The drinking of coffee began approximately 1000 years ago in Arabia and this custom spread to Europe at some point during the 16 th century. Before this, unsanitary water conditions drove Europeans to drinking weak beer or wine in order to hydrate – we can all imagine the potential result of that, and it does not include a good work ethic. At the time, the arrival of coffee was considered nothing short of a miracle: simultaneously increasing energy, work ethic and hydration. Only recently have we begun to investigate the effects that coffee has on our bodies. Coffee contains a molecule called caffeine. Caffeine is very similar in structure to adenosine, a component of adenosine triphosphate (ATP, our bodies’ source of energy). According to Brain Research Reviews, this means that caffeine is able to bind to adenosine receptors in the nervous system. Caffeine is unable to activate these receptors, but blocks the binding of adenosine. Adenosine typically binds to type 2 adenos...