02127naa a2200289 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000190006024500850007926000090016452013150017365000130148865000220150165000180152365000200154165000080156165000100156965000130157965000090159265000140160165000090161565000270162465300150165170000190166670000220168577301300170721473082022-12-22       2022    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d1 aROSA, J. S. da  aCaffeinebVillain or Heroine, Protagonist, or Coadjutant?h[electronic resource]  c2022  aCaffeine (1,3,7 trimethylxanthine) is the most psychoactive substance consumed worldwide. Caffeine is so hegemonic in modern society that it can be used as an anthropogenic marker of drinking water quality (contamination by the sewage system), due to its excretion by urine and massive consumption in urban centers. Caffeine affects the central nervous system, the cardiac muscle, the respiratory system, and the secretion of gastric acid. It has no nutritional value, but its antioxidant activity is proven to be relevant to some free radicals. Common sense or conflicting data such as the association of caffeine intake with neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson?s and Alzheimer?s, teratogenic effects, and even autoimmune diseases will be discussed in terms of natural drinks, where synergistic effects with other substances must be considered. In this chapter, we also discuss the levels of caffeine in different types of beverages: coffee, mate, tea, chocolate, and energy drinks with their effects on the cardiovascular system, besides caffeine levels in coffee on different roasting degrees. The concept of slow- release caffeine, the efforts to remove it from coffee with specific extraction methods, coffee surrogate foods, stomach-friendly coffees, and its cosmetic uses will be explored as well.  aCaffeine  aCoffee (beverage)  aEnergy drinks  aFood technology  aTea  aCafé  aCafeína  aChá  aChocolate  aMate  aTecnologia de Alimento  aEnegético1 aTEODORO, A. J.1 aFREITAS-SILVA, O.  tIn: TAYLOR, J. C. (ed.). Advances in Chemistry Research. Nova York: Nova Science Publishers, 2022.gv. 71, cap. 7, p.167-178.