Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world, consumed daily by roughly nine out of ten adults. In this segment, Dr. Logan Pendergrast, Ph.D., explains just how deeply caffeine is woven into modern life, from coffee and tea to energy drinks, sodas, and even medications. He highlights global consumption levels, with the U.S. alone averaging about 180 milligrams per person each day — roughly one and a half cups of coffee. This sets the stage for understanding how caffeine affects the brain and body.
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We'll start by introducing caffeine
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which is as it says here the most common
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psychoactive substance in the entire
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world. So caffeine is consumed on a
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daily basis by 9 out of 10 adults. And
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what this translates to is the
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consumption of about 120,000 tons of
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caffeine globally per year by human
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beings. And this intake of caffeine can
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come from various sources. It can come,
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of course, from caffeine and tea and
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energy drinks, but can also come from
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medications and sodas. And so all of
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these sources of caffeine consumed on a
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daily basis by people can contribute to
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its neurossychological effects, which
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we'll talk about later in this
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presentation. But in the in the US in
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particular, about 85% of adults consume
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caffeine on a daily basis. And that
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averages about 180 milligrams per day,
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which is about 1 and 1/2 cups of coffee.
