Caffeine : Perspectives From Recent Research

Before the late 1970s, interest in caffeine among both the general public and the scientific community was at a relatively low level for many years, even though it was recognized that caffeine was an al­ most universal component of the diet. The National Coffee Associa­ tion was supporting a continuing program of research, some re­ search was being conducted by a few of the largest companies selling coffee, and an occasional university researcher became inter­ ested in caffeine and conducted experiments, often on effects of caf­ feine in very high concentration in vitro on skeletal muscle fibres or on dividing cells. Since 1978, however, there has been a mighty up­ surge in both public and scientific interest in caffeine. It is interest­ ing to note that this was prompted not by discovery of hitherto un­ known effects or hazards of caffeine, but by the actions of a regulatory agency, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of the U. S. Public Health Service. The U. S. Congress passed new laws on foods and drugs in 1958. One of the provisions was for testing of food additives to assess risk to health. As it was clearly impracticable to require immediate test­ ing of all additives already in use, a list was drawn up of some hun­ dreds of additives that were generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Front Matter....Pages I-XX Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Products of Metabolism of Caffeine....Pages 3-38 Measurement of Caffeine and Its Metabolites in Biological Fluids....Pages 39-47 Interspecies Comparison of Caffeine Disposition....Pages 48-56 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Human Consumption of Caffeine....Pages 59-73 Front Matter....Pages 75-75 The Cardiovascular Effects of Caffeine....Pages 77-85 Behavioral Effects of Caffeine....Pages 86-103 Front Matter....Pages 105-105 Effects of Caffeine on Monoamine Neurotransmitters in the Central and Peripheral Nervous System....Pages 107-118 Neuroendocrine Effects of Caffeine in Rat and Man....Pages 119-128 Adenosine as a Mediator of the Behavioral Effects of Xanthines....Pages 129-141 Caffeine and the Cardiovascular Effects of Physiological Levels of Adenosine....Pages 142-150 Front Matter....Pages 151-151 Influence of Ingested Caffeine on Animal Reproduction....Pages 153-164 The Teratogenic Potential of Caffeine in Laboratory Animals....Pages 165-187 Epidemiologic Studies of Birth Defects....Pages 188-200 The Carcinogenic Potential of Caffeine....Pages 201-220 The Mutagenic Potential of Caffeine....Pages 221-238 Mechanism of Potentiation by Caffeine of Genotoxic Damage Induced by Physical and Chemical Agents: Possible Relevance to Carcinogenesis....Pages 239-253 Back Matter....Pages 255-260 Before the late 1970s, interest in caffeine among both the general public and the scientific community was at a relatively low level for many years, even though it was recognized that caffeine was an alƯ most universal component of the diet. The National Coffee AssociaƯ tion was supporting a continuing program of research, some reƯ search was being conducted by a few of the largest companies selling coffee, and an occasional university researcher became interƯ ested in caffeine and conducted experiments, often on effects of cafƯ feine in very high concentration in vitro on skeletal muscle fibres or on dividing cells. Since 1978, however, there has been a mighty upƯ surge in both public and scientific interest in caffeine. It is interestƯ ing to note that this was prompted not by discovery of hitherto unƯ known effects or hazards of caffeine, but by the actions of a regulatory agency, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Public Health Service. The U.S. Congress passed new laws on foods and drugs in 1958. One of the provisions was for testing of food additives to assess risk to health. As it was clearly impracticable to require immediate testƯ ing of all additives already in use, a list was drawn up of some hunƯ dreds of additives that were generally recognized as safe (GRAS)