9781422288047

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WHAT IS CAFFEINE?

When you hear the word “caffeine,” the next word that comes into your head is prob- ably “coffee.” Many people in the world get their caffeine from coffee—but it’s also found in many other foods, drinks, and medicines. Caffeine is a drug. And it has a downside.

A drug is any chemical that changes the way your body works. Drugs can do good things—like medicines that cure diseases or take away pain. Drugs can also do bad things to your body—like heroin, cocaine, and other street drugs. Sometimes a drug that is harmless or beneficial in small doses can be very dangerous in larger does.

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