The Chemistry of Coffe (Pharmacology #4)

in #science7 years ago

Everybody loves COFFEE ❤ right?
But why is coffee so amazaing for you? And did you know that coffee can be pretty amazing for your brain, your skin and your body? Of course there are two sites to everything and if you're drinking too much caffeine it can hurt your health

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Today, we will talk about coffe and its important compounds which are responsible for coffe taste and flavour.
Let's start by compounds of coffee

What is in your cup of coffe?

  • CAFFEINE
    This incredible chemical compound acts as a stimulant on our brain and nervous system. So that's why most of us drink coffee. We want to be able to work the whole day and when we are tired, we just go for a cup of coffee. During process of roasting, where the temperature is really high, coffeine survives. In the previous post I've been talking about Neurotransmitters (remember?). When you drink coffee, the neurotransmitter called ADENOSINE is suppressed in your brain. Adenosine is responsible for your attention, alertness and sleep. When adenosine hits a certain level in our brain, then you're starting to be sleepy. Adenosine says to you: "It's bedtime". When you sleep, the level of adenosine is adjusted. The point is that Adenosine and Caffeine bind to the same receptor in our brain - they're fitting. If caffeine binds first, adenosine can't bind, and can't make you sleepy.

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  • CHLOROGENIC ACID
    Is the ester of caffeic acid and is responsible for the bitter taste. Latest researches found out that it may help you to lose weight by modulating blood glucose levels.

  • CITRIC ACID
    You can find citric acid not only in coffee, but also in fruits like lemons of course:) Most of citric acid is destroyed during roasting. The acid residue is responsible for bright acidity of coffee.

Why some people can drink five cups of coffee a day and still sleep like a baby?

The answer may lie in your genetics, so thank your parents for that :D
There is an enzyme called CYP1A2 which metabolizes coffee in your liver. Every person creates different amount of the enzyme. How much CYP1A2 you create, it depends on your CYP1A2 gene. Small changes in the gene can affect how we process caffeine.

So, hope you learn someting new this time. Next time we will talk about .... ? try to guess :p

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Awesome post!! Keep it up and check out THIS POST as well as I have something similar.

This post has received a 2.66 % upvote from @boomerang.

Do not forget the bitter alkaloid, theobromine! ^_^ @pharmacygirl, I am glad that I found your post!...

I wrote about theobromine in the previous post :) chceck it :)

Oh, that's good ^_^ Well, I expect more in your blogs. Btw, you are an amazing steemian!