High School Capstone Project Example

EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE ON THE HUMAN ORGANISM

Abstract

People tend to consume great amounts of caffeine, which can negatively influence their health. Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and its consumption constantly grows. Caffeine is a stimulant from the methylxanthine class. It is an alkaloid that is contained in tea leaves, coffee seeds, cocoa, cola, and in other plants. Caffeine has both positive and negative effects on the human body. Caffeine is widely used for the central nervous system, heart, and mental disease treatment as it combines psychoactive and stimulating properties. It is especially expressed in a direct stimulating effect on the cerebral cortex. Caffeine affects heart activity and increases the blood pressure. It may cause mild drug dependence, expressed with headaches and other symptoms when a person stops drinking coffee after increased usage. This paper outlines the impact of caffeine, providing the research conducted on the basis of female college students, analyzing the caffeine doses in their products and its affects on their productivity. (…)

Introduction

Caffeine first was isolated in 1819 by Friedlieb Runge and was called “Kaffebase.” Over the centuries, researchers have conducted a wide range of researches studying the effects of caffeine on the human body.

Problem Statement

Caffeine is a known stimulant that improves mood and perception of information, and decreases fatigue. Caffeine has a complex effect and can vary from one person to another and depend on the age of the person, the caffeine dose, regularity, and health status. (…)

The goal of this capstone project is to provide a complex analysis of the influence of caffeine on the human body and conduct research among students to detect consumption of caffeine and its influence on students’ health and productivity. (…)

Literature Review

Results of the existing research about caffeine do not allow a firm conclusion to be drawn about the influence of caffeine of cardiovascular and other systems. (…)

Project Goals and Objectives

This capstone project has three goals:

  • Analyze the existing research related to caffeine consumption.
  • Conduct research on the participants to detect the amount of caffeine consumption and its effect on students’ health.
  • Provide recommendations to students about caffeine consumption. (…)

Methods

The research was conducted on 15 students, aged 20, who were currently studying at Northern State University. All participants were women and had no health problems. Participants received personal diaries and questionnaires that they needed to fill in every day. (…)

References

Costa, T. H., Reis, C. E., Porto, A. L., Amato, A., & Dorea, J. G. (2015). Coffee intake and diabetes. Coffee in Health and Disease Prevention, 467-478.
Dews, P. B. (1984). Behavioral effects of caffeine. Caffeine, 86-103.
Lara, D. R. (2015). Personality traits and coffee intake. Coffee in Health and Disease Prevention, 275-279.
Robertson, D., and P. W. Curatolo. “The cardiovascular effects of caffeine.” Caffeine, 1984,
pp. 77–85.
Smith, B. D., Gupta, U., & Gupta, B. S. (2007). Caffeine and activation theory: Effects on health and behavior. Boca Raton: CRC Press.