglue and so people often call this method "revealing fingerprints using superglue". This method works because the oils left from the fingers causes the cyanoacrylates to form polymer chains when the two come into contact. For this reason cyanoacrylate fuming is able to reveal latent finger prints. 

Another well known device used by the police force is the breathalyser. There are different types of breathalyzers, most commonly known is the alcosensor and the intoxilyzer. The alcosensor makes use of hydrogen fuel cells with a pair of platinum electrodes. The breath sample of the suspect flows through one side of the fuel cell and ethanol present will be oxidised by the platinum, the products of which are electrons, protons and ethanoic acid (a carboxylic acid). If there is lots of ethanol present in the breath sample, there will be more electrons produced and hence a greater electrical current.

The intoxilyzer uses infrared spectroscopy which is based on the fact that each bond in molecules absorbs a certain wavelength, causing the bond to stretch or bend. Then when analysing the results of infrared spectroscopy, you can determine whether the OH bond is present in the molecule and find other evidence of the presence of ethanol.


Image from: Leoaffairs

The image below shows what the results of Infrared spectroscopy of ethanol may look like:

Image from: Chemguide

References: 

• Foresneicsciencelaw12
• Compoundchem
• CMI Intoxilyzer
• Alcosensor
• Infrared Spectroscopy

Printing a revolution!

3D printing is a fairly new concept which has the potential to change medicine forever. Already we are seeing great medical advances, such as in surgery, which are greatly due to 3D printing. With 3D printing we could create structures which are suited to each individual, this could be simply life changing to many people. Such as the story of Hayley Fraser, the first girl in the UK to have a prosthetic hand created with a 3D printer. There are many more cases, like that of Hayley, such as the case of Leakhena Laing, who had a leg amputation after a car accident.






Recently scientists have been able to 3D print bone that could be used to replace damaged bone tissues. This would remove the need for implants, which has numerous drawbacks including the fact that they are easily broken. Another potential option is to take bones from other parts of the body which encompasses more surgery and often stress for the patient. There is also a dearer alternative, which is to use crystallised bones from human bodies. However, 3D printing would provide a more ideal and cost effective method of replacing damaged bones whilst also reducing the surgery required by the patient. Currently, Northwestern University in Illinois has have created an ink which allows the printed bones to be elastic to such an extent where they can be altered during surgery to create the perfect fit. The bone will then turn into natural bone.




Leading scientists are now trying to make the next step - 3d printing living tissues and organs. Before it had been problematic developing blood vessels which could deliver nutrients and oxygen.


Can we 3D print blood?




References:

• The New Scientist
• BBC 
• The Guardian
• The Guardian

Nanomedicines

In the future, nanotechnology could form future cures to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cystic fibrosis.



Currently, nanoparticles can be used to advance drug treatments for many illnesses such as breast cancer, multiple sclerosis and emphysema. One of the main advantages of nanomedicines is that they can overcome the problem with the body removing the drug before it has taken effect. They are also able to specifically target certain cells, such as cancerous cells, whilst not harming healthy tissues.

(Image from: British Society of Medicine)



We could be inserting nanotechnologies into the body, which travel through the circulatory and lymphatic systems, acting as activity monitors. These can alert to chemical imbalances, through wireless transmitters. They can also inform when a disease is developing. Similar nanotechnologies could release drugs or hormones into the body, hence removing the need to remember to take prescriptions. The DNA nanobot is a new device which can target cancerous cells; when the nanobot identifies the targeted cell, its two halves swing open to release drugs. Thus ensuring that all the cancer is completely removed after surgery, hence removing the need for chemotherapy  We may also be implanting nanomachines into the nerves system, which oversees brain-wave activity, as well as pulse.




Even more advanced uses of nanotechnology could mean the utilisation of nanorobots during surgery: they could replace or fix damaged structures in the body. These could make their way into cells and change DNA molecules to correct inherited diseases.

(Image from: The Scientist)



Recent research at Queen's University has suggested that nanoparticles could be the cure for acute lung injury, which affects 20% of people in intensive care. The nanoparticles can attach to the blood cells which is linked with lung damage, reducing inflammation. This new drug is the size of 1 billionth of a metre.



Other nanomedicines could be based on polymers, graphene proteins, DNA, quantum dots, and surprisingly viruses.Viruses are already coming to the forefront of medicine with some being used to send replacement genes into targeted cells, which could cure genetic disorders. Synthetic polymers can be used to create worm shaped nanoparticles which are able to elude the body's immune system so that the body is not able to remove them, these could be used to specifically target tumours.



Reference:

• British Society of Nanomedicine
• What is.com
• BBC focus magazine  

Fruit - what is it really? And why is it so good for us?

Everyone knows that there are major health benefits to eating fruits as they contain antioxidants and essential vitamins. But what exactly are antioxidants and how do they work? What is the structure of some of our most classical, favourite fruits.

The banana!!

Image from: James Kennedy

An interesting study also showed that the chemical composition of bananas varies dependant on whether the banana is ripe or isn't ripe, to read more click here. In nature, many compounds naturally contain esters, a family of compounds commonly associated with their characteristics of smell and hence are responsible for various different scents in nature. The ester found in bananas is 3-methylbutyl ethanoate... This ester is also known as isoamyl acetate. 

Image from: Chem Bristol

It is well known that bananas contain a lot of magnesium, on average 27mg of magnesium (source: USDA). Magnesium is essential in the body and is necessary for more than 300 biochemical reactions transmission of nerve impulses, body temperature regulation, detoxification, energy production, and the formation of healthy bones and teeth

Read more:  Top 5 Health Benefits of Magnesium  

My personal favourite - cherries 

It is a known fact that cherries are an antioxidant, this means they prevent the formation of free radicals by inhibiting oxidation as antioxidants act as electron donors. Free radicals are essential to the body however, in large quantities they can be dangerous as they can mutate a cells DNA causing cancer, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis and other diseases related to the nervous system and degenerative illnesses.

Image from: Juixing

Cherries are very distinctive in their colour, their colour, it is the presence of anthocyanins in the flesh of the cherries that are responsible for this. Anthocyanins are water soluble vacuolar pigments which belong to the family of compounds known as the flavinoids (compounds which have a general structure of 15 carbons in the form of two phenyl rings). Anthocyanins are also in leaves, stems, roots and flowers as well as in the fruit. This is a very interesting compound and recently research from Michigan state university suggests that it could even help to lower blood sugar and hence has major benefits for diabetics as it increases the production of insulin by 50%. 

Image from: compoundchem 

The ester that provides the distinct smell of cherries is 2-methyl-propyl ethanoate, which is also known as isobutyl acetate or β-methylpropyl acetate It is used as a solvent for lacquer and nitrocellulose. 

Image from: Wikipedia

The humble apple 

Most fruits, including apples contain phytochemicals, such as Alpha-Linolenic-Acid, Asparagine, D-Categin, Isoqurctrin, Hyperoside, Ferulic-Acid, Farnesene, Neoxathin, Phosphatidyl-Choline, Reynoutrin, Sinapic-Acid, Caffeic-Acid, Chlorogenic-Acid, P-Hydroxy-Benzoic-Acid, P-Coumaric-Acid, Avicularin, Lutein, Quercitin, Rutin, Ursolic-Acid, Protocatechuic-Acid, and Silver. Apples have approximately five grams of insoluble fibre, this consists of about pectin, cellulose and lignin. In the seeds we can find a cyanide compound; Amygdaline.

Image from: IBC

One of the main reasons why apples are so good for us is because they too contain antioxidants, research shows that this is responsible for apples having the ability to prevent neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. The antioxidant quercetin is found to reduce cellular death that is caused by inflammation of neurons and oxidation. Another recent study found that eating apples can improve memory and hence reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's, as they increase the production of the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine. 

The ester which is responsible for the apple scent is methyl butyrate (methyl butanoate). At room temperature this ester is a colourless liquid and isn't very soluble in water and will separate to form an oily like layer on top of water. 

Another commonly associated ester with apples is propyl methanoate, butyl propanoate, ethyl propanoate, along with many others, which can be viewed in this spectacular table by James Kennedy below. 

Image from: James Kennedy

Juicy peaches

Image from: Corks and tap

Peaches are a little less well known for their health benefits and are often difficult to find juicy and ripe in the UK. However, there are many health benefits from peaches such as:  relief from hypokalemia, cancer, obesity, cholesterol, blood stasis and neurodegenerative diseases. Unsurprisingly, peaches also contain esters, the one responsible for the peachy scent is benzyl acetate. 

Image from: Wiki

A more exotic fruit...the coconut!!

Image from: Shaw academy  

In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha - 'tree which gives all that is necessary for living' because nearly all parts can be used, the water, milk, flesh, sugar and oil1.  Coconuts are highly nutritious and rich in fibre, vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. 

The ester which is commonly associated with coconuts is propyl octanoate and butyl heptanoate, other associated esters can be seen from the table above. 

Image from: The Pherobase 

Image from: Chem Spider

References:

• Botanical online
• Flavinoids
• ScienceDaily
• Medical News Today
• Organic Facts
• Wikipedia
• James Kennedy
• Compound Chem
• BBC Food

Botox - is it really the most toxic?

Everyone wants to stay young forever - who wouldn't? But some people are willing to go further than others and inject botulinum toxins - the most toxic chemical known to man - into themselves in order to achieve this. The botox procedure has become the world's most popular procedure with one million procedures alone in the UK with a market now worth £18 million.


Image from: syennahairandbeauty

The injection

The botulinum toxins come from bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which belong to the group of of non-pathogenic gram positive bacteria. There are various toxins produced from these bacteria. The botox injection contains botulinum toxin A (C₆₇₆₀H₁₀₄₄₇N₁₇₄₃O₂₀₁₀S₃₂ ). When it is injected it inhibits the release of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter), which prevents signals being transmitted from nerve cells to muscle cells. The inhibition of the release of acetylcholine at presynaptic motor neurones. The toxins chemically bind to receptors on cholinergic neurones (nerves which use acetylcholine) allowing the receptor-botulinum complex which is formed to be engulfed by the neurone by endocytosis. The toxin is then able to move in the cytoplasm of the cell and prevent the release of acetylcholine from the nerve cells in the form of exocytosis of vesicles containing acetylcholine. This prevents the nerve endings from degenerating however new nerve terminals form over a time period of several months.

However, it is also believed that botulinum toxin is capable of inducing muscular overactivity as an effect of inhibiting transmission of alpha motor neurones. 

Botulinum toxin:

Image from: Wiki

Further, the inhibition of the release of acetylcholine caused by botulinum toxin means that it has interesting medicinal uses and can be used to manage head aches, hemifacial spasm and focal destinies.

Generally scientists measure toxicity on LD50 values which is the amount of a substance needed to kill half of a specified population. Mice are a particular favourite to use for discovering the LD50 values. The Botulinum toxins value is 5 ng/kg (nanogram per kilogram), to put this into perspective - the toxicity of mercury is about 1 mg/kg - 100 mg/kg.  When you inject a mouse with a dose that is not large enough to kill it, it will paralyse it for up to a month. It is for this reason that botulinum is classified as one of the most poisonous substances. 

Image from: psychiatricdrugs

Image from: YouTube

References: 

• IFL Science
• Illumin

Thought steel was strong? Think again.

The silk of spiders is one of the strongest materials naturally occurring in nature. Scientists have long been trying to recreate this silk synthetically but have never been able to achieve the desired result, but they've still been pretty close.

How do spiders do it? 

The silk in spiders is produced from the spinneret glands in the abdomen and have different glands to make different silks. Some spiders are able to produce up to eight different silks.

The silk is a naturally occurring polypeptide, polymeric protein from the scleroprotein group (structural proteins). The protein in the silk is fibroin which is comprised of spidroin 1 and 2 but the composition varies depending due to different factors such as diet and species. The monomer amino acid units of spidroin is mainly glycine (42%) and alanine (25%), it also contains other amino acids such as serine, leucine, valine, glutamine and others. Whether spidroin 1 or 2 is made depends on the quantity of proline and tyrosine present.

Alanine                                                                        Glycine
             

Image from: Finomfb                                                               Image from: Wiki

The reason why spider silk is so elastic is because after a repeat of five glycine amino acids the beta-chain twists for 180 degrees, allowing spiders silk to extend up to thirty percent its original length. To find out more about the structure of spiders silk visit the Bristol University site. Spiders silk has been found to be five times stronger than steel for the same diameter.

Can we make it too?

In order to produce spider silk, scientists have genetically modified goats DNA so that they produce milk that contains an extra protein which can then be used to make into spiders silk. The issue here lies with spinning the silk, as it is with difficulty that this is done and unfortunately after spinning the silk, it is not as strong as when created from a spider.





Due to the amazing strength of silk, if we were able to at some point in the future manufacture it, there would be many potential uses. One of the most useful would be bullet-proof vests. However, it is also believed that they could be used to make artificial tendons also. Spider silk is definitely something to look out for in the future.

Caffeine - disease or cure?

Image from: MNT

Caffeine is drunk everyday by millions of people, but what are the real health disadvantages? Are there any benefits?

Caffeine is naturally found in cocoa pods and kola nuts, 90% of the world ingest caffeine on a daily basis. Since caffeine is a drug, your body can build up resistance to it if taken on a daily basis hence, the quantity of caffeine required to have a desired effect will increase.

How does caffeine work? 

The central nervous system works by transmitting electrical impulses across neurones. When the electrical impulse reaches the end of a neurone neurotransmitters are released (chemical messengers). These chemical messengers are the facilitated diffusion of sodium and potassium ions across the membrane of a neurone. When the neurotransmitters reach the next neurone, an electrical impulse is stimulated. To read more about how neurones work, check out Brain Basics and Wings for life.

Image from: Highlands

Neurone: 

Image from: Frankswebspace

Throughout the course of the day, your body produces adenosine, which is an inhibitory transmitter and causes you to feel tired as it is a depressant to the central nervous system. The production of adenosine is monitored by the body. Adenosine also has various other functions within the body such as: dilating blood vessels in the heart to improve circulation, decreasing the production of rennin in the kidneys and constriction of blood vessels in the liver to increase the hydrolysis of glycogen to glucose. To read more about the functions of adenosine click here.

Caffeine molecules have a very similar structure to adenosine and binds to the receptor proteins, instead of adenosine. This means that adenosine cannot bind and hence the effects of adenosine are not felt. This means that there will be more neurones making electrical transmissions. This activity is noted by the pituitary gland and causes more hormones to be released into the body which cause the adrenal glands to produce epinephrine (adrenaline).

The release of epinephrine causes your liver to begin the hydrolysis of glycogen into glucose, increases blood flow around the body by increasing blood pressure through the constriction of surface blood vessels (hence increasing heart rate) and causes your muscles to tighten. It will also slow down the blood flow to the stomach and causes pupils to dilate. Caffeine also causes your body to produce more dopamine, a neurotransmitter released when something good happens, which causes people to become addicted.


Image from: Wikipedia

 What are the risks of drinking caffeine? 

The consumption of caffeine massively impacts the body by increasing the number of electrical transmissions in neurones. But is this always a good thing? Caffeine has commonly caused many people to become anxious, irritable, sick, dizzy, have muscle tremors and even insomnia. Some research shows that drinking four or more ups of coffee a day could increase the chances of heart attack, especially in those already suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure). A recent study from the University Medicine school of Nevada has suggested that the consumption of caffeine could reduce a women's likelihood of getting pregnant by 27%. Also, heavy use of caffeine can inhibit the production of collagen, a protein in the skin that is associated with youth, the production of collagen produced decreases with age. In extreme cases, caffeine has even been thought to cause hallucinations. 

Are there any health benefits? 

Researchers have recently suggested that the consumption of caffeine can massively improve memory. The author of a recent study has suggested that "coffee provides the best source of concentrated caffeine because it also provides antioxidants also known to provide protection against memory loss." However, other caffeinated drinks do not have the same effect. The polyphenol antioxidant ferulic acid from experimentation has been found to protect against cognitive degenerations and improve memory and prevent memory diseases as it stops acetylcholine being removed from the cerebral cortex. 

More importantly, it has been found that daily consumption of caffeine can reduce the risk of someone suffering from degenerate diseases such Alzheimers Disease, which often leads to dementia.   Studies also suggest that drinking coffee can delay the progression and occurrence of Parkinson's disease, in which areas of the brain get damaged over time. This causes slow movements, tremors and inflexibility. 

References: 

• Caffeine informer
• Caffeine health benefits 
• What is dopamine 
• How does caffeine work - mental floss
• MNT - impacts of caffeine
• Memory and caffeine - Coffee and health