Caffeine

(in 4,682 products)

1. Antioxidant - Reduces oxidation to prevent the formation of free radicals which may be harmful to health.

2. Drug / Medicine - Treats, alleviates, cures, or prevents sickness. As officially declared by a governmental drug/medicine regulatory body

3. Flavor / Flavoring / Flavor Enhancer - Provides or enhances a particular taste or smell.

Caffeine is found in the seeds, nuts, or leaves of a number of plants native to South America and East Asia. The most well known source of caffeine is the coffee bean, a misnomer for the seed of Coffea plants. Beverages containing caffeine are ingested to relieve or prevent drowsiness and to improve performance. Caffeine-containing drinks, such as coffee, tea, and cola, are very popular.

Caffeine, a naturally occurring xanthine derivative like theobromine and the bronchodilator theophylline, is used as a CNS stimulant, mild diuretic, and respiratory stimulant (in neonates with apnea of prematurity). Often combined with analgesics or with ergot alkaloids, caffeine is used to treat migraine and other headache types. Over the counter, caffeine is available to treat drowsiness or mild water-weight gain.

Caffeine is a methylxanthine alkaloid found in the seeds, nuts, or leaves of a number of plants native to South America and East Asia that is structurally related to adenosine and acts primarily as an adenosine receptor antagonist with psychotropic and anti-inflammatory activities. Upon ingestion, caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), which inhibits adenosine binding. This inhibits the adenosine -mediated downregulation of CNS activity; thus, stimulating the activity of the medullary, vagal, vasomotor, and respiratory centers in the brain. This agent also promotes neurotransmitter release that further stimulates the CNS. The anti-inflammatory effects of caffeine are due the nonselective competitive inhibition of phosphodiesterases (PDEs). Inhibition of PDEs raises the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP ( cAMP ), activates protein kinase A, and inhibits leukotriene synthesis, which leads to reduced inflammation and innate immunity.

1. PubChem: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/2519

1. Canada List of Permitted Food Additives

- List 8 - Caffeine

2. US FDA Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) (21 CFR 182) [2017]

- § 182.1180 - Caffeine