THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2008
NEWS
3A
HEALTH
44
Increased caffeine consumption reflects national trend
BY JOE PREINER
jpreiner@kansan.com
It's after midnight and Lindsey Williamson sits awake in her apartment, racking her brain as she studies for an upcoming exam. Pulling all nighters isn't Williamson's cup of tea.
She prefers coffee.
Williamson, Paola junior, is part of a national trend of increased coffee drinking among college-aged adults since 2005. The National Coffee Association stated in its 2008 report that for adults aged 18 to 24, the average number of cups of coffee consumed per person rose to 3.2 daily, up from 3.1 last year and 2.5 in 2005.
Ann Chapman, dietitian for Student Health Services, said caffeine consumption increased students' alertness, which added to its appeal during finals preparation. She said the Food and Drug Administration classified caffeine as "generally recognized as safe," meaning its health risks for con-
caffeine content
16 oz. Starbucks Coffee Grande 330 mg
1 NoDoz Maximum strength tablet - 200 mg
tablet - 200 mg
16 oz. Full Throat - 144 mg
8 oz. plain, brewed coffee - 95
mg
12 oz. Mountain Dew – 54 mg
8 oz. Green tea – 30-50 mg
12 oz. Coca-Cola – 35 mg
12 oz. Snapple Iced Tea – 18 mg
1.45 oz. Hershey's Special Dark
Bar – 18 mg
Bar - 18 mg
Source: Mayoclinic.com
Williamson, who consumes both coffee and energy drinks, said she sometimes failed to feel the effects of her caffeine intake.
Chapman said people reacted to caffeine differently depending on factors such as body size. Though some people felt the effects after one serving, she said, some people could
consume several servings without achieving the same caffeine buzz
sumers were low.
Students can obtain caffeine in many ways, shapes and forms. Chapman said the substance could be found in the leaves, seeds and fruits of more than 60 plants. She said caffeine was used in making products such as tea, coffee, cola drinks and chocolate.
For most people, Chapman said, moderate consumption of caffeine was about 300 milligrams of the substance, the equivalent of three cups of coffee. She said side effects of too much caffeine included insomnia, restlessness, muscle-twitching and increased heart rate. She said the effects were not dangerous to people's health, but they could sometimes be uncomfortable.
Chapman said energy drinks were often more potent than other drinks containing caffeine. She said many energy drinks also contained guarana, a substance almost identical to caffeine. She said the combination of the two ingredients often
added an extra, unexpected iolt.
For people who consume caffeine consistently, Chapman said there was a risk of addiction. She said breaking away from caffeine often resulted in withdrawal symptoms including headaches and irritability.
Photo Illustration by Chance Dibben/KANSAN
Charlie Russell, Chicago senior, said he brewed his own coffee at home about four times each week. He said it was a necessary part not
only of his study habits, but also of his entire morning routine.
"Caffeine plus flavor equals wake up," Russell said.
Troubled auto giants make new case for federal bailout
ECONOMY
— Edited by Brenna Hawley
Auto industry executives, from left, General Motors Chief Executive Officer Richard Wagoner; Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Robert Nardellii; and Ford Chief Executive Alan Mullaly, a KU alumnus, tested on Capitol Hill in Washington in November.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Humbled and fighting for survival, Detroit's once-mighty automakers appealed to Congress with a retooled case for a huge bailout Tuesday, pledging to slash workers, car lines and executive pay in return for a federal lifeline. GM said it wouldn't last till New Year's without an immediate $4 billion and could drag the entire industry down if it fails.
General Motors Corp., asking for as much as $18 billion to keep afloat and survive even worse economic storms, painted the direst portrait to date of what could happen if Congress didn't quickly step in.
"There isn't a Plan B" said Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson. "Absent support, frankly, the company just can't fund its operations." Without help, he warned, "the company will default in the near term, very likely precipitating a total collapse of the domestic industry and its extensive supply chain, with a ripple effect that will have severe, long-term consequences to the U.S. economy."
New sales figures underscored the seriousness of the situation. Ford said its November U.S. light vehicle sales tumbled 31 percent, while sales at Toyota, Japan's No. 1 automaker, fell 34 percent despite its extension of zero-percent financing on many vehicles.
Democratic leaders have said they might call Congress back next week to pass an auto bailout — but only if the carmakers' blueprints show the Big Three have reasonable plans to stay viable with the help.
Making no commitments,
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said
Tuesday, "We want to see a commitment to the future. We want to see a restructuring of their approach, that they have a new
business model, a new business plan." She said, "it is my hope that we would" pass legislation to help the industry.
All three plans envision the government getting a stake in the auto companies that would allow taxpayers to share in future gains if they recover.
Along with detailed stabilization plans, the auto executives were offering up a hefty dose of humility and a host of symbolic concessions designed to repair their images, badly tattered after they arrived in Washington last month on three separate private jets to plead for federal help.
Ford CEO Alan Mulaly, GM CEO Rick Wagner and Chrysler chief Bob Nardelli all planned to road-trip to Washington in fuel-efficient hybrid cars for hearings
on Thursday and Friday.
Mulally, a KU alumnus, and Wagoner both said they'd work for $1 per year if their firms took any government loan money, while Ford offered to cancel management bonuses and salaried employees' merit raises next year, and GM said it would slash top executives' pay. Both said they would sell their corporate aircraft.
These executives are going out of their way to show deference to lawmakers and a willingness to flog themselves for past mistakes.
"I think we learned a lot from that experience," Mulally told The Associated Press in an interview.
U. S. automakers are struggling to stay afloat heading into 2009 under the weight of an economic meltdown, the worst auto sales in decades and a tight credit market.
funded by:
Hope for Haiti Concert
Raising Awareness for Hurricane Victims
Kansas Ballroom in the Union (5th Floor)
December 10th @ 7:30
Bands performing:
The Sailor Sequence
Maron Lee
Martin
Sleep Dreamer
Free Admission - Dontations Accepted
Alternative Spring Break with Lutheran Campus Ministry
Everyone is invited to come and learn about this opportunity to join in community service and to sightsee in the Big Apple.
Informational meeting Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 8:00 p.m. Lutheran Campus Ministry 18 East 13th St.
Interested? Email: juliejh@ku.edu